Tomorrow, co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat with vocals provided by Gianluca will be representing Malta at upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Prior to leaving for the Scandinavian country of Sweden which will be hosting the international spectacle, the Public Broadcasting Services has sent the performer on a promotional tour which has already taken him to Armenia, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary with a final visit to the United Kingdom planned over the course of the weekend. Every place which he has been invited has always led to a positive response thanks to a glowing smile and an always enthusiastic crowd which sings the song along with him.  

Rehearsals in the forthnight leading up to the international spectacle are always essential to try and get the mood of the public, the journalists who will be covering the show, including those who will be collaborating with escflashmalta.com to bring you exclusive features, interviews and press conferences. Tomorrow was the first choice of the jury and the second choice of the public and it seems that this was indeed, the best possible choice for success abroad considering that the betting odds are the most favourable they have been in an extremely long time placing Malta in seventeenth (17th) place from a total of thirty-nine (39) countries competing. In the respective semi-final, Malta is touted to finish in an astonishing sixth (6th) place which is resoundingly a strong position. We urge you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about Gianluca and his participation on behalf of Malta.

Source: escflashmalta.com, esckaz.com

SVT, host broadcaster of this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union and the Reference Group have revealed their verdict with regards to the running order as decided by the producers of the showcase. This will be the very first time that the draw has not been done in a random manner but nevertheless, the countries were drawn into their respective semi-finals and also the first and second part of the running order based on the results of the allocation draw which took place earlier this year. The only draw that had to be done in a random order was that for the host country of Sweden so that the producers could not inflict it in any wrongdoing, and as a matter of fact, was drawn in sixteenth (16th) position within the final.

Tomorrow, co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat with vocals provided by Gianluca on behalf of Malta was drawn to perform in slot number #6 noting that the country had been drawn in the first half of the second semi-final for the second  consecutive year with This Is The Night performed by Kurt Calleja having to start at slot number #4 last year. Yesterday, in an interview with our colleagues from Eurovision Ireland, it was revealed that Gianluca will be flying to Malmö, Sweden alongside the team that accompanied him on stage in Malta as well as his sister, Dorothy Bezzina who will be accompanying as a vocal coach. Marry Me by Krista Siegfrids will be performing prior to Malta on behalf of Finland whilst following us will be Samo Shampioni performed by Elitsa & Stoyan for Bulgaria. The full running order can also be seen below.

First Semi-Final (14th May)

1. Austria
2. Estonia
3. Slovenia
4. Croatia
5. Denmark
6. Russia
7. Ukraine
8. The Netherlands
9. Montenegro
10. Lithuania
11. Belarus
12. Moldova
13. Ireland
14. Cyprus
15. Belgium
16. Serbia

Second Semi-Final (16th May)

1. Latvia
2. San Marino
3. F.Y.R. Macedonia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Finland
6. Malta
7. Bulgaria
8. Iceland
9. Greece
10. Israel
11. Armenia
12. Hungary
13. Norway
14. Albania
15. Georgia
16. Switzerland
17. Romania

It all started with thirty entries but nevertheless, it came down to just four in the end with the public making their choice on whom they wanted to represent Hungary. The element of bringing in a jury to select the best songs was clearly an inspired idea and it seems to have worked well considering that the chosen tracks were the best on offer this evening. In the end though it was Bye Alex with the song Kedvesem which garnered the largest share of the vote, despite coming into this showcase as a darkhorse. Hungary will be competing in the second semi-final alongside Malta whose representative is Gianluca with the song Tomorrow co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek who also had another two entries competing in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest this year.

Hungary are competing in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest for the third year in a row making this the longest streak of participations ever from the nation whose best result was achieved on their debut in 1994 with Friderika Bayer finishing in fourth place with her entry Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet? Nevertheless, in recent years, one has to remember that Magdi Rúzsa finishing in ninth place with her song Unsubstantial Blues. Will Bye Alex manage to keep the record intact and qualify to the final on behalf of Estonia for the third year in a row? Check out the performance from the national final and let us know what you think. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: MTV

Hungary is one of the participating countries in the Eurovision Song Contest whose appearances have been quite sporadic with this years' entry set to mark a milestone in being the third consecutive entry without any breaks necessary. A Dal, the selection process established last year returns for another outing with three preselections heats and two semi-finals leading to the selection of eight entries, all of which will be hoping to become the eleventh entry of the Eastern nation. Whoever is chosen has somewhat large shoes to fill noting that for the past two years, this is a nation which has managed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, albeit finishing in a mid-table and a lower-end position. Magyar Television (MTV) is putting a lot of effort into the participation and this will be seen in this evenings' grand final.

The jury will be quite pivotal this evening noting that following a first round of performances, they will be selecting the top four entries in their respective opinion and therefore, this brings down the field by half considering that there are eight entries in contention this evening. When the super-finalists are selected, the public will be the ones to make the final decision. This mixture of public and jury voting has somewhat worked in the past and has rarely been touched due to the fact that there is a consensus in realistic terms. Gábor Gundel-Takács and Éva Novodomszky will be taking on the main role as hosts this evening with Márton Buda interviewing the artists backstage. Amongst the members of the jury there are Magdi Ruzsa from 2007, Viktor Takonczai from 1997 and Csaba Walkó, lead singer of the group Compact Disco who took to the stage in 2012. The show will be shown on the Official Eurovision Website.

The Show (Part 1)

An opening sequence depicting this evenings' contenders is currently shown on screen to introduce the final of A Dal with the background music being The Sound of Our Hearts. A huge set up and it seems that this will be quite the formal evening with our female host wearing a stunning lilac dress complemented by the male who is wearing a stunning tuxedo. Once more, the broadcaster is really promoting the artists competing this evening as they are invited onto the stage in the running order sequence. Well, it seems that the introduction is going to be relatively long but we'll be hanging on to follow all of the proceedings as they unfold on MTV. It seems that we've got some commentary going on between the front and the backstage and whoa, that is one big cake with the logo of the selection!

Running Order

Tamás Vastag - Holnaptól

Vastag Tamas takes the stage all alone in the setting mimicking a street bench as the song progresses he is joined by four backing vocalists, males and females as he moves to centre stage. He is perfectly in tune throughout the song. The song picks up a more interesting pace towards the climax as all five voices together create a heavenly sound. This was definitely a good start to the show with a great song, amazing vocals and a cute singer.

Ildikó Keresztes - Nem akarok többé játszani

The song is introduces by a piano player on a grand piano. Ildikó Keresztes's voice soon enters into the mix, as do the rest of the band and backing vocalists. The song has a classical vibe, with the use of instruments such as a cello and violin. As the song progresses more attention is given to the singer's powerful voice. The emotion in the song builds up, and ends at a high point.

András Kállay Saunders - My baby

The song begins with a cheerful tune, accompanied by a number of backing singers, a cello, clapping, and András Kállay Saunders himself. The setting of the stage consists of a red, black and white colour scheme and flashing hearts. The singer as well as the accompanying group are very charismatic and show amazing chemistry between them. The song is very catchy and, together with the performance, puts a smile on the watcher's face. The song makes one want to sing and dance along with the performers. This song definitely has a chance of being the song that will lead Hungary to Malmo.

Gigi Radics - Úgy fáj

This is the second classical style song of the night.  Gigi Radics is accompanied my a grand piano and cello, but the song has a more modern vibe due to the beat provided by a set of drums. Also on stage are two backing vocalists. Gigi's voice has a sweet quality complimenting her looks. She is dressed elegantly in a floor length black gown, while her long tresses are blowing in the wind. Her voice is very powerful but she maybe seems to be trying a bit too hard to impress us with it. 

Gergő Rácz - Csak állj mellém

Gergő Rácz opens the song singing whilst playing a guitar. As the song picks up he lets go of his guitar, takes centre stage and is joined by 4 backing vocalists. This song is an easy listener with a poppy vibe. It is pleasant but probably not powerful enough to be the song to represent hungary. Overall the performance was well coordinated and Gergo's good looks might win him some extra points.

Szilvi Agárdi & Dénes Pál - Szíveddel láss

Szilvi Agárdi & Dénes Pál are the first singing duo of the night. The song begins with a very monotonous tone. Denes begins singing, and is joined by Szilvi. They are colour coordinated in monochrome. Four backing vocalist compliment their voices. The singers have chemistry between them, though the performance is quite static, maybe because of Szilvi's visual disability. The song did reach an emotional climax but in comparison with the good songs we have heard so far tonight, it has little potential to be the winner.

Laura Cserpes - Élj pont úgy

 Laura Cserpes opens the song with herself and her voice at centre stage. She is the focal point, with an angelic look consisting of a white gown and blonde curly locks. Her 4 backing vocalists compliment her look in white. The song has a heavenly, angelic vibe which is increased by the video graphics consisting of many visuals of the singer herself and bubble like graphics. This is the first ballad of the night which was sung perfectly. Laura's super in-tune voice lent  perfection to the song, with its magical quality. 

ByeAlex - Kedvesem

The song is opened by a singer and a guitarist. The pair have an indie look, consisting of nerd-look glasses, skinny jeans, a mo-hawk and a beanie. The song is simple but has a pleasant ring to it. The setting compliments the playful element of the song, with artsy cartoon graphics. The singer's good vocals were complimented by a backing vocalist. The song did not really have a powerful climax but was however, pleasant throughout. Even though the song is not a typical Eurovision song, it could possibly be successful in the local charts. 

The Show (Part 2)

All of the performances from this evening have just come to an end and now both the jury and the public will be selecting the top four songs, the ones which made an impact and will be given the chance to compete for the role of the Hungarian representative at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The jury are very attentive at the moment as they cast their votes in this evenings' edition of A Dal. They have to select wisely because they do not have a vote in the super-final. András Kállay Saunders won the judges vote, closely followed by Gigi Radics. The other two finalists are ByeAlex and Tamás Vastag. Live entertainment is taking place while the public is casting its vote with Compact Disco taking to the stage with last years' entry Sound of Our Hearts.

Superfinal

ByeAlex - Kedvesem

Gigi Radics - Úgy fáj

András Kállay Saunders - My baby

Tamás Vastag - Holnaptól

In 2011, Hungary returned to the Eurovision Song Contest following an absence of one year and it seemed that it was the right time for a comeback noting that MTVA, the broadcaster had a plan for a national selection process which would develop in a positive manner, ultimately leading to the selection of the track What About My Dreams? performed by Kati Wolf who had garnered popularity through her participation in the show, X Factor. Following a lower table result achieved then, it was time for a completely different genre and the song Sound of Our Hearts performed by Compact Disco also made it through to the finals, albeit finishing in another disappointing result. This time round, some amendments have been made to the selection but A Dal will indeed return for a third consecutive year.

The artists that will be competing in the national selection were unveiled by the broadcaster a couple of weeks back but nevertheless, there has been a lot of mystery surrounding the final versions of the tracks which have now officially been published through the official website. Thirty entries have been selected to perform in the live stages of the competition, noting that there will be three heats, each consisting of ten acts of which six (6) from each will be chosen to pass through to the semi-final stage. This decision will be decided by the public and the tele-voting but there will be eighteen (18) acts in the semi-final stage from which four (4) will be selected from each to pass to the final which would thus include eight (8) tracks in total. The decision in the semi-final will see four (4) acts chosen by the jury and four (4) acts chosen by the tele-voting. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news from Hungary as soon as it becomes available.

Since returning to the Eurovision Song Contest with a different outlook in 2011, it seems that Hungary have grasped the outlook of the showcase and as a matter of fact, have qualified to the final on subsequent occasions including with the tracks What About My Dreams and Sound of Our Hearts which reached lower table positions at the end of the evening. The Hungarian broadcaster, MTV is looking at continuing their successful selection process known as A Dal into 2013 and in a press conference that took place yesterday, the names of the possible representatives; song-titles as well as songwriters were revealed but not finalized with the selection committee that one entry has been withdrawn and thus replaced with the first alternate as per the regulations.

This years' national preselection is set to take place on the 2nd March but nevertheless, there will be heats taking place on the 2nd, 9th and 16th February which will also precede semi-finals set to take place on the 23rd and the 24th February respectively. Gábor Gundel-Takács, Éva Novodomszky, and Márton Buda have been called to take on the roles of presenters of the shows. The entries which have been listed below have been selected by an internal jury made up of five personnel, out of which three have been to the Eurovision Song Contest; those being none other than; Csaba Walkó (Compact Disco), Viktor Rakonczai (VIP) and Magdi Rúzsa. A couple of familiar names could also be noted in the list but it is worth pointing out that no former representatives can be found. 

• Plastikhead feat Gáspár Laci - A szeretet él
• Puskás Peti - Amíg a tűz ég
• Odett – Ne engedj el
• Rácz Gergő - Csak állj mellém
• Völgyesi Gabi - Csak te légy
• Palcsó Tamás - Ezt látnod kell
• Szabó Ádám - Hadd legyen más!
• Vastag Tamás - Holnaptól
• Mónika Hoffmann - Hullócsillag
• Baricz Gergő - Húz
• Mrs Columbo - Játszd újra
• Egy Másik Zenekar - Katatón dal
• Bye Alex - Kedvesem
• Éliás Gyula - Mindhalálig várni rád
• Kállay Saunders András - My baby
• Keresztes Ildikó - Nem akarok többé játszani
• Mohamed Fatima - Nem baj
• Background - Neonzöld
• Fehér Zoltán - Nincs baj
• Gyurcsik Tibor - Örök harc
• Rami - Puzzle
• Flash Travel - Soha ne add fel az álmaidat
• Agárdi Szilvi-Pál Dénes - Szíveddel láss
• Burai Krisztián - Született szívtörő
• United - Tegnap még más voltál
• Brasch Bence - Túl egyszerű
• Bogi - Tükörkép
• Radics Gigi - Úgy fáj
• Janicsák Veca - Új generáció
• Polyák Lilla - Valami más

Source: Eurovision.tv, MTV

The European Broadcasting Union has been pretty adamant about putting off rumours of a mass withdrawal from the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and therefore succumbed to releasing the list of participating nations quite early due to the international media coverage which might have had a negative impact on the competition especially noting that Malmö is making several adjustments in order to accommodate a different type of show than what many have seen in recent years. The financial situation around the continent has not been a help and three of the four withdrawals; Bosnia & Herzegovina, Portugal and Slovakia have singled out this decision as the factor behind their pulling out with Turkey on the other hand believing that the recent amendments of the regulations at the event have somewhat put them in a disadvantaged position hence their disappointing results.

The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest at the European Broadcasting Union, Jon Ola Sand is quite upbeat about the number of participating countries believing that despite the economic situation, public broadcasters are very much committed to the traditional element that the contest has created over time. In fact, since the semi-final system was introduced back in 2004, there have always been between 36 and 43 participating nations and the 39 that will take part in 2013 are similar to the amount that took part in 2010 when the competition was also held in a Scandinavian nation with Oslo, the capital city of Norway playing the role of host. Losing three countries to economic reasons was quite disappointing but nevertheless, Sand is quite 'surprised' by the decision of Turkey noting that they 'never formally objected' the rules as regulations which were brought in back in 2009, a year in which Turkey finished in fourth place.

• Albania (RTSH)
• Austria (ORF)
• Armenia (AMPTV)
• Belarus (Ictimai TV)
• Belarus (BTRC)
• Belgium (RTBF)
• Bulgaria (BNT)
• Croatia (HRT)
• Cyprus (CyBC)
• Denmark (DR)
• Estonia (ERR)
• Finland (YLE)
• France (France 3)
• Georgia (GPB)
• Germany (NDR)
• Greece (ERT)
• Hungary (MTV)
• Iceland (RÚV)
• Ireland (RTÉ)
• Israel (IBA)
• Italy (RAI)
• Latvia (LTV)
• Lithuania (LRT)
• FYR Macedonia (MKRTV)
• Malta (PBS)
• Moldova (TRM)
• Montenegro (RTCG)
• The Netherlands (TROS)
• Norway (NRK)
• Romania (TVR)
• Russia (C1R)
• San Marino (SMTV)
• Serbia (RTS)
• Slovenia (RTV SLO)
• Spain (TVE)
• Sweden (SVT)
• Switzerland (SRG SSR)
• Ukraine (NTU)
• United Kingdom (BBC)

As you can see, the leading European broadcasters including the Big Five featuring; the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy return for yet another competition noting that their results are improving especially with regards to three in particular. Some countries have already revealed their entries noting that national finals have already taken place in Belarus, Switzerland, Belgium and Lithuania whilst artists have been chosen for The Netherlands, Spain and Montenegro. Despite less countries than last year, the song quality thus far looks to be quite intriguing and this could be a strong edition for the Eurovision Song Contest with Sweden surely organising it to the best ability and letting it known that whoever did not want to participate would have missed out on a great opportunity. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Eurovision.tv

1994 has to be noted as a pivotal year for the annual Eurovision Song Contest due to the fact that two countries which entered for the first time; Poland and Hungary would achieve a stunning debut result, which up to this moment in time remains to be their best ever finish. Hungary confirmed their entry into the 2013 competition to be held in Malmo, Sweden just days after the event came to a close as the country managed a second final in a row with Compact Disco and their entry Sound of Our Hearts who had succeeded Kati Wolf and her track What About My Dreams? The results in the final have not been something to write home about but convincing them to stay had already been an issue especially following their one year absence in 2010 having not qualified in both of the previous two years. No changes have been made by MTV to the selection process which was officially unveiled yesterday evening.

In fact, the selection known as A Dal will officially commence with a submission deadline set forth until the 20th December 2012. All of the tracks have to be in Hungarian, even those songs which are originally sent in English as the rule is that the performance on national television has to be in the language of origin of Hungary. When it comes to the winning entry, the broadcaster reserves the right to choose the language and also replace the singer for any of the selected entries if they deem it necessary. All of the applicants have to send their entry on a CD or a DVD including pictures of the artist, composer, lyricist and also a copy of the lyrics in English should they be application. Attached to the form there should also be the lyrics, the video clip if it exists and a statement that they read and understood and thus will abide with all of the respective regulations as set forth by the broadcaster. Any who is interested in submitting their entries, should do so at the following address; Eurovíziós Dalfesztivál, MTVA, 1037 Budapest, Kunigunda útja 64. During the live shows, there will be four male and one female juror, one of which will be the lead singer of Compact Disco in order to replace Kati Wolf. Stay tuned for more information about Hungary in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: MTV

When it comes to the Maltese Islands, it has been noted of a subsequent number of events that musical talent is pretty much existent in a variety of ages but then again when it is being given in larger doses within upcoming performers, it becomes even more important as it would be shaping out a successful future not only for the individuals concerned but also for the country to be blessed with such aspiring talent. Throughout the year, several victories abroad have been reported and escflashmalta.com is proud to mention even more as achieved in the Microfono D'Oro competition in Italy as well as in the A Star is Born festival in Hungary where students of Rita Pace, Kaya and Miriam Christine did their best and were ultimately rewarded with positive results.

Sonia Muscat, the winner of the television programme Arpeggi on NET Television had just been awarded the top prize in the Pulcinella D'Oro, which is in turn a prestigious contest where artists perform songs in Neapolitan as well as from their respective country. It seems that Italy will become her favourite place to be with yet another successful outing on both evenings placing first with the track Il-Festa and second with Volero' composed by Marco Debono and penned by Rita Pace. On the other hand, another competitor by the name of Aidan Cassar finished in second place with the track Eternita' originally performed by Janica Mangion with music by Mark Scicluna and lyrics by Rita Pace. Apart from this, he also managed to win the Premio Per La Simpatia for his performance of the track Grande Mai composed by Dominic Cini and penned by Rita Pace. This was an even more special prize because Rita Pace was competing against people whose language was natively spoken in the same aforementioned country and therefore, winning the coveted award for the best lyrics of the evening extremely fetching. In the meantime, Rita is currently working on a number of tracks for a foreign artist so stay tuned for more in the next couple of months.

Moving slightly across the continent to the nation of Hungary, three local upcoming stars did the country proud with two of them even managing to win their respective categories. In fact, Enya Magri has been crushing the competition all around the world noting that she has a stellar record in competitions having also just won the Tra La La Festival held in the FYR Macedonia whilst Sarah Bonnici is also coming off a victory at the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with the track Bil-Bnadar F'Idejna composed by Miriam Christine and penned by Joe Chircop. The festival was well split up into two respective categories with the first evening being performances in English and the second evening showcasing the artists' talent in their respective language. Kaya, the vocal coach of Enya composed the track Mhux Li Kien which was well received hence the respective result. The organizers of the competition were honoured to have welcomed the Maltese to Hungary showing admiration beyond compare and earning the respect of other competitors. All of the respective opportunities associated with the past two competitors were given thanks to Stardust Promotions. Enya is ready to represent Malta in another competition in Estonia before the scholastic years commences and we at escflashmalta.com would like to wish her the very best of luck.

Source: Press Releases (Kaya / Rita Pace)

In the past couple of years there had been somewhat of a surge of winning countries from the western world but Azerbaijan decided to change that trend when they finished as the winners with the track Running Scared performed by Ell & Nikki but then again, it was not to last long noting that the results of the 2012 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest decided to crown Sweden with their entry Euphoria performed by Loreen meaning that for the third time in four years, a country from the western side of the continent will be hosting the annual event to the positive outcome of many who believe that things are somewhat more easily accessible when dealing with people who find it quite easier to speak in English with somewhat of a freehand but nevertheless, we will be taking a closer look at the results as announced by the respective spokespersons in each country.

This evening saw the Russian Grannies finish in second place despite the fact that in the past three years, the country has not managed a top ten despite many people noting that Russia is a country with a lot of neighbours and has always done well. The same goes for the second runner-up as Serbia's Zeljko Joksimovic along with his song Nije Ljubav Stvar managed to overcome recent history such as the non-qualification on 2009 and then the mid-table results of 2010 and 2011 noting that the ex-Yugoslavian block was not enough to garner them the required support which have been speaking about. One of the most interesting and unexpected results surely came from Albania whose Rona Nishliu and her powerful vocal rendition of Suus saw her finish in fifth place, the best ever result from the country following their seventh place as achieved by Anjeza Shanini during their debut way back in 2004 with the track The Image of You. The country had even failed to qualify last year despite sending forth one of their most popular performers. Other countries which managed to finish in the top ten for the first time in two years were none other than Turkey who were represented by Can Bonomo and his song Love Me Back and also Estonia with their entry Kuula performed by Ott Lepland. Both countries had done badly in 2011 with the latter finishing in last place and the former not even qualifying to the final for the very first time in a long time. One other country which had done badly in the past seven years but also returned to the top ten was Spain whose Pastora Soler finished in tenth place with the song Quedatè Conmingo (Stay With Me). 

Then there are those countries whose fortunes seemed to have vanished into thin air or either fell by the wayside despite being seen as possible winners supposedly. Amongst these were none other than Italy who seem to have placed the highest out of those songs which were tipped as the front runners this evening. Nina Zilli was representing the country with the song L'Amore è Femmina (Out of Love) and despite a masterful performance, she only managed ninth place despite being my personal favourite and also fourth with the bookmakers. Nevertheless, the biggest fail of the evening was the fifth place with the bookmakers being none other than the United Kingdom as Engelbert Humperdinck and his song Love Will Set You Free could only garner twelve points to finish in twenty-fifth position spared only by Norway whose Tooji could not manage to get the votes with only charm and looks for his performance of Stay. Another huge disappointment surely comes for Greece whose entrant Eleftheria Eleftheriou could only conjure seventeenth place for her rendition of Aphrodisiac meaning that the Hellas nation found their way out of the top ten for the first time since 2003 when Mando had performed the track Never Let You Go which had also finished in seventeenth position.

In the meantime, other countries entered the final for the very first time in years including none other than Malta whose Kurt Calleja and his band along with their track This Is The Night failed to enthrall Europe during the final with a performance that was not as ecstatic as it was during the semi-final which I rate as one of the best performances of our country since we started participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. There was a missing element in the performance and that showed quite a lot unfortunately because Kurt himself was not smiling and decided to change the notes near the end. Nevertheless, it was a proud moment to see Malta competing in the final and even better the result achieved by Chiara with What If We back in 2009 by a mere place and also ten points actually. Azerbaijan really fell in love with the Maltese entry this year noting their eight points. The FYR Macedonia also returned to the final for the very first since 2007 and it was quite a positive experience because their biggest star, Kaliopi reached twelfth place with Crno I Belo making it their most successful entry in the Eurovision Song Contest thus far tied with the result achieved by Elena Risteska for the beautiful entry Ninanajna way back in 2006.

In the meantime, despite the very positive outcome of Sweden by virtue of now becoming the third tied country to win the most editions of the Eurovision Song Contest joining the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, the Scandinavian countries suffered one of the worst results in years unfortunately noting that Norway have continued to add to their tally of last place finishes as Tooji and his song Stay only managed to get seven points in total therefore making this their eleventh time to finish in last place. Denmark did not fare too much better actually noting that they had been in last place for quite some time but then somewhat managed to pick up twenty one points in order to finish in a relatively better twenty-third position having finished in fourth and fifth place in the past two years. We believe that Soluna Samay Should've Known Better than compete with such a song. Despite the hype, Iceland did not manage to do so well either failing to win enough points to improve on last years' result finishing in twentieth position with Never Forget performed by Greta Salome & Jonsi.