The interest for the upcoming Malta Eurovision Song Contest seems to be high and the reasons for this are somewhat varied but their is a general consensus that the Public Broadcasting Services led by Chief Executive Officer, Anton Attard worked hard on organizing the best possible national selection this year with the idea of the international event kept in mind throughout the whole process. The local music industry has been undergoing several changes, all of which has helped it progress in recent years and one of the artists who has helped redefine it has been none other than Petra Zammit who has brought in a new soulful sound to the Maltese Islands, one which is yet to be fully appreciated. ESCflashmalta has recently caught up with the singer revealing her upcoming plans for 2012 when it comes to a possible bid for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The singer definitely does not any introduction having managed a number of appearances within local music festival over the years but many people definitely remember her debut back in the 2008 edition of the Malta Song for Europe with the song '' composed by Elton Zarb and penned by Rita Pace which not only made it to the semi-final stage of the competition but then also beat out renowned competition such as the likes of Mary Spiteri and Pamela advancing to the finals achieving a credible sixth place. This would not be her only time in the renowned music competition as she would return for a second time in 2010 with the song '', this time composed by Andrew Zammit and penned by Keith Zammit and then also made it through to the semi-finals earlier this year with another entry entitled '' returning to her roots with the composer being Elton Zarb and the lyrics being of Rita Pace.

The singer though has not only achieved fame through this competition because she managed runner-up positions in the last two local festivals that were staged, the 'Għanja tal-Poplu' last December with the track '' which translates into 'A Mother's Tale' composed by Heathcliffe Balzan and penned by Deo Grech as well as in the Malta Summer Hit Song Contest with the track '' written by the same Heathcliffe Balzan and penned by Natasha Turner. Speaking with the singer, ESCflashmalta got to learn that she is eyeing another participation within the Malta Eurovision Song Contest saying that she is 'working for it more than ever before, with a team of songwriters who have credibility, and show true passion in their respective fields'. The style which the song represents will be similar to previous entries but different at the very same time. We would like to wish all of the team, the very best of luck with their new project which has been described as 'fun, refreshing and exciting' and would like our readers to keep tuning into ESCflashmalta for the latest news about the 2012 Malta Eurovision Song Contest.

Through the medium of time, one has been noting a number of changes to the musical event known as the Eurovision Song Contest with a number of new nations debuting and taking their place amongst the elite. One of the nations which decided to send their first participant not too long ago is surely Belarus whose debut came back in 2004 thanks to the duet of the song 'My Gallileo' between Aleksandra & Konstantin who failed to make it through to the finals on that occasion.

The naton has not been too lucky with regards to their respective participation though because they have only passed the semi-final stage on two occasions, the first of which coming in 2007 at the hands of Dmity Koldun and his song '', the second qualification came just last year, in 2010 whe the group 3+2 sang the ballad ''. In the past two years, the method of selection was based on internal selection but it seems that their previous method, known as the Eurofest will be returning following a dissapointing result in 2011. Songwriters are encouraged to submit their enties until the 25th November 2011.

A jury which has been appointed by the Belarussian broadcaster, will select not more than fifteen (15) songs for a semi-final stage which will be aired in December. People alongside a jury will be selecting the best five (5) entries who will compete agains each other in the final which will be stage in the first month of the upcoming year and during that show, the winner will be selected through the medium of both a jury and tele-voting. During the entire selection, people will be reminded of a the history of the competition through a diary system. Keep following ESCflashmalta for the latest news about Belarus and other nations.

Source: BTRC

The rumours over who will be representing Belgium in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest have been persistent in the past couple of months due to the fact that the broadcaster sending an entry to Baku, Azerbaijan was the same one who got the best result for the country since 2003 at the hands of the talented Tom Dice and his song 'Me and My Guitar' which struck a chord with both the viewers at home and also the Jury present for the evening dress rehearsal on Friday evening. The tension is running high and VRT are somewhat looking at their possible options to recognize their sheer talent and as a result obtain an satisfactory placing at the end of the adventure.

It seems that the talks have started with artists having noted in recent weeks that Kate Ryan might be returning to the event having represented Belgium in 2006 with fan favourite 'Je T'Adore' which failed to make it our of the semi-final to much dismay from the fans of the event all around the world. The idea of a returning artist does not go far though because it emerged today that the artist who was invited by VRT to represent the nation was none other than Tom Dice himself. The man who had finished as the first runner-up within their local installment of 'X Factor' has been having resounding success on the music charts following his performance within the musical event notching up yet another hit with the song 'Il Nous Fait' a duet with Elisa Tovati which peaked at number #1 in all of Belgium and also #6 in France, making it his biggest single thus far. This news was published yesterday by Belgian newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws'.

In the meantime, it seems that two artists are being considered for the role and both could be found at the top of the respective list of choices and with the decision being made, it seems that an announcement will follow early next month as has been expected for quite some time. The first of the two singers is Yannick Bovy, an ever growing artist in the vein of the popular Michael Buble. The second name which seems to be more interesting at this point in time due to the fact that he has a better chance it seems is that of Stan Van Samang, a former actor turned singer with his making songs including 'Scars' and 'Poison' amongst others. He has released three albums at this point in time, all of which have been successful. Keep following ESCflashmalta for the latest news about Belgium and their representation in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: Het Laatste Nieuws

Earlier this week we reported that the Latvian broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest, LTV received a total of seventy (70) songs for their respective national selection known as Eirodziesma and as part of their brand new process, they have decided to include an adivsory internet selection in which people will have the chance to select the best possible song out of those available.

The songs have been officially put online now on the official website of the broadcaster, but one has to keep in mind that no songwriters or singers are mentioned although, I am almost positively sure that some details will come out in due time. The results of the specalized jury who will take in the opinion of the public in consideration will be known on the 8th November through a press conference. Only songwriters will be revealed on this particular date with the performers to be published on the 1st December 2011. The semi-finals which will take place live for the very first time will be staged on the 7th and 14th January 2012 and then the finalists will compete for the eligibility to represent the nation on the 18th February 2012 in a vote between the jury and tele-voting.

Source: LTV

In just a couple of months time, nations will be organizing their national finals and quite a hefty amount of entries would have already been chosen but one of the nations who have decided to opt out in competing for yet another year as the competition moves to Baku, Azerbaijan is none other than Andorra whose broadcaster, RTVA, last sent an entry back in 2008. Many people regard their non-participation as being a protest to their unsatisfactory results despite their best efforts. The news was brought forward exclusively by our friends at JanelaESC, who spoke to the broadcaster about the contest and about the possibility of a participation.

The European Broadcasting Union member broadcaster, RTVA, stated their disinterest in competing at the 2012 edition of the annual musical event due to the fact that therre are a number of financial situations to be dealt with whilst the music industry does not feel like this is the best way to export talent so to speak. It is also important to note that the country will be in election fever very soon and therefore television projects will be surrounding such issues. This is surely one of the greatest loses at the Eurovision Song Contest because Andorra was one who presented songs in their own national language, the Catalan, failing to impress on the European front.

The countries' debut within the Eurovision Song Contest came back in 2004 when they were represented by Marta Roure and her song 'Jugarem a Estimar-Nos' achieving only twelve points and an eighteenth (18th) position in the semi-final stage of the competition. They would improve on that and eventually in 2007 garner their best position, finishing in twelfth (12th) position with a total of 80 points thanks to the group Anonymus and the song 'Salvem el Món'. Their final participation came in 2009 when Susanne Georgi, a Danish singer represented Andorra with the song 'La teva decisió (Get a Life)' which only garnered eight (8) points in total finishing in a dire fifteenth (15th) position.

Source: JanelaESC

In the past couple of weeks, artists in the local music industry have been busy preparing the respective material with which they hope to represent the country in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest which will be taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan. Just days after our successful run at this years' musical event, the Public Broadcasting Services executive returned to the drawing in hope of reaching desired levels of success. The promotional campaign for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest also commenced quite early and the artists had more time to prepare this time round as the regulations were released mid-way through the summer months.

Today marks the first day of submissions at the offices of the Public Broadcasting Services which could be found in Gwardamangia at the central part of the Maltese Islands. Artists, composers, producers who would like to submit their material have to make sure that they have everything sorted out according to the regularions released by the Public Broadcasting Services earlier this year which could still be requested by sending an email to this respective email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . It is highly expected that the interest will be high as it has been in recent years whilst the quality levels should also be improving considering the tremendous changes adopted during the competition last year.

In the past couple of days, ESCflashmalta has exclusively confirmed the submissions from a number of artists including former Eurosong stars; , , , as well as former two time Eurovision Song Contest representative Fabrizio Faniello. One of the local music industry acts who will not be submitting into this years' competition is who made it to the finals on two separate occasions, and the semi-finals on another occasion. We will doing our best to let you know about any of the latest updates from the place itself with submissions being accepted from 9 am till 12 pm and then again from 2pm till 4pm.

It is also to be noted that just days ago, the Public Broadcasting Services opened the tender for the provision of the venue for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012 which will be taking place on the 27th and the 28th January 2012, the earliest it has been staged since back in 2008 when an election was set to take place. Last year, the music competition moved back to the Mediterranean Conference Centre which has better acoustics as a venue but is much smaller in size that the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre found in Ta' Qali. Last years' venue seems to be the favourite at this point in time, according to our sources, but it is yet to be seen where it will take place. Stay tuned for more information only on ESCflashmalta.

UPDATE: Following a number of techniques, we have just come to know that the interest amongst the artists seems to be quite high from our prospective look at the first day of submissions. People on hand were able to gather out submissions from none other than former Malta Hit Song Contest Finalist; , Malta Summer Hit Song Contest finalist and Junior Eurosong participant; , six-time national final participant and former runner-up as well as , a former host on Television Malta of the show 'Iż-Żona' and also the Junior Eurosong competition where she has also been in contention.

Source: PBS

One of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest throughout the years has surely been Spain, having established themselves as a premier supporter of the musical event since their initial participation came back in 1961 at the palms of Conchita Bautista and her entry '' which finished in ninth (9th) place with a total of eight points. They have been part of the musical competition every year since then but their results in the past decade have definitely seen a disappointing slump.

Earlier in the past decade, the country managed consecutive top ten results but since the year 2005, the best placing has been fifteenth (15th) place thanks to Daniel Diges in 2010 with the track ''. One of the most successful singers in Spain, namely David Civera who represented the country back in 2001 with the song 'Dile que la quiero' having achieved sixth (6th) place would love to return to the competition saying 'I would love to go, provided TVE let me chose the song and make the choreography”. This might be a good choice for the broadcaster, keeping in line with their traditional sense of music and getting the people over Europe interested in their music once more. It will be interesting to see what will come out of this piece of news in the coming weeks, therefore keep following ESCflashmalta.

Source: escXtra

Time is going by at a relatively fast pace and a number of artists in the local music industry have been occupied with making music which might represent the nation in the upcoming edition of the biggest musical event in Europe which is set to be staged on the other side of the continent, Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. The Public Broadcasting Services have been busy with a brand new re-branding process in order to commemorate the fifty years in which they have been in service but the preparations for the 2012 edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest started a very long time ago just after the return of the Maltese Delegation to the nation. It is important that today marks the second day of submissions with the influx of individuals at the Broadcasting House being somewhat normal for the premier day.

Malta will soon be heading for an anniversary in terms of contention within the event as this will mark the twenty-fourth entry that the country will be sending and with a strong record in the nineties, one should still be proud coming close to victory on two occasions in the past decade thanks to Ira Losco and her '7th Wonder' in 2002 composed by Philip Vella and penned by Gerard James Borg as well as Chiara and her self-penned track 'Angel' in 2005. Since then, results have dwindled and once more, a professional organization is being ensured to bring about a successful result. Artists, composers, producers who would like to submit their material have to make sure that they have everything sorted out according to the regularions released by the Public Broadcasting Services earlier this year which could still be requested by sending an email to this respective email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

On the first day of submissions, four artists were noted by ESCflashmalta and these were none other than; ; a six time consecutive national finalist; ; former host of popular childrens' programme 'Iż-Żona' and the 'Junior Eurosong' as well as a multiple time finalist in the same aforementioned competition; and then two Malta Hit Song Finalists in the form of and . Our people were on hand for a small portion during the day but should be back again at some point tomorrow to see how the second and final day eventually turns out. It is unknown whether the names exclusively published by ESCflashmalta during the past couple of days submitted their songs already or intend to do so tomorrow but amongst those names, remember there were; , , and , all of whom have made it to the live stages in the past and also two time former representative; .

It is widely known that the final day of submissions normally brings about the most entries and this is due to the fact that it is at the end of the week and some of the singers might be waiting for their final mixes noting that in the past week, we have heard that the producers and the studios have been quite busy making those final arrangements. Through the medium of social networking website, Facebook, we have also learnt that upcoming singer, from the Island of Gozo will also be submitting having made it to the first live phase late last year. Also note that we exclusively revealed that won't submit any entries for next year. We will keep you posted about the latest news as soon as we know more, keep following ESCflashmalta.

UPDATE: ESCflashmalta have just returned from the site where the submissions were being accepted, meaning the Public Broadcasting Services and made note of a number of people who walked in to submit their very own entries. Recognizable representatives of a number of acts were noticed and the singers who submit songs include none other than; , a semi-finalist in this years' edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest; , a finalist at the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza and the Malta Summer Hit Song Contest; , a participant in the last series of Io Canto, and also runner-up in the Junior Eurosong; , the runner-up in the last edition of the competition; , his very own brother who is hoping for a fourth solo appearance at the event; , a multiple time national finalist and former runner-up; , a semi-final in the 2009 edition of the Malta Eurosong.

Continuing the long list is Rosman Pace; a finalist in the Malta Song for Europe on a number of occasions; , second runner-up in the Malta Song for Europe 2000 and participant in 2009; ; a finalist in the 2007 edition of the Malta Song for Europe; , a finalist in the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza of 2009 and also a Malta Summer Hit Song Finalist; , the younger brother of 2011 Malta Eurovision second runner-up Kurt Calleja; , a semi-final in the 2007 edition of the same competition; , composer and Maltese representative at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest who is notable for writing tracks for who seems to have also submitted. It is also to be noted that , the group which first came to prominence in 2009 and seemed to gain exposure in both 2010 and 2011 have submitted a song for this years edition; , a finalist in the 2005 edition and a semi-finalist in the 2003 edition; and then again last and not least; Grace Borg, a former Malta Song for Europe Chairperson was also seen entering with a number of tracks.

In the past couple of weeks, there have been a number of rumours going round that the nation of Greece, one of the most successful countries at the Eurovision Song Contest was set to withdraw from the event indefinitely due to a number of crises which the nation is facing especially when it comes to finances. The broadcaster, ERT, has been taking part in the annual musical event for quite sometime with the first participation coming way back in 1974 but since the past century, Greece have managed to finish in the top ten each and every occasion. This is surely one of the best records that a country has managed to hold when in contention within the event.

Doubts have ended now through because the represetnative broadcaster, ERT, have denied the claims pushed forward by the tabloid news mostly 'Star Channel' who had said that another participation will not be so sure due to turmoil. Despite the broadcaster not commencing their plans for the 2012 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, there are no plans to withdraw at the present stage with their last entry 'Watch My Dance' performed by Loukas Giorkas ft. Stereo Mike reaching seventh place. A new successor will soon be found. Keep following ESCflashmalta for more latest news from all around Europe.

Source: ESCdaily, Star Channel

Just a couple of weeks ago, Albania confirmed their participation in the annual Eurovision Song Contest and it took quite some time due to the fact that the nation will be organizing their fiftieth edition of the Festivali I Kenges, an important achievement for any broadcaster. This year, the music competition will be organized on a larger scale so to speak and this will surely reflect on the outcome of the event. It is important to note that Albania still holds up with the orchestra, the only nation apart from Italy's San Remo which presents live music in their competition.

The finalists for the upcoming edition which is taking place over a period of four days will be staged in December as has been the case for so many years and it seems that the line-up includes an array of popular performers in the nation including a former representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in the form of Frederik Ndoci who did the honours back in 2007 with the song 'Hear My Plea' when the competition took place in Helsinki, Finland. The list of participants, published exclusively by esctoday.com could be found just below:

• Altin Goci
• Bashkim Alibali
• Bojken Lako
• Claudio La Regina
• Dr. Flori
• Elhaida Dani
• Elton Deda
• Endri & Stefi Prifti
• Entela Zhula
• Evans Rama
• Frederik Ndoçi
• Goldi Halili
• Gerta Mahmutaj
• Hersi Matmuja
• Iris Hoxha
• Kamela Islamaj
• Kujtim Prodani
• Mariza Ikonomi
• Marjeta Billo
• Marsida Saraçi
• Orinda Huta
• Rona Nishliu
• Rudina Delia
• Saimir Braho
• Samanta Karavella
• Sindi Berisha
• Toni Mehmetaj
• Xhensila Myrtezaj

The director of this years' edition of the competition; Shpetim Saraçi; also the writer of this years' Albanian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest stated 'I am happy to see these great names are taking part in the 50th edition, is a great mix of the fresh singers, young singers and some classic veterans'. It is not know whether the winner of the show will take on the role of representing the nation and despite not formal confirmation by the European Broadcasting Union, the newly appointed director stated that a song will ultimately go to Baku 'from Festivali I Këngës'.

Source: Esctoday, RTSH