JESC 2018 | Day 1: The First Rehearsals Begin - Part 1

Today, both Chris and Jess have been reporting live from the Minsk Arena where they have been watching the live rehearsals from the first ten countries.

This story will contain the first four countries to take to the stage, where their performances will be reviewed. Let's see how they got on!

Armenia - L.E.V.O.N - "L.E.V.O.N"

The first country to rehearse today was Armenia who are represented by L.E.V.O.N. As usual, he is the total professional. He came bouncing onto the stage with his trademark green suit and trumpet. The only way you could describe this performance is smooth, and slick. He is very confident, and his vocals were on par.

As you would expect from this young talent, he owns this stage. L.E.V.O.N even has his trumpet which adds to the whole performance. This singer has reported that he will not be having any backing dancers. We feel that they would add to the song even more, just as it does in his video's. However, would having dancers take the focus off him? He is the star whatever. Check his first Rehearsal video below:

Australia - Jael Wena - "Champion"

Image courtesy of JuniorEurovision.tv

The first thing you notice about this performance is the lighting. It is just Wow! Belarus have done an amazing job with the stage this year. It could probably be one of the best ever! The lighting is spectacular and it really 'lights up' Jael Wena and her performance.

She appears on stage wearing a stunning silver dress. She is so classy, and Australia must be so proud of her. If you like the official video, you will like the live performance even better. The voice is absolutely spot on, and "Wow" she can really hit those high notes. The gold glitter effect in the background is also amazing. She is definitely our, "Champion". Check out the first rehearsal video out below:

Azerbaijan - Fidan Huseynova - "I Wanna Be Like You"

Image courtesy of JuniorEurovision.tv

You can always rely on Azerbaijan to send a powerful song, and staging, and they have done that this year. The first thing you notice is that Fidan's dress, hand movements, and even the performance echoes Aisel's "X My Heart", from the adult version of Eurovision.

Dressed all in white, she is so angelic, and there are small hand movements to begin. It does feel that the song needs a little bit more movement to it, and our team believe there is no need for the backing dancers. Her voice is absolutely stunning, and captivating; She has the voice of an angel. The live performance, and her voice is spectacular. Just Fidan on her own would be more than enough to fill that stage! Check the video out here:

Israel - Noam Dadon - "Children Like These"

Israel are next with Noam. He is on stage on his own, with subdued lighting, which reflects the nature of the song. He seems a very shy child, however when he sings, his confidence grows, and he displays his amazing vocal ability. The stage suits him, and his voice. His vocal ability is simply stunning and you can see that Noam really connects with the song and the audience. Check his video out below: