Simone Grande will represent Italy at Junior Eurovision 2024.
Despite the Junior Eurovision 2023 season wrapping up just over one month ago, we already have our first confirmed act for next years contest. The winner of The Voice Kids Italy season two, Simone Grande, has been confirmed as Italy’s Junior Eurovision 2024 representative. This then confirms Italy’s participation in next years contest.
During the final night of The Voice Kids Italy, the host Antonella Clerici confirmed that the winner would go on to represent Italy at Junior Eurovision 2024.
This will be the second year in a row that Italy’s Junior Eurovision representative will be chosen through The Voice Kids. This year, the winner of season one of The Voice Kids Italy, Melissa Agliottone, and fellow finslist Ranya Moufidi, were confirmed as Italy’s Junior Eurovision 2023 representatives.
Who is Simone Grande?
Simone Grande is 11 years old and comes from Rozzano in Milan. His dreams are to become either a singer of a footballer. He currently plays left-back for Real Basiglio, and is a big Inter Milan fan. His idol is Maradonna.
Simone’s passion for singing started just last year, when he tried his hand at karaoke in a restaurant, in preparation to sing at his mother’s upcoming wedding. He started singing a couple of times a month, and now, he now attends a music school in Buccinasco, Nuova Musica.
For his blind audition on The Voice Kids Italy, Simone sang Marco Mengoni’s Eurovision 2013 hit “L’essenziale”, which earned him two chair turns. In the semi final he sang “Adagio” by Lara Fabian, and in the final, “All By Myself”, originally by Eric Carmen and covered by Celine Dion.
Italy made their Junior Eurovision debut in 2014, which they ended up winning with Vincenzo Cantiello and his song “Tu primo grande amore”. They have participated almost every year since then (except for 2020), and have gone on to achieve a further five top 10 placings. This year, Melissa and Ranya sang “Un mondo giusto” which earned them 11th place and 81 points.
Have you seen any of Simone Grande’s performance on The Voice Kids? What style of song do you think he will sing at Junior Eurovision 2024? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo credit: RAI
