JESC 2011 WINNERS, CANDY
RETURN HOME
Winners of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 have already returned to Georgia. They were welcomed at the airport by families, journalists and fans. This was Georgia’s second win at the Junior Eurovision. The CANDY earned the second victory for Georgia with a total of 108 points.
Today members of the CANDY group were hosted by the Director General of the Georgian Public Television. “When we received 10 points from Russia and then 12 points from Armenia, we were confident the CANDY would win. When the winner was announced, it was a great joy,” said Mamuka Akhvlediani, Vice-President of the Tbilisi City Council.
“When it was announced that Georgia was the winner, the audience was applauding and smiling to us. Those were unforgettable moments,” the youngest member of the group, Irina Khechanova said. “I tell all my friends that dreams come true,” she added.
Another member of the group, Anna Khanchalyan, spoke Armenian. Anna is 15. She was born in Tbilisi and goes to an Armenian school. Anna says she will continue singing in the CANDY and participate in different contests.
She first visited Armenia within the framework of the “One nation, one culture” festival, and later participated in the “Ari Tun” (Come home) program of the Ministry of Diaspora. Anna says she’s proud to have won the contest in her second Motherland.
