Ireland's Junior Eurovision hopeful Jessica McKean has said she wants to "make the world happy with music" as she prepares to take to the stage at the song contest today.
The Donegal singer, who at 10-years-old is Ireland's youngest representative to date at Junior Eurovision, will be performing the song Aisling at the grand final of the competition which takes place in Nice, France, and coverage begins at 3pm on TG4 and BBC Two.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment from Nice, Jessica didn't show any nerves about performing in front of an expected audience of 33 million viewers.
"I'm super excited, I've never been more excited in my life!", she said. "To think that that many people are going to be watching me is unbelievable."
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Jessica said that she can't wait to sing Aisling and said she hopes the song brings "a good message".
It's about "finding the guiding light to bring you back to your welcoming home, from darkness to a better place", she explained.
The Lifford-born singer has been busy rehearsing for her performance on Sunday and she said the Junior Eurovision stage is "massive!"
"I'm only ten-years-old and coming on the stage is an unbelievable experience," she said. "I'm so proud of myself and I'm going to try as hard as I can on the night."
Jessica is also excited about her costume for the grand final of Junior Eurovision.
"I love the dress so much, I think it suits the song so well", she said. "I'm speechless because it's so amazing, I've never seen a dress this beautiful in my whole life!"
Jessica, who won her first Feis competition at three years of age, has always loved performing.
"I've done Feis's since I was three, then I did Donncha's Two Talented when I was five, and now I'm doing the Eurovision when I'm 10," she said of her career to date.
She is inspired by musicians who spread positive messages to the world.
"I really admire Adele and Whitney Houston and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift and Harry Styles and Billie Eilish and stuff like that," she said.
"They're all really inspiring and their songs bring a good message to me, like 'you should keep going'.
"And sure look where I am today!"
She said of deciding to apply for the competition: "When I applied for Junior Eurovision I was like 'oh my gosh, what am I going to do? Is this a good idea or is this a bad idea?'
"Obviously it was one of the best ideas I ever had in my whole life. It's been such a journey and it's a journey I'll never forget."
And while she gears up for the Junior Eurovision stage on Sunday, Jessica is open about her future ambitions, too.
"When I'm older I really want to go to the adult Eurovision as well, that would be amazing," she shared.
"I really want to do stuff for charities and I really just want to make the world happy with music."
You can help decide the winner of this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest by voting online from Friday 24 November at 7pm until the start of the live show.
You can vote for Jessica here.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest will broadcast live on TG4 on 26 November 2023 at 3pm.
