Junior Eurovision 2024 marks the 19th year of North Macedonia’s participation in the contest. Half of those appearances have seen the country finish 12th on the scoreboard, including in 2023. This year, Ana and Aleksej will be hoping to take North Macedonia further up the board with the song “Marathon”.
Scroll down for the “Marathon” lyrics
North Macedonia in Junior Eurovision 2024: Ana and Aleksej with “Marathon”
Ana Vanchevska and Aleksej Ivanovski earned their trip to Madrid, this year’s host city, by finishing in first place during the internal auditions at MRT, North Macedonia’s national broadcaster. They are working with a songwriting duo that has a strong Eurovision track record: Lazar Cvetkovski was part of the team behind “Proud” (Eurovision 2021); Magda Cvetkovska joined him as a co-writer of “Fire”, North Macedonia’s Junior Eurovision 2019 entry that achieved sixth place.
Ana and Aleksej both come from the same city in North Macedonia – Bitola, in the country’s southwestern region. They might only be in their teens, but they are experienced performers. Both 14-year-old Ana and 12-year-old Aleksej have participated in numerous music competitions.
However, just because they have a busy schedule outside of school doesn’t mean they’re slacking in their studies. In fact, they both count mathematics and French as some of their favourite school subjects.
What do the “Marathon” lyrics mean?
“Marathon” is a song about living life to the fullest and chasing after your goals, no matter what happens. It carries a powerful message about how even when life is long and challenging – like a marathon – it pays to persevere and keep your eye on the prize. To put it more simply, as Aleksej describes, “it’s about never giving up on your dreams”. As Ana further explains, “Your life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and you should never give up and you should live it till the end”.
“Marathon” has lyrics in both Macedonian and English. The song starts off sounding like a ballad, but its energy builds throughout its three minutes. At the beginning of the song, Aleksej sings, “This is our time/ To follow the dream/ No, no, no/ Don’t run away”. As the song becomes more upbeat, the lyrics become more rhythmic too, like the footsteps of a runner: “Follow it/ Run run run/ Like a marathon”.
Most importantly, “Marathon” reminds us that we have everything we need within ourselves to reach our dreams: “In your heart you are already a champion”. With such encouraging lyrics delivered by Ana and Aleksej, you’ll catch us racing all the way to the finish line.
“Marathon” lyrics – Ana and Aleksej (North Macedonia JESC 2024)
Lyrics: Magdalena Cvetkovska, Music: Lazar Cvetkovski
Macedonian text
Мама , веруваш во мене ти
Мама , да се борам ти ме научи
Oва наше време е
Сонот да го следиме
не , не , не
Don’t run away
Во срце веќе ти си шампион
Ова не е спринт ова е маратон
Имаш се ти кога имаш сон
Следи го ти run run run
Run run run like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Ништо не е далеку,у у у
Запишано во ѕвездите
Заедно у у у у
Ние можеме баш се
Oва наше време е
Сонот да го следиме
не , не , не
Don’t run away
Во срце веќе ти си шампион
Ова не е спринт ова е маратон
Имаш се ти кога имаш сон
Следи го ти run run run
Run run run like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Like a marathon
English translation
Mama, you believe in me
Mama, you taught me to fight
This is our time
To follow the dream
No, no, no
Don’t run away
In your heart you are already a champion
This is not a sprint, this is a marathon
When you have a dream, you have it all
Follow it, run run run
Run run run, like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Nothing is far,
Written in the stars
Together, ooh ooh ooh
We can do anything
This is our time
To follow the dream
No, no, no
Don’t run away
In your heart you are already a champion
This is not a sprint, this is a marathon
When you have a dream, you have it all
Follow it, run run run
Run run run, like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Run run run
Like a marathon
Like a marathon
Does “Marathon” get your heart racing? Will Ana and Aleksej bring North Macedonia its first ever Junior Eurovision trophy? Let us know in the comments below.
