The festival will open on the 10th of May and will come to an end on the 17th of May and if last year’s event is anything to go by, this year’s festival will be better and even bigger, in fact they have moved the festival from their normal location to Bulebel. Slowly it is establishing itself as one of the event all the lovers of local music look forward to, in fact a number of people have been asking about the festival for quite some time. Each and every day has a special theme or a special act assigned to it which also includes a foreign tribute band of one of the biggest bands that ever existed.

Friday - 10th May at 21:00

Kevin Borg Live in Concert

Supported by: Glen Vella, Pamela, Barber’s Cut & Paul Curmi Dance Studio 

Saturday - 11th May at 21.00

Ira Losco Live in Concert

Supported by: Planet Seed & The New Victorians

Sunday - 12th May at 20.30

Pop Hits & Maltese Classics

Eleanor Cassar, Stephanie Zammit, Georgina, Franklin Calleja, Chris Grech, Olivia Lewis,

Luisana Bartolo, Nadine Barolo, Charlotte Bartolo & Gillian Attard’s Children Choir 

Monday - 13th May at 20:30

Red Electrick, The Riffs & The Crowns

Tuesday - 14th May at 20:30

The Green Gathering

Tarcisio Barbara, Kirstie Barbarbara, Kurt Galea, Naomi Balzan, Katoushka Mifsud, Malcolm Camilleri, Kirstie Balzan

Feast songs: Eleanor Cassar, Gillian Attard, Alexia Fenech, Stephen Mizzi

Wednesday - 15th May at 20:30 

Guns 2 Rose – Tribute Band

Supported by:  Fuse Box & Harriet Cohen

Thursday - 16th May at 20:30

Eurovision Song Contest – Second Semi-Final on a Big Screen (Malta’s Night)

Friday – 17th May at 20:30 

Bon Jovi Tribute

One can see the festival as an opening to the summer months activities as other activities take place all around the island during the summer months but most of them would not be held on such a grand scale. To organize such a massive event is not easy and Beland would not have been able to provide such a field with different artists were it not for the support they found from their sponsors. The event is free of charge but those in attendance are encouraged to give a small donation that will go directly to Puttinu cares as for another year, the event is being held in aid of Puttinu Care which works for such a noble case. So remember from the 10th of May to the 17th of May your entertainment spot should be in Zejtun at the Beland Music Festival. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more information.

Source: The Beland Music Festival Facebook Page

The Team of Radio International is back from sunny Malta and invites you to the weekly Ultimate Eurovision Experience. Apart from the means of FM Radio in the Netherlands on FM 106.8 and the audio stream from the studio via www.radiointernational.tv and on Digital Cable 781 & cable 88.1Mhz in the Netherlands, the show will also be web-televised via the Radio International TV Channel from the studio and linking up the many international Eurovision fans and friends and play your requests and read your messages out on air. The simulcast will be from 2000 – 2300 hours CET when Eurovision fans can join in and chat amongst each other via the Chat Room and request their favourite Eurovision entry.

This weeks' focus of Radio International is definitely on the Malta Eurovision Song Contest which was indeed won by none other than a debutant in the form of Gianluca Bezzina with the song Tomorrow co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek We had the opportunity to have a chat with the twenty-three year old doctor about his experience in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and the track itself which is very cheerful. Well mannered, and spoken like a true gentlemen, he paid tribute to the artists that competing saying he just wanted to get through to the show on Saturday night. Nevertheless, at the post-result afterparty, we also had a chat with last years' representative, Kurt Calleja who was relishing his status to someone new. This Is The Night was quite the hit in Baku, Azerbaijan where it qualified and received eight (8) points from the nations' voting.

In the meantime, moving slightly away from Malta, there will also be another three interviews on the show, two conjoined into one because it features Christer Bjorkman and Edward Af Sillen who speak to Radio International about the challenges that the country faces in terms of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest and the Melodifestivalen noting that the standard of both has to be high considering the viewing figures of both shows in the nation. Scandinavian countries are known to follow the event in large numbers and therefore, production values have to be quite strong. One of the earlier acts to be chosen this year is also Emmelie de Forest with Only Teardrops and we had the chance to get a word with her as well thanks to our colleagues from escXtra.

Radio International is always keen to present songs during the show apart from the weekly features and therefore, collaborating the two ideas together will see the emergence of Eurovision UnverCover whereas tracks performed at the Eurovision Song Contest will be covered by other singers. The actual tracks will be played first followed by the cover and this will make things interesting. Apart from this feature which will officially commence as of tomorrow, there will be new material played on the show by a number of former representatives. All of the latest news is also covered during the weekly broadcast noting resources from escflashmalta.com and escXtra where Luke Fisher, the Editor makes a weekly round-up. The same applies with Dermot Manning who confirms national finals and this week, he turns to Lithuania and Switzerland. Follow the show through the official website and also send your requests through the contact link which is found on the aforementioned website.

Source: Press Release

89.7 Bay embarked on a mission a couple of years back to promote the local music scene and considering the astonishing amount of tracks that have been played on the radio station throughout this particular year, it seems that their efforts are paying off noting that success has become their trademark. The ninth edition of the Bay Music Awards which took place last night at the Bay Arena in St Julians were running under the theme Party Like It's The End of the World and there was a buzzing feeling in the crowd featuring people of all generations, representing the various artists who were nominated or performed. The build up was intense and several people were left on edge until the first performance, even preceding the introduction of the hosts took place. A lot was riding on the evening which included live performances for the very first time and apart from some mixing issues in the beginning of two performances, one could say it was a huge success.

89.7 Bay well represents the upcoming generation of artists and it seems that the fans that they are bringing with them are becoming more vocal when considering that the new guard was well promoted and ultimately ended up winning the most awards amongst seasoned veterans whose music is still very strong with the right to garner airplay and even nominations. Nevertheless, when tele-voting is the source of the actual vote, it is to be noted that the fan base becomes notorious and the younger generation have become accustomed to this element. Without a doubt, the live performances went down well with the crowd noting that Scar, Brooke, Christabelle, Dimal ft Lyndsay and Red Electrick gave the show the much needed boost to make it stand out. The audience was in full support to the act pictures above though as announced at the latter stage of the evening by Benjamin Glover, one of the three hosts of the evening which also included Dorian Cassar of Bay Breakfast and Nathan D from Malta's Top Ten and the Drive-time Show.

• Best Newcomers: Cryptic Street
• Best Band: Red Electrick
• Best Dance Tune / Remix: Love Hangover (JJoy ft. Kelly Stelfox)
• DJ's Choice: Ira Losco
• Best Solo Artist: Christabelle
• Best Song: My World (Carlo Gerada ft. Jan Cortez)
• Screamer Award: Red Electrick

In the past couple of years, charity has been one of the most pivotal aspects that create a successful nation which despite being limited in resources is somewhat not lacking in generosity with record funds being targeted and somewhat achieved every year. The most popular charity event has surely been L-Istrina from which the funds are divided to various organisations with several beneficiaries. One of the methods on how to aid in the collection of the funds is the recording of a theme song which returns for another year in order to keep with the recently started tradition. This time round, a group of five singers have come together to record a song entitled Stay with the songwriting credits belonging to Steve Compagno and production being done by DJ Toby.

The five performers certainly do not need any introduction with the first being; Marilyn Mifsud, the lead vocalist of an upcoming band by the name of Cruz who have already been featured on escflashmalta.com in the past most recently with the release of their brand new single Good On You, the second artist is also a somewhat newcomer and is the songwriter of this track; Steve Compagno who has been working on a number of charity singles, moving onto the third artist; a runner-up in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest back in 2011 with the song Finally comes Richard Edwards and swiftly from the same edition of the competition is the fifth placed Raquela. Both artists are awaiting their faith for the upcoming edition of the showcase with the results set to be revealed during Xarabank tomorrow evening. One last name to have been added to the fray is that of Kurt Calleja who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year with This Is The Night qualifying to the final for the very first time in three years. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news and the actual release of the song as soon as it becomes available.

Source: L-Istrina 2012

Greece is known to be one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest since the introduction of the semi-final system managing eight consecutive finishes in the top ten but the artist to manage to break that commanding record was none other than Eleftheria Eleftheriou who took to the stage with her ethnic dance inspired track entitled Aphrodisiac. The genre has worked wonders for the Hellenic nation in the past but did not manage to do the trick unfortunately despite receiving ample support from the fans of the renowned showcase. Nevertheless, despite the disappointment, Eleftheria is still enjoying a considerable amount of success in both Cyprus and Greece. It has recently been revealed that the performer will be making her way to Malta on a promotional visit where she will be performing during the Maltese Olympic Committee Awards on the 2nd December 2012.

The news is quite intriguing especially due to the fact that foreign guest stars have a tendency to come for a number of other showcases but this event will definitely be a mixture of sport and music considering that they have a star studded list of performers during the evening including the runner-up of the 2008 and the 2012 Malta Eurovision Song Contest; Claudia Faniello, the second runner-up of the 2005 Malta Song for Europe competition; Janvil, the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest representative; Kurt Calleja and Deborah C who has carefully garnered attention since winning the 2012 edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza. The Awards show will be taking place at the Grand Ballroom of the Excelsior Hotel and will also be aired live on television. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Olivier Vanhoutte

89.7 Bay has been the leading radio station to promote the local Music scene and in fact, has helped artists develop their talent through the medium of broadcasting. In the past couple of years, there have been some distinct improvements in quality when it comes to the respective industry and therefore it is imperative that artists are rewarded for their talent through the annual Bay Music Awards which were officially launched this morning at the Intercontinental Hotel in Paceville. This will be the ninth year of the radio stations' music awards and it will be the biggest yet according to Kevin DeCesare, director of the Eden Leisure Group.

This years' edition of the Bay Music Awards will be taking place on the 12th December, the eve of a Public Holiday and will run under the theme Party Like it's the End highlighting the element that several people have been talking about this year. escflashmalta.com has been a stalwart in promoting both aspects of the local music scene although, one would have to note that there is a merge between the two due to the growing element of professionalism. In fact, there are several artists who have a connection with the Eurovision Song Contest, both on a local level as well as an international level. We are proud to be collaborating with 89.7 Bay on this years' ceremonies. In the meantime, please check out the nominees below.

Best Newcomer (50615301)

Cryptic Street

Dimal

Lost Emotion

Planet Seed

Best Dance Tune or Remix (50615302)

'My World' - Carlo Gerada ft. Jan Cortez 

'Battle of Wills' - Corinna

'Love Hangover' - JJoy ft. Kelly Stelfox

'Defenceless' - Ruby ft. Laura Jae

'Louder' - Stevy Vee & Ross Paterson ft. Glen Vella

Best Band (50615303)

Dolls for Idols

Red Electrick

Scar

Saving Alexis

Three Stops to China

Best Solo Artist (50615304)

Brooke

Chrisabelle

Ira Losco

Kurt Calleja

Muxu

Best Song (50615305)

'My World' - Carlo Gerada ft. Jan Cortez 

'What I'd Give' - Ira Losco

'Paul' - Red Electrick

'White Lie' - Scar

This years' edition of the Bay Music Awards will be hosted by Nathan D, Ben Glover and Dorian Cassar who hold the most noted shows on the broadcaster. It also has to be noted that all of the performances of the evening will be live except those from the best newcomer category in order to get into their respective element. One of the awards to be given out during the evening will be based on the amount of screams for each respective performance so one has to make sure that the fans will be present during the evening. Regular tickets will be going on sale at €10 with the front section tickets being sold at €15 and the VIP tickets with an open bar and canapés will be going for €30. Tickets will be sold online through the official website.

Source: 89.7 Bay

Across the European continent and even further outside of the borders, it seems that the Maltese Islands have earned a respectable reputation for the sheer amount of vocal talent that tends to feature either annually or every now and then. There has been a progression with regards to the production of the songs that are being written for local artists and therefore, releases are now even earning rave reviews in foreign waters which have led to a number of performances abroad. Nevertheless, there is a lot of hype over the next edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and whilst we have absolutely no clue on whether such young talent is submitting, a feature would definitely do the artist justice nevertheless especially after being a focal point earlier this year. In fact, the quiet girl with the big voice that I have deemed is none other than Ylenia Vella, whom many will remember as to having backed Kurt Calleja up vocally.

Ylenia Vella burst out onto the music scene at a relatively tender age submitting entries for the Malta Junior Eurosong competition and coming extremely close to being the Maltese representative in 2009 actually with her track My One True Passion finishing in second place behind Francesca & Mikaela with their entry Double Trouble which also reached a respectable top ten finish abroad. Despite the fact that Ylenia never managed to triumph and finished in second, third and fourth place, she decided to not let the experience mar her career and therefore, submitted an application to be part of the showcase Don't Stop Me Now which was set to air on Television Malta and hosted by none other than Eileen Montesin and Christine Haber. Following a number of weeks of performances, Ylenia was crowned the winner of the competition, a stepping stone for the young performer and a chance to be recognized by not only the masses but even a host of songwriters on the Maltese Islands. She got the chance to perform with Kurt Calleja in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest as a female backing vocalist but unfortunately, it seems that she was replaced by another voice as Ylenia had described with Amber later on stating that the decision was taken up by the Public Broadcasting Services and that Ylenia had a fantastic voice which will represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in the future. It will be quite interesting to see whether this will happen anytime soon but whatever the decision of Ylenia Vella will be, she will always have the stupendous voice of an angel.

Source: escflashmalta.com

89.7 Bay has always spearheaded the importance of the local music scene and it is extremely refreshing to see that the existing divide between radio and local competitions is coming to an end because of the evolution of the respective acts that are coming forth and taking reigns over their respective music careers. In recent weeks, Ira Losco was leading the local chart with her hit single What I'd Give which still finds itself in position number #3 just behind the likes of the group Scar, former entrants in the Malta Song for Europe for starters who have most recently released their latest track White Lie. Nevertheless, the focus of the past two weeks has surely been Kurt Calleja who has found his way onto the chart with a brand new song which is definitely giving him an edge over the prior music he released. The song entitled Boomerang co-written by K-Warren could be found at number #10.

People have become somewhat infatuated with the track noting that it was also at number #2 on iTunes following it's release and prior to the performance giving on the Granaries at the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza. There is a lot riding on his follow up to the song This Is The Night which saw Malta advance to their first final of the Eurovision Song Contest since Chiara had done the honour in 2009 with the track What If We. Enlisted to help out in the final mix was Dan Pursey, a man who does not need a lot of introduction having worked with Five, Westlife, Kate Winslet, Ronan Keating  Clay Aiken, The Saturdays, Il Divo, Leona Lewis and Will Young just to mention a few. On the backing track, there are Matthew James Borg of Red Electrick and Kurt's very own brother, Kevin! The editorial board of escflashmalta.com would like to wish Kurt the very best with his new single and hopefully, it will scale up the chart a little bit higher in the weeks to come whilst reminding you to tune in every Monday night to listen to the Chart Update by Nathan D on 89.7 Bay.

Source: 89.7 Bay

The Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza has been well adapted not only to promote the best in local talent but also the language with the competition remaining the only particular background for Maltese, one of the main items which many can identify to be heritage. The pace of the festival went smoothly except for a small minor glitch during one of the latter entries which prompted an immediate restart and ultimately a great response from the audience. The Established Category featured performances from twenty acts in total with a variety of genres well represented whilst the Teenage Category features a total of four entries this time round because of a tie in third place in the second phase of competition which was televised through the programme Indifest as hosted by Ronald Briffa and Christine Haber who were also the comperes for the evening. In the end, the winners of each respective category were agreed upon by the jury panel made up of Mike Spiteri, Ludwig Galea, Mandy Micallef Grimaud and Matthew Calleja. 

It is important to point out that the introduction of the mychoice.pn award was a welcome addition with the online voting racking in multitude of votes from all over the country whilst the tele-voting has always kept things on edge. The top three results were resoundingly met with applause especially as Domenique with the track Tama u Kuraġġ composed by Philip Vella and penned by Cher Vella was the first announced in third place, followed by Marilena Gauci and her song Bl-Ikbar Serjetà composed by Philip Vella and penned by Joe Chircop and then finally a content and surprised Deborah C with the anthemic Jekk Nużaw Moħħna penned by Joe Chircop to the music of Mark Spiteri Lucas. In the meantime, when it comes to the teenage category, the jury played a pivotal role in selecting the track Bil-Bnadar F'Idejna composed by Miriam Christine and penned by Joe Chircop therefore making Joe Chircop, one of the most decorated men in the competition alongside Mark Spiteri Lucas who together also went onto tele-voting with Deborah C and the aforementioned Jekk Nużaw Moħħna as well as the mychoice.pn award which went to Roseanne Cordina with the track Id-Demm ta' Raymond composed by Mark Spiteri Lucas and penned by Paul Ellul. Below you can note the full result, an escflashmalta.com exclusive.

Teenage Category

01. Bil-Bnadar F'Idejna - Sarah Bonnici (Miriam Christine / Joe Chircop) - 208 points

02. Ħbieb ta' Veru - Maria u Justine (Kaya / Christopher Azzopardi) - 192 points

03. Il-Libertà - Antoine u Kayleigh (Ray Agius / Michael Vella Haber / Evelyn Saliba La Rosa) - 176 points

04. X'Qaltli L-Arzella - Antonella Rapa (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Joe Friggieri) - 164 points

Established Category

01. Jekk Nużaw Moħħna - Deborah C (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Joe Chircop) - 388 points

02. Bl-Ikbar Serjetà - Marilena Gauci (Philip Vella / Joe Chircop) - 368 points

03. Tama u Kuraġġ - Domenique (Philip Vella / Cher Vella) - 337 points

04. Id-Demm ta' Raymond - Roseann Cordina (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Paul Ellul) - 314 points

05. Mhux L-Ewwel Darba - Neville, Ivan u Claire (Augusto Cardinali / Giovann Attard) - 304 points

06. Indipendenti - Danica Muscat (Philip Vella / Cher Vella) - 294 points

07. Kemm Xtaqt - Laura Bruno (Frederick Camilleri) - 292 points

08. Dell L-Istilel - Rachel Verzin (Dominic Cini / Stephen Baldacchino) - 282 points

09. Ħalluni - Kylie Coleiro (Philip Vella / Joe Chircop) - 275 points 

10. Għidli Int - Julie Pomorski (Augusto Cardinali) - 274 points

11. Missjoni Impossibli? - Ishmael Grech (Philip Vella / Rita Pace) - 271 points

12. Se Nibda Jien - Dario u Grecia (Dario Bezzina / Rita Pace) - 256 points

13. Mill-Bidu Nett - Francesca Scerri (Elton Zarb / Rita Pace) - 237 points

14. Tagħna L-Isbaħ Żmien - Esilana (Ray Agius / Alfred C Sant) - 229 points

15. Dan Mhux Tmiem - Corinne Caruana (Mark Scicluna / Rita Pace) - 225 points

16. Id F'Id - Simone Gauci (Renato Briffa / Keith Zammit) - 221 points

17. Rebbiħin - Francesca Sciberras (Miriam Christine / Celestina Sciberras) - 205 points

18. Abjad u Iswed - Stephanie Zammit (Philip Vella / Gerard James Borg) - 189 points

19. Kburin Bik - Christian Azzopardi (Philip Vella / Joe Chircop) - 177 points

20. Flimkien - Kristen Camilleri (Philip Vella / Cher Vella) - 176 points

escflashmalta.com had the opportunity like in the past two years to speak to the winning artist and composer of the track, this year being none other than Deborah C and Mark Spiteri Lucas respectively. The Gozitan singer who is currently reading for a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Malta is extremely happy with the victory stating she indeed 'did not expect it' and ultimately adding that it was even more positive to note that the 'jury and the public agreed unanimously' on the track which they have worked hard to present. She thanked all of the people who supported her from Gozo and Malta as well as her entourage for making this a possibility. Speaking to the composer of the track, he told us that since 2001, he has managed to finish on top on 'five different occasions' making this his 'third victory in six years'. He notes that it was a combination of teamwork which saw to the fact to break records in the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza making this the first entry 'to win both the public and jury vote within the same year'. The editorial board would like to congratulate all of the respective winners and better luck next time to all those who tried and did not succeed this time round.

Source: Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza, escflashmalta.com