Tomorrow, co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek with vocals by Gianluca will be representing Malta in the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Sweden. As has become customary in recent years, the editorial team of escflashmalta.com will be collaborating with Juergen Boernig and his team at Radio International to keep you posted on the latest happenings directly from the venue throughout the two weeks. In the meantime, from home base in Malta, we are pleased to announce that for the third year running, a number of guests have been enlisted to aid in covering the semi-finals and the actual final respectively. It is a case of letting the people know what individuals from the music industry think of the international showcase. The line-up this year is quite strong and we are pleased to welcome all of them on board as guest commentators.

This years' Eurovision Song Contest officially kicks off with the first semi-final on the 14th May 2013 and will ultimately feature seventeen (17) entries with another three (3) countries having the right to cast their vote despite already having a place in the final. This is the semi-final in which Malta will not be competing and therefore, we thought it best to have two local stars in the form of Claudia Faniello and Errol Sammut whom as many people know have become a powerhouse couple in recent months and are working together on new material. Claudia Faniello is a two time first runner-up at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and earlier this year competed with the song When It's Time co-written with Errol Sammut. The male singer/songwriter is mostly known as being the lead vocals of the popular band, Airport Impressions who are also working on a brand new album at the moment. Emil Calleja Bayliss, Head of Press for escflashmalta.com has been enlisted to carry out this report alongside two of the nations' leading vocalists.

Following the first semi-final is the second semi-final taking place on the 16th May 2013 which will feature a total of sixteen (16) entries with once more another three (3) countries having the right to cast their vote despite already having a place in the final. This is actually the semi-final in which Malta will be competing in and with nerves running high on qualification, we thought to mix it up a bit within this evening. From a local front, we are pleased to have with us, Davinia who was the second runner-up at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the track Betrayed composed by Elton Zarb to the lyrics of Matt (Muxu) Mercieca whilst from a foreign front we will have, Simon Casey who definitely does not need any introduction having amassed Gold and Platinum discs in Ireland for his first two albums apart from an Irish number #1 single entitled A Better Plan which was also runner-up to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Antoine Farrugia, one of our brightest new talents on the escflashmalta.com editorial team will be carrying out his duty.

The final of the Eurovision Song Contest is always an interesting spectacle because the qualifiers would have upped their game from the semi-final stage whilst the big five perform along with the previous years' winner which in this case will be Sweden with Robin Stjernberg at the track You. We have decided to go almost completely female for the final noting that all of the three guest commentators, two being Maltese and the other being Irish are female. As a matter of fact, Brooke and Christabelle who are two of the leading artists in the local music scene will be analysing the performances with a critical eye following the success of Fairytale and Say respectively. Joining them is Lauren White, a singer/songwriter who just signed a publishing deal with Universal Music and working on some material material. She was co-writer of the song Fire in this years' Late Late Show Eurosong special alongside Niall Mooney and Willie Weeks. Marc Calleja Bayliss, Editor-In-Chief of escflashmalta.com will co-ordinate proceedings from the editorial board.

Source: escflashmalta.com

Brooke, one of the female artists who ranks highly above many others in the local music scene has somewhat surprised her fans with her latest release and this because, she has gone for an acoustic setting in the track Something That I Said. In recent weeks, the renowned local star managed to beat another three nominees for the Best Solo Artist accolade at the Malta Music Awards and this seems to have given her the courage to continue releasing professional music whilst studying vocal technique in the United Kingdom. Emerging as a prime artist throughout the years, it has to be noted that the vocal acrobatics have become very popular in music and thus, this element is very much prevalent in this track.

Brooke has had an extremely hectic past couple of months with the release of her comeback single Fairytale which was also supported by a music video exclusively published through escflashmalta.com and featuring Pretty Little Liars actor, Brant Daugherty. Following the positive acclaim by fans in Malta, which saw it rise to significant positions on local radio, Brooke decided to change the vibe ever so slightly and as a matter of fact, went onto release a second song entitled B.I.N.G.O which she performed at the 2012 Bay Music Awards, a performance which many will remember for the energy and the several hundreds of fake dollars thrown towards the end of the performance. Have a listen to the brand new song released by one of the artists who certainly has a bright future and stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more of the latest news in the coming weeks.

Source: Soundcloud

Mega Music Management and the Public Broadcasting Services perfectly coordinated the organation of the Malta Music Awards last night, following the extremely successful Malta Eurovision Song Contest that took place on Friday and Saturday seeing to the victory of Gianluca Bezzina and his entry Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat.  In reality, many believe that the awards that took place last night were professionally executed with main hosts; Keith Demicoli and Mandy Micallef Grimaud leading an impressive line-up of guest presenters. The Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre played the venue for the event, which did not offer real surprises in terms of award presentations. 

Headlining the event last night was nother than Australian/British artist, Peter Andre who has released eight studio albums, the last of which being Angels & Demons in 2012 which managed to sneak into the top twenty on the charts in the United Kingdom where he has gained notoriety following his failed marriage to reality television star, Katie Price.  The show had an astonishing line-up incorporating together; Stalko, Duo Blank, Niki Gravino, Planet Seed, Monroe, Ira Losco, Red Electrick, Hooligan, Ylenia Vella and the recent Malta Eurovision Song Contest winner, Gianluca Bezzina. The camera work was effective, the staging as seen throughout the weekend was stunning and the public will be able to view all of the awards his Saturday night on Television Malta, starting as from 20:45 CET.

It seems that the jury was somewhat quite intrigued with the talent in the past twelve months when one takes into account that the most awards that an act won, was just two in total with Red Electrick taking home Best Band and Best Song. Nevertheless, it seems that newcomers have a tendency to steal the spotlight and the Mumford and Sons feel around Stalko is quickly growing as their debut single, In a Hurry helped them win Best New Artists. The Best Album award was given to Tribali whilst the Best Solo Artist went towards female performer; Brooke who has in the past couple of months returned to the industry with singles Fairytale and Bingo. The Best Hip Hop / R'nB artist award was given to Hooligan who most recently released his third album entitled Trioriginali whilst the return of Ira Losco was also respected by a Best Video Award for her hit single 'What I'd Give'. 

The Best Upcoming Talent Award was given to Ylenia Vella, who just competed in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest whilst the Maltese Export Artist was ten year old Gaia Cauchi. Beheaded were awarded the award for Best Metal Band. Due to his presence in Malta, it was definitely expected when Peter Andre was recognised for his services to music and the crowd did seem extraordinarily excited in each of his performances. The Malta Music Awards, have become somewhat a tradition in the local music calender and therefore, it is rather imperative that their organisation continues in the years ahead because the scene is really contributing in a positive manner. We would like you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com during the year as we continue to cover all of the latest from the local music scene with regards to new releases, and events.

Source: Mega Music Management, Public Broadcasting Services

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

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

Comeback has surely become one of the most used words in the music industry and during this past summer, one of the individuals who marked her return was none other than Brooke who has been studying in the United Kingdom in recent years and thus has been a bit busy with other projects but she has continuously honed her musical elements and hence forth, is now back with two singles; Fairytale whose video was exclusively released on escflashmalta.com and Bingo which is more recent and has just started getting airplay. It is to be noted that Brooke has succeeded already in Malta with a number of hit singles including awards at both major ceremonies in the country. She has gone through the runaround in the past, trying her luck in the Junior Eurosong competition on a number of occasions but never getting to that top position unfortunately despite presenting suitable tracks throughout.

Her most recent endeavours are coming forth with her band; The Kicksters and features them competing for an award which is being introduced by MTV, this being none other than the MTV Brand New Unsigned Act for 2013. Despite the multitude of talent which Malta has, it has been discussed time and time again, that the lack of opportunities is somewhat disappointing with radio being one of the most prominent apart from taking part in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest for example which will give one the element of possibly performing in front of millions of people, and taking into a singing competition which has created the likes of Lara Fabian, Abba, Celinè Dion and many others so to speak. escflashmalta.com is suggesting that you click on the official page for Brooke on the MTV Website and click to vote with your respective Facebook account. Stay tuned for all of the latest news as it comes about in the coming days and weeks.

Source: MTV

Brooke, a talented artist who has most recently showed the strength of her music prowess through the song Fairytale returns to the local music scene following her departure to the United Kingdom where she is currently studying Interior Design at the University of Kensington. The difference of styles that the masterful performer can carry is somewhat outstanding and it is the case that many people remember her growing up participating in a number of competitions in Malta especially the Junior Eurosong where she was denied victory on a couple of occasions including with a possible stunner had it went abroad but nevertheless, she has held her head up high and continues to truly shine. Her latest single released earlier this week bears the name Bingo and it is written by Carl Harris and Joshua Alamu. It is expected to be played on all of the local radio stations in the next couple of days.

The artist needs a strong team behind her and she does have that in her manager and vocal coach, Joshua Alamu who is critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom having even been selected by the British Broadcasting Corporation to audition artists for The Voice which was of course one of the most popular shows last season featuring the likes of superstars such as Will.I.Am, Jessie J, Tom Jones and Danny O'Donoghue. Brooke has been performing this track in her shows recently and is actually a favourite not only with the audience which just stands up and dances along to the track but also with the band who have grown fond of the genre of music that it reflects, embracing the present and gearing up to represent the future in music as well. Listen to the track below and let us know what you think about it whilst keeping in touch with escflashmalta.com in the coming days and weeks for more of the latest news.

Source: Official Facebook Page

The most anticipated annual summer event, the 2013 Farsons Great Beer Festival kicked off yesterday and will be on till Sunday the 5th of August. Each and every year the festival brings together some of the best local stars along with upcoming artists that entertain the crowds present for the ten days festivities at Ta’ Qali. All those in attendance can enjoy the entertainment offered on both the main stage and the rock stage whilst sipping down their favourite beer.

The Beer Festival always manages to unite  the two main areas of the local music scene, as one finds a mix of music that varies from pop, rock and alternative – the mix includes the singers who are more associated to local contests to singers and bands who their main focus is hitting the radio airwaves. This amalgamation manages to attract different crowds to the beer festival and that is the reasons why the festival is a huge success year after year.

Friday 27th July

Main Stage: Funk Initiative / Big Band Brothers

Rock Stage: Saving Alexis / International Diamond Thieves / Red Electrick

Saturday 28th July

Main Stage: Lyndsay / Thea / Freddie Portelli

Rock Stage: Skimmed / Bletchley Park / Dripht / The Riffs

Sunday 29th July

Main Stage: Trip / Disco Show by DJ Alex (Reflex)

Rock Stage: Aces Shade / Seriousz Funk / St Matthew / Juuls Reggae Party

Monday 30th July

Main Stage: Simon Elvis / Tribali

Rock Stage: In The Name Of / Nomad Son / Forsaken

Tuesday 31st July

Main Stage: St Matthew / Joe Demicoli

Rock Stage: ColourBlind / A Day Too Late / Fire

Wednesday 1st August

Main Stage: Planet Seed / Marty Rivers

Rock Stage:  Three Stops To China / Dolls for Idols / Stolen Creep / Cable35

Thursday 2nd August

Main Stage: Kyle / Versatile Brass Band

Rock Stage: 26 Other Worlds / Rug / No Snow No Alps

Friday 3rd August

Main Stage: Ivan Filletti / Airport Impressions

Rock Stage: Mikaela & Band / BNI / Bridget Bone

Saturday 4th August

Main Stage: Brooke / Zoo Show

Rock Stage: 12th Ode / Texanna / The Creepers

Sunday 5th August

Main Stage: The Crowns / Kurt Calleja & Band

Rock Stage: Canvas Wall / Scar / Fakawi

Winners of the Eurovision Song Contest tend to give a number of performances across Europe following their respective victories but then again, this is the first time in quite some time that this will be taking place noting that this years' winner Loreen had made her way into the Malta International Airport ahead of her concert tomorrow. She was welcomed by a number of fans as well as the organizer Antonella Vassallo who hosted the Malta Song for Europe back in 2001 alongside Claire Fabri and Louise Tedesco. There has been a lot of hype around the concert which is being backed by none other than a variety of companies including 89.7 Bay and their frontman Nathan D who will be hosting the evening. In an impromptu press conference given just after having arrived, Loreen stated that she is set to perform about six (6) songs including her previous effort for the Melodifestivalen entitled My Heart is Refusing Me and of course, her Eurovision winning entry Euphoria.

The setup at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali will be different noting that the inside of the event will not be used as seen within the annual Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the outskirts being used as seen within the Zucchero concert which was also organized by Antonella Vassallo on behalf of Stand Out Events. Taking to the stage as the main guest alongside Loreen tomorrow night will be none other than the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest representative Kurt Calleja who will surely be performing his two hit songs Over and Over and This Is The Night but there will be other performances during the night including those by Brooke who will surely be performing her latest song Fairytale and the internationally renowned dance group Tenishia who have just released their debut album with Armada Music, which is one of the leading companies in contemporary dance music. If you still would like to acquire tickets for the event, make sure to visit www.ticketline.com.mt and obtain your very own tickets. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available. 

Source: Times of Malta, Stand Out Events