The fourth artist for Junior Eurovision 2019 has been announced! 12-year-old Yerzhan Maksim will represent Kazakhstan at the contest, which will be held in Gliwice-Silesia on 24th November.

The news was announced by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Information and Public Development, Darren Abayev, on Facebook this afternoon.

The government minister says that he has, “a large amount of hope” in Yerzhan, explaining that his “performing skills have already found a response among millions of listeners both in Kazakhstan and abroad”.

Who is Yerzhan Maksim?

Yerzhan is a 12-year-old singer from Oral, Kazakhstan. He began taking music lessons in 2012 and first took part in a music competition in 2016 when he won the Batumi Dolphin Fest. In 2017, he then finished second place at Slavianski Bazaar and was also a finalist at the 2017 San Remo Junior Festival.

In 2018, Yerzhan took part in the Kazak national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. He finished in 3rd place with his song, “Elimdi súıemin”, ending 4 points behind winner Daneliya Tuleshova.

Earlier this year, Yerzhan took part in the Russian version of the The Voice Kids. Originally, he finished runner-up with 27.9% of the vote after performing “Adagio” in the final. However, fans questioned the result and accused the show of vote manipulation. A month later, the final was re-held and all the contestants were announced as winners.

Yerzhan’s entry for Junior Eurovision will be confirmed at a later date.

Kazakhstan at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Kazakhstan debuted at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 after their broadcaster Khabar Agency were invited by the EBU to participate at the contest.

Their only entry so far was Daneliya Tuleshova’s “Ózińe sen” which finished in 6th place with 171 points at the contest held in Minsk. Despite expectations being higher for the song, Kazakhstan will still return for the 2019 contest! You can remind yourself of Daneliya’s performance below:

What do you think of Yerzhan representing Kazakhstan at Junior Eurovision this year? Do you hope he brings a better result than Daneliya last year?

Let us know in the comments below or join in the conversation on social media! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates!