Valentina (French singer)

Valentina Tronel (born 6 April 2009),[1] known as simply Valentina, is a French teenaged singer best known for winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020. In 2016, she took part in the French version of The Voice Kids. Since 2018, she has been part of the child musical group Kids United Nouvelle Génération, with whom she has recorded the albums Au bout de nos rêves (2018) and L'Hymne de la vie (2019). She represented France in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "J'imagine", and went on to win the competition, becoming the first French entrant to win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Valentina
Valentina during Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Valentina during Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Background information
Birth nameValentina Tronel
Also known asValentina
Born (2009-04-06) 6 April 2009
Rennes, France
OriginFrance
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2017–present
LabelsPlay Two

Biography

Valentina was born in Rennes,[2][3] the capital of Brittany, northwestern France,[4] and lives in Thorigné-Fouillard.[5][6] She has an older brother.[7] Her mother is an Italian-language teacher[8] and her father is a real estate agent.[9]

From her early childhood, Valentina was surrounded by music:[10] she said; "I grew up in a family where everyone sang: my mother [sang] in bars, my father [did] Michael Jackson impressions. [...] Music has always been part of my life.".[10] She said she was probably two and a half when she sang her first song. Her mother sang her to sleep with Italian songs and the first songs Valentina sang were Italian.

Career

In 2016, Valentina took part in the fourth season of The Voice Kids France (2017) but she was rejected at the blind auditions stage.[2] Valentina was the show's youngest contestant that season,[11][12] she was seven when she applied for the show and when her blind audition was recorded,[2] and eight on 2 September of the following year when the show was broadcast.[2]

In 2018, Valentina joined the child musical group Kids United Nouvelle Génération, which is a "new generation" of the group Kids United.[13][14][15] According to Le Figaro, her offer of a place there was due to her appearance on The Voice Kids[6][13][16] but according to Valentina, she and her mother sent a video of Valentina singing Kids United songs in response to an Internet advertisement for a music project; they later discovered the advertisement was for Kids United Nouvelle Génération and that Valentina had been selected for the second round.[10]

As its youngest member,[17] Valentina has become a mascot for the group.[16] As of 2020, she has recorded two albums with the group; Au bout de nos rêves was released in August 2018 and L'Hymne de la vie in November 2019.[6] On 22 June 2021, the production has announced the end of the Kids United adventure and the cancellation of the final Best of Tour.

2020 Junior Eurovision Song Contest

On 9 October 2020, France Télévisions announced it had selected Valentina to represent France with a song titled "J'imagine" at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Warsaw, Poland, on 29 November.[18][19][20] On 16 October, the song was released as a single[21] and a music video was unveiled on the same day.[22][23] As of 26 April 2021, the video has received nearly 12 million views.[24] Valentina won the contest with a score of 200 points, 48 more than second-placed Kazakhstan and 67 more than third-placed Spain. This was France's first victory at the contest.[25][26]

Musical style and influences

Valentina's idol is Ariana Grande, who she said is "very pretty" and "has a wonderful voice". Her favorite of Grande's songs is "Love Me Harder".[9] Valentina also likes the music of Celine Dion, that of French artists Maître Gims, Louane, Patrick Fiori, Dadju., and that of Breton artist Nolwenn Leroy, whose voice, she says, she "just loves".[9] Apart from singing, Valentina also raps in French.[16] She also sings in Italian, in particular songs by her mother's favorite singer Laura Pausini.[16] At her blind audition for The Voice Kids France in 2016, Valentina also performed a Pausini song called "Tra te e il mare".[27]

Discography

Studio Albums
  • Plus loin qu'un rêve (2021)
  • Plus loin qu'un rêve (Édition de Noël) (2021)

Singles
Year Title Album
2020 "J'imagine"[21] Plus loin qu'un rêve
2021 "Y'a pas que les grands qui rêvent"
2023 "En vrai" -

Filmography

References
  1. "KIDS UNITED BOX #VALENTINA". YouTube. Kids United. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  2. "Valentina, la petite fille qui rêve d'être chanteuse". Ouest-France. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  3. "Cesson-Sévigné. Une foule de fans pour Valentina, des Kids United". Ouest-France. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. Культура народов Причерноморья (in Russian). Межвузовский центр "Крым". 2002.
  5. "Eurovision Junior. La gagnante Valentina faite citoyenne d'honneur de sa commune en Bretagne". Ouest-France. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
    Valais, Lucie (30 November 2020). "Valentina : une victoire spéciale pour la France à l'Eurovision Junior". L'Internaute.
  6. "Eurovision Junior 2020 : découvrez la chanson de Valentina pour la France". Le Figaro. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  7. "EbeneMagazine – FR – Rennes – La Bretonne Valentina à l'Eurovision Junior: "Je suis fière de représenter mon pays" [Vidéo]". Ebene Magazine. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. "Kids United – Site Officiel | We Are Kids United". wearekidsunited.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  9. "La Bretonne Valentina à l'Eurovision Junior : " Je suis fière de représenter mon pays " [Vidéo]". Le Télégramme. 28 November 2020. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  10. "Kids United Nouvelle Génération : tout pour la musique ! (Kids United Nouvelle Generation : 1jour1actu a rencontré Gloria et Valentina !)". 1jour1actu. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  11. "VIDÉO – "The Voice Kids" : du haut de ses 7 ans, Valentina a littéralement mis les coachs à ses pieds". LCI. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  12. "VIDEO. "The Voice Kids": La petite Valentina, 7 ans, a mis le jury à genoux". 20minutes.fr. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  13. "Eurovision Junior : avec Valentina, la France gagne le concours de chanson. Son clip tourné à Orléans". France 3 Régions. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  14. "Sortie du Best of Kids United, messagers d'UNICEF". UNICEF France. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  15. "Que vaut la "Nouvelle Génération" des "Kids United" sur scène ?". RTL.fr. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  16. "EBU – France wins 18th Junior Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  17. "Valentina la benjamine". DH Les Sports+. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  18. "Valentina, 11 ans, représentera la France à l'Eurovision Junior en novembre". LCI. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  19. "Eurovision Junior 2020 : Valentina (Kids United) représentera la France". Puremedias. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  20. "Eurovision Junior 2020 : Valentina des Kids United représentera la France". 20 minutes. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  21. "J'imagine – Single par Valentina sur Apple Music". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  22. "Valentina – J'imagine – Extrait Concours Eurovision de la Chanson Junior en streaming". france.tv. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  23. "Eurovision junior 2020 : Valentina dévoile le clip de sa chanson J'imagine". Télé Star. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  24. "Valentina - J'imagine (Clip Officiel)" – via www.youtube.com.
  25. Fabien Randanne (29 November 2020). "Eurovision Junior 2020: Valentina triomphe et offre à la France sa première victoire au concours". 20 minutes. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  26. "La France remporte l'Eurovision junior pour la première fois avec la chanson "J'imagine" de Valentina". francetvinfo.fr. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  27. "De "The Voice Kids" à l'Eurovision Junior, qui est Valentina Tronel ?". Le Figaro. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
    "Replay The Voice du 02/09/2017 : Valentina – "Tra te e il mare" – Laura Pausini". TV-programme.com. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
    "Tra te e il mare – Laura Pausini | Valentina | The Voice Kids France 2017 | Blind Audition – YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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