With the United Kingdom entering the Junior Eurovision in 2022 for the first time in a number of years, Freya Skye represented the country in Armenia with her song Lose My Head, where she finished fifth after winning the global public vote. Freya documented her Eurovision journey for CBBC and she performed Lose My Head on BBC Children in Need, and made appearances on CBBC Saturday Mash-Up, Newsround, Blue Peter Christmas Special and Strictly – It Takes Two. Alongside music, Freya is involved with performing arts, and she often uploads videos to her YouTube and TikTok channels. Speaking to Freya, she told us about representing United Kingdom at last year’s Junior Eurovision, performing her song Lose My Head and documenting her Eurovision journey.

You represented United Kingdom at last year’s Junior Eurovision, how did you find the experience performing in Armenia and meeting the other contestants?

I absolutely loved it and representing the UK is something that I will be forever grateful for! It was such a unique experience and one that will live with me for the rest of my life. Performing to millions of people felt like a dream come true and it almost didn’t feel real! It was so nice meeting the other participants, becoming friends with them and learning more about their country and culture! I’m still in touch with a lot of them today!

How was it winning the global public vote and seeing the response to your performance of Lose My Head?

Me and all of the Team UK couldn’t believe it! The huge amounts of love and support that we received leading up to the live show was amazing! Winning the public vote was and still is such a surreal feeling and I will be forever grateful for everyone’s support, votes and love!

How did it feel finding out you’d be United Kingdom’s first Junior Eurovision entry for a number of years and how did you prepare for the contest?

Finding out was one of the best days of my life! I was told I was going to a dance audition so I wasn’t expecting the news either! It was quite nerve-racking to know that I was going to be the first UK representative in so long but I was so, so excited as it was a dream come true! I loved every second of preparing for the competition! All of the singing, dancing and spending so much time with lots of industry professionals! To prepare, I would practice the song every single day at home and I would also try to improve my stamina by singing on the treadmill! We also had rehearsals on weekends where me and the girls would rehearse the choreography and I would learn how to sing and dance at the same time (this was a challenge, lol).

What are some of your stand-out highlights from being part of Junior Eurovision?

It is so, so hard to choose just a few stand-out highlights because I loved the whole experience but to only list a few I would say recording the song, all of my live performances, singing Lose My Head at the JESC live final and, obviously, the AFTER PARTY!!!!!

You released a music video for Lose My Head with your dancers, how was it to work on?

The music video was so, so fun to film! It was one of the first things I did after finding out that I would represent the UK at JESC! I felt like a pop star!

Can you tell us about some of the TV shows you appeared on in the lead-up to performing in Armenia and since competing?

Leading up to JESC, I was so, so lucky as I got to appear and perform on so many amazing shows! I performed on BBC Children in Need with the girls, which was so, so much fun! I also went on CBBC Saturday Mash-Up, BBC Strictly – It Takes Two and I also appeared on BBC Newsround! After JESC, I sung on Blue Peter’s Christmas Special with all of the presenters, a whole choir of children and Joel played the piano!

We understand you filmed a documentary called Freya’s Journey – Junior Eurovision Song Contest for CBBC, what was this like?

Having cameras following me around throughout my journey felt a bit odd at first but when you think about it, it’s just like me vlogging my day for a YouTube video! Looking back, I’m so, so happy that our whole journey was captured on film so I’ll always have these amazing memories to look back on!

Where does your love of singing and performing come from and what encouraged you to be part of Junior Eurovision and represent the United Kingdom?

No one in my family sings or performs so I’m not really sure where my passion comes from but I just love to sing. Always have and always will! I’ve been singing since I could talk and I never stop. It even annoys my parents sometimes, lol. Eurovision is a show that I have always loved and watched with my family. When I found out that there was a Junior version of the contest, I knew that that was what I wanted to do!

How is it releasing videos and vlogs on YouTube and TikTok, and interacting with your followers?

I love posting videos over on social media and interacting with my followers! So many people have been on this journey with me, even before JESC, and I’ve always loved being able to interact with them and share my passion for all things performing arts. I love everyone who supports me so, so, soooooo much!!!

Do you have any upcoming music plans that you can tell us about and what plans do you have for your social media platforms?

Lots of things in the pipeline, which unfortunately I can’t reveal anything about right now but I’m so, so excited for everyone to find out super soon! In the meantime, lots more vlogs, Instagram posts and maybe some spoilers so keep your eyes peeled!!!

How did you get into performing arts and how has your journey in the industry been so far?

My journey started with lots and lots of singing and dancing in my kitchen pretending that I was a Disney Princess! I joined a stage school on the weekends when I was about five years old, and that’s when I started to find a love for performing! Ever since then, my passion has kept growing and growing. This industry can be tough because there are so many talented kids out there and I’ve lost count of how many auditions I’ve attended over the years and not been selected, but that’s never stopped me from trying and working hard. I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked on some super exciting projects, which I’ve loved, and hope to do more in the future 😃.

Do you have any favourite music artists to listen to or theatre shows to watch?

My all-time favourite artist is Anne-Marie! I love her music, her style, the way she performs and she seems like such a lovely person who I aspire to be like one day. I also love Ed Sheeran, Mimi Webb, Tate McRae and Olivia Rodrigo! My favourite theatre show is Wicked!

How do you like to spend your free time?

In my free time, I like to go on dog walks with my super cute Cavapoo, Ruby. I also love going shopping with my friends, recording lots of new content for my socials and sometimes I just like to chill out and watch a new series on Netflix!

What are you hoping this year brings for your career?

I hope to release lots of new music, perform live and maybe a few more TV appearances! But for now, I’m just going to keep posting on socials, stay focused at school and spend lots of time with my family! ❤️

Follow Freya on:

Instagram

YouTube