Today the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – travelled to Tbilisi to get a sneak peak of what’s to come at this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. After being led on an amazing tour by our old friend Lizi Pop, we retired to our hotel and reviewed the entry for Georgia at Junior Eurovision 2017, “Voice of the Heart” by Grigol Kipshidze. Can we feel Grigol’s voice in our hearts? Read on to find out…

Georgia’s Junior Eurovision 2017 song

“Voice of the Heart” reviews

Chris: If Georgia wanted to make it a double, they’re certainly going down a good route. “Voice of the Heart” isn’t exactly modern, but Grigol does his best to make it feel timeless instead. The entire piece feels genuine: this is something you can envision Grigol wanting to sing, rather than feeling like he’s been shoehorned into the role. A very strong effort.

Score: 7.5/10

Deban: A nostalgic melody sung beautifully. There is a gentle singalong quality to “Voice of the Heart”. Its simplicity, which is masterfully crafted, builds into a power ballad, especially after the second verse. Grigil Kipshidze remains at ease whilst his female backing singers complement his lead vocals. From a broader perspective, Georgia continues to wow followers with quality entries.

Score: 8.5/10

Jovana: This song is pure sweetness and innocence. It reminds me a lot of the ’90s ballads you hear on the radio, as well as Michal Szpak’s “Color of Your Life”. Could Grigol be JESC 2017’s Michal? I do believe so. He certainly has the vocal technique and ability for that. It wouldn’t be surprising if Georgia won two years in a row.

Score: 9/10

Luis: Grigol has such a nice voice, and although I don’t have a clue of what he’s saying, I can’t help but think how beautiful Georgian sounds. He’s got hints of Michael Jackson, he’s sweet but rough at times, and most importantly, he believes in his song and sings it with aplomb. Kudos for that! Musically, “Voice of the Heart” is not the most modern or original entry of this year’s bunch, but hey, neither was it “Mzeo” last year and Mariam won.

Score: 7/10

Robyn: “Voice of the Heart” has a chilled-out 1980s feeling, and sounds like the soundtrack of a yacht party from 1985. Grigol is a talented young performer and his backing singers add some nice sophistication to the performance. It’s a delightful and light tune, and is different enough to be a welcome addition to the 2017 lineup.

Score: 7/10

William: Grigol loves Michael Jackson and that really shows in this ballad that straddles yesterday and today. The decidedly throwback opening slowly progresses to 2017 with a hint of Bruno Mars. It’s the kind of soulful pop ballad you’d hear on an easy-listening radio station and potentially the elevators of some large chain hotels. The bridge gives him a nice opportunity to show the power of his voice — an essential element of any JESC contender. A nice effort from a singer staying true to his roots.

Score: 7/10

Our jury for 2017 consists of 20 jurors, but we only have room for 6 reviews. The remaining 14 scores are listed below.

Angus: 6/10

Antony: 5/10

Antranig: 4/10

Bernardo: 5.5/10

Cinan: 5.5/10

Jonathan: 7.5/10

Jordi: 9/10

Josh: 5.5/10

Marek: 7/10

Mario: 8.5/10

Natalie: 5/10

Renske: 7/10

Rezo: 10/10

Sebastian: 6/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 4 and a high of 10.

WIWI JURY SCORE: 6.86/10

READ ALL OUR JESC WIWI JURY RANKINGS AND REVIEWS

FOLLOW OUR JUNIOR EUROVISION COVERAGE

15 Comments
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Dew
Dew
6 years ago

Nice voice with a dated song. 6/10

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
6 years ago

Great song and voice, this could score another top 5.

8/10

Will Cheng
Will Cheng
6 years ago

Definitely Georgia’s answer to Versace on the Floor.

SW
SW
6 years ago

10/10 for me.
With ease my favourite this year. What a good singer and it’s a great songs in which he can show his vocal abilities.
I hope Georgia wins again!

Ale
Ale
6 years ago

I think this song is overrated, it’s my last – so boring.

EscAU
EscAU
6 years ago

it’s a kids contest, which kid listens to boring 90s ballads :/

James
James
6 years ago
Reply to  EscAU

RnB ballads helped mark the music of that decade. The song doesn’t scream “too mature for JESC” while still sounding current for listeners across age demos.

As always, ballads are not for everyone, as are pop and rock, among others.

Ysabella
Ysabella
6 years ago
Reply to  EscAU

I did when I was a kid:)

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

Fantastic song imo. Very 90s and kid-friendly. Sounds like it could be on Sugababes’ debut album. Y’all did it WRONG while giving Macedonia’s mumbled mess an inflated score!

Allexo
Allexo
6 years ago

he only does it because he’s from Georgia!

Allexo
Allexo
6 years ago

can you please delete Rezo from the wiwibloggs reviews because it’s unfair that he ALWAYS gives a ten to Georgia, i’m tired of this.

James
James
6 years ago
Reply to  Allexo

If a song from his home country exceeds his expectations then Rezo’s ranking of the Georgian entry is well-deserved. Besides, that is his opinion and not everyone else’s. You don’t need to agree with his assessment or anyone else’s from the wiwijury.

Tuxbert
Tuxbert
6 years ago
Reply to  Allexo

Rezo actually gives good ratings. (And Georgia always send 10/10 songs)

Allexo
Allexo
6 years ago
Reply to  Tuxbert

No they don’t well not that often but that’s just my opinion sorry.
this is how i rank Georgia since 2007
2007-3/17 2008-8/15 2009 8th 2010 2/14 2011 8/13 2012 2/12 2013 5/12
2014 4/16 2015 15/17 2016 13/17

seloso
seloso
6 years ago
Reply to  Allexo

“The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 4 and a high of 10”

His score isn’t even counted