Valentina Tronel (born 6 April 2009),[1] known mononymously as Valentina, is a French singer. She rose to prominence after she won Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020, becoming the first French entrant to win the contest. Previously, in 2016, she took part in the French version of The Voice Kids. Between 2018 and 2021, she was part of the child pop group Kids United Nouvelle Génération.
Valentina | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Valentina Tronel |
Born | Rennes, France | 6 April 2009
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2017–present |
Labels | Sony Music France |
Early life
editValentina 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
editIn 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] According to Le Figaro, her offer of a place there was due to her appearance on The Voice Kids,[6] 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,[14] Valentina became a mascot for the group.[15] 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] The group disbanded in 2021.
She has also been the voice actress of Liberty in the French adaptations of Paw Patrol: The Movie in 2021 and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie in 2023.
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
editOn 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.[16][17][18] On 16 October, the song was released as a single[19] and a music video was unveiled on the same day.[20][21] As of October 20th 2024, the video has received 31 million views.[22] Valentina won the contest with a score of 200 points, 48 more than second-placed Kazakhstan. This was France's first victory at the contest.[23][24]
In December 2022, she was selected as the spokesperson to announce the French jury results in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 that would be held in Yerevan, Armenia.[25]
Musical style and influences
editValentina's idol is Ariana Grande, who she said "has a wonderful voice". Her favorite of Grande's songs is "Love Me Harder".[9] Valentina is also fond of the music of Celine Dion, Dadju, Maître Gims, Nolwenn Leroy, Louane, Patrick Fiori.[9] Apart from singing, Valentina also raps in French.[15] She also sings in Italian, in particular songs by her mother's favorite singer Laura Pausini.[15] At her blind audition for The Voice Kids in 2016, Valentina performed Laura Pausini's "Tra te e il mare".[26]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Plus loin qu'un rêve (2021)
- Plus loin qu'un rêve (Édition de Noël) (2021)
- La magie de Noël (2023)
Singles
editYear | Title | Album |
---|---|---|
2020 | "J'imagine" | Plus loin qu'un rêve |
2021 | "Y'a pas que les grands qui rêvent" | |
2023 | "En vrai" | - |
References
edit- ^ "KIDS UNITED BOX #VALENTINA". YouTube. Kids United. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Valentina, la petite fille qui rêve d'être chanteuse". Ouest-France. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ "Cesson-Sévigné. Une foule de fans pour Valentina, des Kids United". Ouest-France. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Культура народов Причерноморья (in Russian). Межвузовский центр "Крым". 2002.
- ^ "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. - ^ a b c "Eurovision Junior 2020 : découvrez la chanson de Valentina pour la France". Le Figaro. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Kids United – Site Officiel | We Are Kids United". wearekidsunited.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "VIDEO. "The Voice Kids": La petite Valentina, 7 ans, a mis le jury à genoux". 20minutes.fr. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Valentina la benjamine". DH Les Sports+. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "EBU – France wins 18th Junior Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Valentina, 11 ans, représentera la France à l'Eurovision Junior en novembre". LCI. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision Junior 2020 : Valentina (Kids United) représentera la France". Puremedias. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision Junior 2020 : Valentina des Kids United représentera la France". 20 minutes. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "J'imagine – Single par Valentina sur Apple Music". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ "Valentina – J'imagine – Extrait Concours Eurovision de la Chanson Junior en streaming". france.tv. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision junior 2020 : Valentina dévoile le clip de sa chanson J'imagine". Télé Star. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Valentina - J'imagine (Clip Officiel)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (11 December 2022). "Junior Eurovision 2022: Who are the Spokespersons". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "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.
External links
edit- Media related to Valentina Tronel at Wikimedia Commons
- Valentina profile on the Junior Eurovision official website