Preceding the annual Eurovision Song Contest, Gianluca was asked on a regular basis if he had heard any of the competing entries in the competition and he had always signalled his favourite to be the track from Iceland entitled Ég Á Líf, co-written by  Örlygur Smári & Pétur Örn Gudmundsson. The track which will be performed in slot number #8 meaning just over three minutes after Malta is a beautiful ballad which has been coming across beautifully on the screens. There is a strong visual lighting presentation but an even stronger vocal interpretation by Eythor Ingi who is proudly showcasing his skills in musical theatre.

Since arriving in Malmö, Sweden for this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the two had yet to meet but when they did it seems that things got an extremely friendly reception considering that the two artists who had a small chat exchanged promotional discs and called the support of both nations. Iceland and Malta should have a strong relationship because of the fact that we have both sent the same amount of entries to the Eurovision Song Contest without ever finishing in the top position yet managing two first runner-up slots. Eythor Ingi has another intriguing link to Malta, noting that he is signed to Hands-Up Music, which is the same record label behind Chiara's recent releases, including the debatable Żarbun, a number #2 charting sensation on iTunes. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news.

Source: escflashmalta.com, tvm.com.mt

Gianluca, representative of Malta at this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is currently visiting a children's hospital at Skane University in Lund. The aim of the visit is to enlighten the mood of the children who have been handed down a harsh judgement through life through their ilnesses. Whilst there, Gianluca will also be performing his entry for the international showcase entitled Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat whilst also performing with another singing doctor whose name is Igor Zindovic, a popular protagonist on the show Junior Doctors which airs on TV5.

Gianluca will be returning for his second rehearsal tomorrow afternoon but until then will continue to tour the sights and also practice the song alongside his team in order to ensure that the rehearsal tomorrow will be even stronger than it was the first time round. Juergen Boernig, our Head of Press alongside with his team of collaborators had the opportunity to speak to Gianluca and the rest of his team during the meet and greet session held a couple of days back and we are pleased to promote it just below. We would like you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news related to Malta and the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. 

Source: escflashmalta.com

Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan was hosting the Eurovision Song Contest this time last year in a setting which was relatively different as the event was organised on a bigger scale. The idea of giving the international spectacle a more intimate feel commenced as of this year and seems to be working wonders. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan is a nation which has always used the necessary means possible to success and this is definitely seen within the results achieved by the nation across the years. Their worst result thus far is eighth place achieving during their debut with the song Day After Day performed by Elnur & Samir. 

This year, they are being represented by Farid Mammadov and his entry Hold Me which is a co-write between Dimitris Kontopoulos, John Ballard & Ralph Charlie Al Fahel. Farid had the opportunity to visit Malta this year, and as a matter of fact, an appearance on Xarabank aired on Television Malta, the main organ of the Public Broadcasting Services will be shown tomorrow evening. Following his first technical rehearsal, it seems that almost everything is going his way except for the attire but then again, that is just personal opinion. The whole setup looks impressive and the idea to have a dancer in a boxer who mimics his moves is just stunning. Juergen Boernig and his team in Sweden had the opportunity to chat with him following his rehearsal yesterday. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more interviews. 

Source: escflashmalta.com

Lucky charms tend to come from Ireland and when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest, they have a tendency to offer some opinion over selecting a winning entry noting that they have been successful on seven previous occasions. Despite the fact that their most successul music genre has been the ballad, which is also extremely mainstream when it comes to Ireland, they are no slouches when it comes to creating a pop track and for the third year in succession, the country has indeed selected one. Ryan Dolan will be representing the Emeral Isle with Only Love Survive co-written with Wez Devine. They will be performing in the second half of the first semi-final.

The very first rehearsal of the track took place yesterday afternoon considering that they are performing quite late in the draw and have received a mixture of reviews, from positive ones to those less positive. It has been well regarded though as to having a strong presentation, something that could help it hover across the finish line. On stage, Ryan is joined by a couple of female backing singers including Leanne Moore, winner of You're A Star a couple of years back, and twice accompanying Jedward within the same role. Our team present in Malmo had the opportunity to have a chat with Ryan on the preparations, his thoughts on the first rehearsal and the way to go forward. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: escflashmalta.com

Rehearsals for this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest commenced on Monday and will be going through early next week including during the days where the semi-finals are planned.  We would like to invite 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 8.1Mhz 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. Due to the fact that we are currently in Malmo, there won't be the typical music requests or interviews that we normally air.

In supporting the Eurovision Song Contest, Radio International will be airing a two week special entitled Eurovision 2013 Meets Eurovision 2013 which is basically as review of last years' entries in comparison to this years' entries. It will be the final way to familiarise yourselves with the songs that will be taking to the stage in less than a weeks time really. As rehearsals are currently ongoing, we would like you to follow all of the latest interviews through the official Youtube Channel of escflashmalta.com as well as following the coverage of all of the rehearsals as they unfold on stage. In this years' edition of the international spectacle, there are a total of thirty-nine (39) countries fighting for the right to host next years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Two semi-finals will see to the qualification of ten (10) songs each with those selected then performing alongside the Big Five and the host country within the final. We encourage you to stay logged on with escflashmalta.com as more news is uncovered.

Source: Press Release

ORF, the public broadcaster responsible for the participation of Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest organised a small scale national selection with just five acts garnering a ticket despite the relatively large interest. Since their return to the international competition, the two results could not have been further apart from each other as the success of Nadine Beiler with The Secret is Love was quickly undone by the Trackshittaz and their entry Woki mit deim Popo. This year, they will be represented by the young, talented and extremely charismatic, Natália Kelly and the track Shine.

Austria are the opening entry in the first semi-final and therefore had the opportunity to be the first to test out the stage on the first day of rehearsals, doing their utmost with the thirty (30) minutes they were allocated. There has been a lot of positive acclaim following the first rehearsal and this is still a track which many see as a marginal qualifier and will very much be tested with the performance on the night. The team present in Sweden had the opportunity to interview the artist during the Meet & Greet sessions which have become a part of the daily calender for delegations until the second rehearsals officially commence as from Friday when press conferences are also introduced. Kelly speaks about her participation, the feeling behind her song and many other things in this video interview. We would like you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more such features from the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: escflashmalta.com

In 2004, the introduction of the semi-final system was meant to let more countries enter the Eurovision Song Contest with the addition of a qualification phase to reach the elite stage of the final. The Netherlands was successful at the first hurdle but has subsequently missed out on a position despite the efforts of two broadcasters. This year, an internal selection saw to the choice of Anouk, a vocalist who is best described as a merge between Joan Osborne and Alanis Morissette. She is one of the most popular stars in the country and expectations for her to success are relatively high.

Yesterday marked the beginning of her journey in the international showcase with a debut rehearsal, technical but nevertheless, flawless. Juergen Boernig, Head of Press for escflashmalta.com as well as being the main individual behind Radio International has a team of professional personnel helping him interview the artists competing in this years' Eurovision Song Contest. Following her first rehearsal, he alongside with Lilian Brunell had the opportunity to speak to Anouk about her participation. In the short interview she discusses that her aim is to hopefully take The Netherlands into the final, and from there onwards, it would truly be a bonus. She loves the staging and feels that she wants to be as intimate as possible with the fans on the night of the first semi-final. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest interviews and news.

Source: EBU (Image)

The Eurovision In Concert held a couple of weeks back within The Netherlands is known to be the premier dress rehearsal for the competing countires at the Eurovision Song Contest and the team of Radio International had the pleasure of speaking to all of the artists present, amongst them Gianluca who will represent Malta with the song Tomorrow co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek. We would like to invite 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 8.1Mhz 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 fans can join in and chat amongst each other via the Chat Room and request their favourite Eurovision entry.

Denmark is the outright favourite in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with Emmelie de Forest and her entry Only Teardrops co-written by Lise Cable, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen and Thomas Stengaard. As a matter of fact, there is always a favourite which does well, along with another who will fall flat when it comes to the live performance. This is yet to be seen. In the meantime, Emmelie who is an extremely nice individual speaks to team of Radio International about competing in such a major showcase, her ancestral background and what she makes of the current situation in the polls, bookmakers and fan clubs. Moving onto another entry competing in the first semi-final, there is Zlata Ognevich who will be representing Ukraine with the song Gravity and according to the bookmakers, this currently ranks second behind Denmark. Zlata who has slight difficulty to speak in English is nevertheless a great performer and she speaks to Radio International and escflashmalta.com about her upcoming surprises, without revealing too much.

Apart from focusing on the first semi-final, it is always important to note that there is a second show and one which also includes a number of great songs including some fan favourites in the form of Greece whose entry Alcohol is Free performed by Koza Mostra featuring Agathonas has been setting the dancefloors alight. The team who have a great spirit speak about the song, the meaning behind it and what their expectations in Sweden during the Eurovision Song Contest are, especially considering that Greece has a reputation to uphold. One final interview from this semi-final is with PeR from Latvia whose entry bears the name Here We Go. It will be the opening act of the show but has not been receiving a lot of promotion as of late whilst somewhat destined to be another disappointment for the Baltic nation. The duo are great fun though and this adds to the spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

The final nation in the spotlight for this evenings' programme will be Amandine Bourgeois who will be representing France with L'Enfer et Moi. She has received great comments since her performance at the Eurovision in Concert and could surprise. There will also be a number of new releases played throughout the three hours, including Żarbun by Chiara which has already racked up more then 80,000 views in less than a week. In the meantime, there will also be a number of cover versions as recorded throughout the year, a feature which will be returning at the hands of David Mann. 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. A spotlight on the Eurovision Song Contest will be switched on metaphorically of course by Dermot Manning as he chooses a topic for the week. Follow the show through the official website and also send your requests through the contact link which is found on the aforementioned website.

Source: Team of Radio International

L'Essenziale, co-written by Roberto Casalino, Francesco De Benedettis and Marco Mengoni, the latter of which also offers the vocal prowess will be representing Italy at the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. This is one of the most popular tracks in the nation at the moment, having won the Sanremo competition and ranking at number #1 on the singles chart for more than a month. In recent weeks, he has been to several television and radio broadcasters in Italy promoting both the single as well as the sophomore album entitled #PRONTOACORRERE but he made time to attend  the Eurovision In Concert within The Netherlands where fans and media alike swarmed him as one of the favourites in this years' international showcase. 

Eric Lehmann, President of OGAE Luxembourg and one of the several collaborators of Radio International and escflashmalta.com had the opportunity to speak to the renowned artists about his upcoming participation and the manner in which the fans have taken a like to his entry as well as charming appearance. L'Essenziale is currently predicted to finish in seventh place according to the Bookmakers but several polls are ranking it within the top five and considering that Italy will most likely have the backing of the professional jury, it will all boil down to the size of his European fanbase. Marco Mengoni rose to fame after winning the X Factor a couple of years back, followed by a second runner-up finish at Sanremo and of course, his victory in the same aforementioned competition this year. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available. 

Source: escflashmalta.com, radiointernational.tv

The team of Radio International had the pleasure of being in attendance at the Eurovision In Concert last week and thus the opportunity to speak to several artists who will be competing in this years' international showcase. Gianluca who himself was present during the festivities has been finalising his promotional tour across Europe heading to countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the United Kingdom. We would like to invite 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 8.1Mhz 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 fans can join in and chat amongst each other via the Chat Room and request their favourite Eurovision entry.

Moldova will be represented in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest by Aliona Moon and her entry O Mie, which will be performed entirely in Romanian as opposed to the English language used during the national final. The track is co-written by Pasha Parfeny who took to the stage on behalf of the same nation last year, achieving one of the best results with his entry Lautur. This will be the first of five interviews, with six artists for the simple reason given above. Aliona will discuss the choice of language, apart from the idea of working with Pasha on the song following her accompaniment as a backing vocalist last year. Keeping in line with the current interviews published on escflashmalta.com, where I serve as the Head of Communications, comes an interview with Alyona Lanskaya who will represent Belarus with the track Solayoh composed by Marc Paelinck to the lyrics of Martin King. She discusses last years' participation along with the choice of the track, noting that several songs had been submitted for interest.

Cezar will be representing Romania with his track It's My Life which is somewhat different from all the rest due to the fact that it is within a pop/opera genre which does not really follow a typical form in terms of song. This is the third artist whose interview will be aired this week and he will be followed by another male in the form of Robert Bellarosa whose entry Love Kills is co-written by Iain James and Jukka Immonen. One of the aforementioned writers has worked with Emeli Sande, Little Mix and One Direction, responsible for some of their major hits including Read All About It and Wings. Both gentlemen are ecstatic to get to the international showcase with the hope of doing their nation proud. It is important to spread the message of the country across in the best possible manner. The final interview for the week will be with none other than Krista Siegfrids whose entry Marry Me has been getting a lot of attention as of late due to the unequivocal support towards marriage equality and the rebranding of the campaign towards #Team Ding Dong.

Those are all of the interviews planned for this week but nevertheless, you will be able to catch more in the coming weeks including those recorded during the Eurovision In Concert. There will be a number of new releases, amongst them a track by Jelena Tomasevic who represented Serbia on home soil with Oro back in 2008. In the meantime, there will also be a number of cover versions as recorded throughout the year, a feature which will be returning at the hands of David Mann. 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. A spotlight on the Eurovision Song Contest will be switched on metaphorically of course by Alasdair Rendall as he chooses a topic for the week. Follow the show through the official website and also send your requests through the contact link which is found on the aforementioned website.

Source: Radio International