The Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza is thought to be one of the finest musical institutions in the country noting that original tracks in Maltese are promoted. Some of the most recent winners of the esteemed competitions are none other than Amber, Mike Spiteri, Deborah C and Annabelle Debono with the most successful songwriters along the years being none other than Ray Agius, Mark Spiteri Lucas and Joe Chircop respectively. In recent years, the event has been supported greatly by escflashmalta.com with two board members present in the committee but for the first time in three years, coverage will be from an outsiders' point of view with the coverage being tweaked ever so slightly in order to promote the acts which will be selected.

The Committee of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza led by Chairman Mark Azzopardi received a total of seventy-nine (79) entries, from which eight (8) were submitted into the Teenage Category leaving the other seventy-one (71) in the Established Category. It is quite intriguing to note that this is quite a disappointing figure considering that over a hundred (100) songs were submitted in totality over the past three years, signalling that the popularity might be waning, something which is rather unfortunate. The jury for the first phase of the competition included none other than Deborah C, winner of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza 2012; John Perici Calascione, a Disc Jockey; Darren Carabott, student and Kevin Azzopardi, a musician who was also a judge during the second phase last year.

• Aħfirli Jekk Trid - Fabrizio Faniello (Minik / Rita Pace)
• Aħwa Lkoll - Domenique (Minik / Gillian Attard)
• Armonija - Minik (Minik / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Bil-Ħila Tagħna - Andre' Curmi (Minik / Rita Pace)
• Dellijiet - Elijah (Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri)
• Ejjew Ilkoll - Roseann Cordina (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Paul Ellul)
• Emmint - Johanna Galea (Minik / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Eva - Christian Azzopardi (Philip Vella / Mark Amaira)
• Fejn Hemm L-Għaqda Hemm is-Saħħa - Christian Arding (Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri)
• Fraħt Għax Sibtek - Laura Bruno (Frederick Camilleri)
• Fram-men-ti - Domenique (Philip Vella / Mark Amaira)
• Għalik - Domenique (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Gloria - Mauro & Kim (Rita Pace)
• Ġrajjiet - Michela Dalli (Dominic Cini / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Ħallini Nerġa Lura - Clayton Seychell (Philip Vella / Anton Grech)
• Ħallini Ngħidlek - Nicole Brincat (Minik / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Ħarsitna 'l Fuq - Domenique (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Paul Ellul)
• Ħdejk - Joseph Refalo (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Hemm Miegħek Jien - Neville Refalo (Dominic Cini / Rita Pace)
• Insini - Letizia Seychell (Philip Vella /Anton Grech)
• Int - Laura Bruno (Frederick Camilleri)
• Int Kont Hemm - Daniel Muscat (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Marlon Polidano / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Int u Jien - Ana-Maria Grima (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Inwiegħdek - Johanna Galea u Josef Tabone (Minik / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Kemm Se Ddum - Estelle Fenech Imbroll (Rita Pace / Mark Scicluna)
• Kleopatra - Jade-Amber Muscat (Minik / Stephen Baldacchino)
• L-Ewlieni - Danica Muscat (Philip Vella / Emil Calleja Bayliss)
• Li Jien Illum - Mikhail Attard / Simarija Galea (Elton Zarb / Natasha Turner)
• Ma Jistax Ikun - Maria Abdilla (Renato Briffa / Paul Callus)
• Ma Ninsew Qatt - Domenique (Mark Debono / Rita Pace)
• Magħqudin - Francesco Catania (Ludwig Galea / Augusto Cardinali)
• Mara - Domenique (Philip Vella / Paul Ellul)
• Merħba - Albertine Abela (Minik / Giovann Attard)
• Mhux Pupa Biss - Raquel Galdes (Minik / Rita Pace)
• M'Intiex Waħdek - Kylie Coleiro (Philip Vella / Manila Bottone)
• Nemmen Fil-Futur - Mattei Curmi (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Nibqa' - Janice Mangion (Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri)
• Passi Fir-Ramel - Domenique (Philip Vella / Mark Amaira)
• Perper Rebbieħa - Marie Claire Attard Bason (Dominic Cini / Stephen Baldacchino)
• Qalb li Tħobb - Danica Sammut (Marco Debono / Rita Pace)
• Raġġ ta' Tama - Domenique (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Rebbiegħa - Kristen Camilleri (Philip Vella / Cher Vella)
• Sabiħ il-Logħob Jekk - Kurt Galea (Mark Spiteri Lucas / Paul Ellul)
• Speċjali - Josef Tabone (Renato Briffa / Rita Pace)
• Stmerrejtek, Ħabbejtek - Marie Claire Attard Bason (Mark Scicluna / Emil Calleja Bayliss)
• Vampanar - Christian Azzopardi (Philip Vella / Mark Amaira)
• Viva L-Ħajja - Cherylis Camilleri (Kaya)
• Xbajt - Domenique (Philip Vella)
• Xi Darba - Estelle Fenech Imbroll (Mark Scicluna / Estelle Fenech Imbroll)
• Xtaqtek Taf - Simone Gauci (Jason Cassar / Mario Farrugia)

The eight (8) entries submitted into the Teenage Category have all made it through to the television stage of the competition due to meeting the requirements as set forth by the committee of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza. The names of the artists, songs and their respective songwriters will most likely be revealed over the next couple of days noting that the second phase will take place next weekend in front of a panel of judges which as stipulated by the regulations could be the same as they were in the first phase. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about this years' edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza which will take place during the Independence festivities in September.

Source: Malta Right Now

2013 is officially just a couple of hours away and several people are already gearing up to pop the corks off their champagne bottles but nevertheless, there is still one more day to go through and hopefully, that will also be one to remember in a positive manner. It has been an endearing year, with several positive aspects. As a matter of fact, we have been through the major news items for both the general Eurovision Song Contest as well as the local music scene and one could easily denote the progress that has been made on both a national and a foreign level of vocal talent and songs in general. Kicking off things in January, one has to remember that the announcement of the semi-finalists of the 2012 Malta Eurovision Song Contest took place on the programme Xarabank preceding a number of promotional activities which took place across the national broadcasters' frequencies including Television Malta, Radju Malta and Maltin Biss.

That is just the beginning noting that when the showcase actually came about as held in the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre at the end of February, several people were shocked to see that Eleanor Cassar with the song I Want to Runaway and Annalise Ellul with Whoop It Up! were eliminated at the first hurdle. The final also opened up a number of questions due to the fact that Kurt Calleja with the track This Is The Night managed to beat the favourite Claudia Faniello with Pure despite not managing to win the full approval of the jury. According to unconfirmed statistics, he won the tele-voting by a large margin which secured his representation of the country. At this same time that the event was being staged, organisers of the Għanja tal-Poplu were gearing up for the return of the competition and indeed, they managed to garner forty two (42) entries in total, including from Malta Eurovision Song Contest semi-finalist; Janice Mangion, Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza finalist; Grecia Bezzina and escflashmalta.com contributor; Clive Muscat. February was proving to be a month of competitions and in fact, our portal covered the Sanremo showcase extensively through Elaine Camilleri, seeing to the victory of Emma Marrone with favourite Arisa languishing in second place. In the meantime, Kurt Calleja had begun his promotional tour in the same month heading to the artist selection in Azerbaijan, strengthening the bond created between the two countries in the previous year. 

In just a couple of weeks, the fever of the Eurovision Song Contest was sweeping the continent and it was revealed that the British Broadcasting Corporation had chosen a legend in the form of Engelbert Humperdinck to represent the United Kingdom. The announcement was met with mixed criticism noting that ultimately his entry Love Will Set You Free did not really achieve the expected result but nevertheless in Malta, there were other elements at hand noting that the original backing vocalist with the track This Is The Night being Ylenia Vella was sacked by the Public Broadcasting Services and replaced by Amber who had in February obviously finished in third place with her entry Answers With Your Eyes without any public support. Kurt Calleja did not answer any questions about the change and continued his promotion in Bulgaria and Lithuania whilst also filming the promotional video of the track on his return to the country. In Malta, on a private television station known as NET Television, preparations for the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza had begun and Simone Gauci was announced as the first finalist following her victory on Passport 2 Indifest having beaten former finalist; Marie Claire Attard Bason in the process. Her entry bearing the name Id F'Id was specifically written for her by Renato Briffa and Keith Zammit.

In April, it was all about Kurt Calleja and Malta's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest noting that he had managed to top the local iTunes chart with his entry whilst also visiting another set of countries; Turkey, Georgia and The Netherlands bringing his promotional tour to an end in a major party which included several major interviews. One of the male stars of the local music industry, Fabrizio Faniello continued to rebuild his image and the release of his album Kasmaran in Indonesia proved to be a massive success denoting the artist as a star in the Asian country. escflashmalta.com continued to work extremely close with a number of sources and uncovered that Elaine Saliba was set to be the commentator for Malta at the international competition, although it was then revealed at a later stage that Ronald Briffa would be aiding her analysis providing some comic relief.  The impressive younger generation of musical prodigies never cease to amaze and Gaia Cauchi won the right to represent the country in Sanremo Junior 2012, ultimately becoming the winner a couple of months later. The month came to an end with one of the artists of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, being Wayne releasing the official video clip for his self penned track entitled Time with which he had competed a couple of months earlier.

The month of the Eurovision Song Contest quickly came about and May seemed to be quite intriguing in the local music market with the return of Christabelle with the track Say as well as Brooke with Fairytale but the media was somewhat enthralled at the single release of Miss You with main vocals by Wintermoods featuring the renowned international tenor; Joseph Calleja. It was also a month in which the finalists for the 2012 edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza were revealed, quickly noting that this had to be one of the fields which was missing a lot of the more predominant names yet nevertheless featuring the upcoming generation of artists such as Domenique, and Danica Muscat amongst others. Performing at the Eurovision Song Contest, Kurt Calleja made the country proud on the night of the semi-final achieving seventh place but it seems that nerves got the best of him on a Saturday night with his performance dropping in quality although this did not hurt his success charting on the iTunes top 100 in Austria, Greece, Norway, Sweden and of course, Malta. escflashmalta.com kept their annual coverage with guest commentators including Simon Casey, Raquela, Claudia Faniello, Sophie, Magnus Kaxe and Christabelle. Thousands of people viewed the respective reports and with the aid of the team of Radio International and Eurovision Ireland, the competition was analysed and covered in the most profound and detailed way possible. 

With the months leading up to the competition behind everyone, the summer was set to kick in and in fact, June was a relatively quiet month with the Public Broadcasting Services confirming their intentions to not return to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. On the other hand, Sophie was representing the country in the United Kingdom during the celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, undergoing a cross-country tour which saw her perform with the likes of X Factor runner-up, Marcus Collins whilst Kevin Borg was being wooed by the local public who wanted to see him represent the country in Sweden, the winning nation of the Eurovision Song Contest. The annual award for the worst dressed artist at the Eurovision Song Contest was decided with Rona Nishliu on behalf of Albania finishing on top. July proved to be less quiet and somewhat more eventful with Sweden deciding on Malmo as host city of the Eurovision Song Contest with the winner also coming to Malta to give a concert. In fact, on the Islands, things were becoming quite interesting with the Joseph Calleja concert featuring Ronan Keating, Gigi D'Alessio and Amber taking place on the Floriana Granaries, days before the official single release of What I'd Give by Ira Losco, her first track taken off the 2013 yet untitled album.

August came about but was quiet uneventful once more with Ira Losco releasing the official video for her new single and Kurt Calleja working on new material off a yet untitled album slated for release in 2013. In fact, Boomerang was picked up on 89.7 Bay and also made the charts by virtue of the amount of airplay received. As autumn and September drew in, the Public Broadcasting Services released the regulations for the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest whilst other sectors of the scene were showing their strengths as new singles were also released by Janvil entitled Make My Day, Muxu bearing the name Pour Down on Me and last but not least a young girl brand coined as Cryptic Street with Indecisive. The second major music competition in Malta known as the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza was won by Deborah C with the track Jekk Nużaw Moħħna written by Mark Spiteri Lucas and Joe Chircop. Success was a thing of the month noting that the popular pop/rock band known as Airport Impressions went on tour in Sweden, headlining three major events and garnering international recognition. escflashmalta.com continued to air the local music scene by virtue of releasing a number of videos exclusively including the one of Muxu which you could also view just below.

It seemed like winter would not be setting foot on the country this year with October coming in full swing and the music scene bringing things up to speed in an excruciatingly busy ratio with exclusive video releases by Cryptic Street and Fabrizio Faniello along with new singles released by the group Cruz; Good On You, Chiara; Forget Forgetting Me, Dimal & Lyndsay; Let's Make It Happen. During this time, one of the singles was also picked up by a record label and as a matter of fact, Chiara is now a true recording artist with the backing of an Icelandic record label which also takes care of former Eurovision Song Contest representative; Hera Bjork. Whilst pop and rock are seemingly the two most popular genre in the country, the duo known as Tenishia received an accolade of which the whole country should be proud of with the official DJ Mag putting them as the fiftieth best in the world ahead of renowned musicians like Benny Benassi. The Public Broadcasting Services revealed that they received a total of 182 submissions for the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest from a variety of countries and a matter of fact, submissions were sent in from four former representatives including; Fabrizio Faniello, Miriam Christine, William Mangion and Ludwig Galea but none of them would make the cut in the long run. The collaboration between this portal and the series D.R.E.A.M.S continued as a second season written by the talent Vella Haber and Saliba La Rosa returned featuring two main new actresses being Michela Dalli and Kristen Camilleri.

The month of November, was finally starting to show signs that the weather would be cooling down and in fact, the revelation of the twenty-four semi-finalists of the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest seemed to be the only heated moment with a host of newcomers revealed in the list especially artists who have garnered attention through radio such as the likes of Gianluca Bezzina, and Davinia with others coming from notable national showcases including Chris Grech. December was relatively quiet noting that in the beginning, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place with Ukraine finishing on top with the track Nebo but the focus of the local music scene was surely on the Bay Music Awards which saw Red Electrick walk away with a total of two awards in total, the most of the night which also saw success going in the way of JJoy, Kelly Stellfox, Ira Losco, Carlo Gerada, Jan Cortez, Christabelle, and Cryptic Street. The Malta Eurovision Song Contest also hit a bump on the head with the withdrawal of Saska Hunt and the track Dress Rehearsal who was replaced by the first alternate on the list; Marilena Gauci with the track Overrated. We indeed hope that this year in fact wasn't just that and that it was ideal for each and every one of you. We look forward to serving you for another eventful year, as 2013 dawns in a couple of hours.

Source: escflashmalta.com, Kris Micallef (image)

The start of the twenty first century had been known to bring about a number of changes in the local music industry but it is worth pointing out that just prior to that, a brand new male vocalist in the form of Fabrizio Faniello was born and from then onwards, it has been a constant fight for success, which in most cases has also been attained. The renowned performer has already managed to represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions received mixed results with his final participation putting his career in doubt but working through difficulties is part of the game and ultimately, he has returned with new material and with a solid set of fans who will always be around to support his work. His most recent single entitled The Hardest Thing written by Wayne Hector, Elliot Kennedy and Gary Barlow taken off his fifth studio album Surrender is already doing well abroad especially following the video release which was an escflashmalta.com exclusive.

Considering that Fabrizio Faniello has been to the European showcase at least twice, it seems that he does have an audience which prefers listening to his vocal and in fact, he could be found at number #1 on the chart which is compiled by eurovisionontop.com ahead of acts who did better than him at the event when they competed including none other than Ani Lorak, Lena, Patricia Kaas, Ott Lepland, Alexander Rybak and Hadise amongst others. Nevertheless, it is also worth noting that airplay is vital and hence forth, it seems that Germany have picked up on the track as well because The Hardest Thing by Fabrizio Faniello is currently at number #22 at Radio Contact. The chart which is currently being led by Adele, David Guetta and Rihanna is definitely a huge achievement for the Maltese star who for the most part of his career has been signed to Spectre Media and CAP-Sounds which are affiliated with Universal Music Germany. Should you wish to purchase your copy of the track, visit the iTunes store. The editorial team at escflashmalta.com would like to wish Fabrizio Faniello the very best of luck with his success and in the meantime, we hope that you stay tuned for more news.

Source: Official Facebook Page

The Malta Eurovision Song Contest has always been a leading competition in the country especially due to the fact that it is one of the events which brings about several individuals together in front of a television listening to music and supporting their most favourite contestant or entry for that matter. Members of our editorial team at escflashmalta.com have gathered the names of four particular performers who seemed to have submitted into the selection, all of which have already represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest throughout the years, some in the nineties and others in the noughties respectively. William Mangion, Miriam Christine, Ludwig Galea and Fabrizio Faniello have all built intriguing reputations over the years and it is worth noting that between them, they hold four positive results.

Going back through time, the year was 1993 and it was actually the nations' sixth time competing in the Eurovision Song Contest with singer/songwriter William Mangion taking to the stage with his entry This Time joined by Debbie Scerri, Moira Stafrace and Phyllisienne Brincat. The track was very well received in the lead up to the competition but the expectations of a better track did haunt the raspy performer especially due to the fact that the year before, Mary Spiteri had achieved second runner-up position for the country with her track Little Child composed by Georgina Abela and penned by Ray Mahoney. At the end of the voting, a smart well thought out performance which was kept extremely simple managed to finish in eighth place with sixty-nine points making this the worst result since our comeback back in 1991 but nevertheless, another top ten finish. William Mangion returned in the Malta Song for Europe of 2007 with the self-penned entry Forever Mine but failed to make an impact going out in the semi-final.

Moving onto the next entrant, a subtle sixteen year old teenager back in 1996 who has grown up to become a wonderful individual with a beautiful voice that could mesmerize anyone. Miriam Christine was participating in the national selection for the second time and it seems that In a Woman's Heart composed by Paul Abela and penned by Alfred C Sant was seen as the best entry that year. Once more, it was an outside in the country which was receiving mixed acclaim in foreign tabloids due to the fact that it was extremely avant garde with an astonishingly young performer. The Eurovision Song Contest was taking place in Oslo, Norway and eventually, Miriam finished in tenth place, something which her predecessor, Mike Spiteri had also achieved with his song Keep Me In Mind composed by Ray Agius to the lyrics of Alfred C Sant. Eventually, Miriam Christine returned in 1998 with It's Up To You composed by Ray Agius to the lyrics of Alfred C Sant and also in 2009 with self-penned Mama. The first finished in fifth place whilst the other did not fare all too well unfortunately.

Ludwig Galea is the next performer which we would like to focus on within this list of former representatives whose road to success was not a solo one actually noting the aid of former flame Julie Zahra whose debut entry in the Malta Song for Europe, My Number One composed by Philip Vella to lyrics by Joe Julian Farrugia finished in fourth place. They came back the following year with a composition by Philip Vella and lyrics by Gerard James Borg, entitled On Again .. Off Again managing to win the hearts of many on Valentine's Day. Their Eurovision Song Contest was difficult with Malta having to get out of the semi-final due to the poor result the previous year. They overcame the obstacle and with a twelfth place finish in the finals, they also managed to get us into the final of the previous year without the need of the semi-final. Nevertheless the rules of the competition changed since then. Ludwig has tried as a soloist making it with Inferno composed by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg as well as Lament written by Philip Vella in 2009 but both failed to make it through to the final. He returns in a duet with Franklin Calleja should the song make it through.

Finally, the name that we left to the end is that of Fabrizio Faniello whose reputation definitely precedes him. Following a number of runner-up finishes in his early days within the competition, he was selected to represent Malta in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest with Another Summer Night composed by Paul Abela and penned by Georgina Abela. The track with the support of the home nation finished in ninth place and created a star noting that the performer would release a number of singles and albums with chart success in Scandinavia. He would return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with the track I Do which he wrote with Aldo Spiteri and several characteristics winded this up to be a disappointing performance finishing in twenty-fourth position with one point. He has since reinvented his career achieving success in Asia and returning to the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in Malta finishing in fourth and sixth place. Who out of the former representatives, if any will make it through to the 2013 edition. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news updates and features.

Source: escflashmalta.com

Fabrizio Faniello took to the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions; the first time in 2001 with the track Another Summer Night composed by Paul Abela and penned by Georgina and the second time in 2006 with I Do which he co-wrote alongside Aldo Spiteri. Since his final rendition in the international competition, he has returned to the local music scene and built his image with the release of a brand new album brilliantly entitled No Surrender featuring a host of hit singles including his 2011 entry in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest of the same name as well as the recently released track The Hardest Thing written by Wayne Hector and Gary Barlow. escflashmalta.com was proud to take up the video exclusively last weekend as you can view here and we were also the first to announce about the upcoming visits in Italy and Germany where the two time representative was invited to attend the respective OGAE Meetings.

In an interview given to OGAE Italy, Fabrizio Faniello confirmed that he will be submitting an entry into the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2013 and many people will be surprised by the genre that he will be taking up because he would like to mix it up from what he has come up with thus far showing that music can revolve and even reinvent itself. Fabrizio said that not everyone agrees with his intentions to take part and this is due to the fact that he should give his place to upcoming performers but then again, not everything should be about the artist, but more about the possibility of having a hit song. The two time representative went onto add that he would love to be in the Sanremo competition with his Italian heritage coming to show on countless occasions. The editorial board of escflashmalta.com would like to wish Fabrizio Faniello all the very best of luck with his current career endeavours and we hope to see him in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in the months to come. Stay tuned for more news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: OGAE Italy

Professionalism is the key to success in the music industry and one of the artists who has definitely showed strength and compassion in returning to what he does best is Fabrizio Faniello, the man who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest on two separate and distinct occasions; in 2001 with the track Another Summer Night finishing in ninth place and in 2006 with the song I Do finishing in a languishing bottom position which many somewhat disagree with nevertheless. Following a couple of months and years away from the music scene in order to settle a number of issues, the male performer returned with a bang at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 with the track No Surrender which later on throughout the year would also become the lead single off his latest album of the same. The compilation features tracks written by local and foreign writers but then again, one of the songs, a cover of the Toše Proeski hit; The Hardest Thing stands out from the rest for the sheer power that Fabrizio has given it. The song which was the last single from the Balkan performer and was written by Wayne Hector, Elliot Kennedy and Gary Barlow of Take That fame, was also set to launch the artist but unfortunately, he passed away far too quickly. escflashmalta.com has the pleasure to exclusively reveal the video for Fabrizio's version of The Hardest Thing thanks to CAP-Sounds, Universal Music Germany and Spectre Media.

Since returning back to music, Fabrizio has shown clear dedication in this respective field, launching a brand new solo career in Asia where he has become a star in the likes of Indonesia after releasing his debut album over there, a compilation of hits from his last couple of albums in the official language of the respective country. Nevertheless, his fan base in Europe has never forgotten him and he has been invited to attend two spectacular OGAE Meetings in the next couple of weeks; the first one being held in the town of Bologna, Italy on the 27th October and the second one being that organised in the city of Cologne, Germany on the 24th November. The editorial team of escflashmalta.com has also spoke to Fabrizio to learn the idea behind releasing this song as his latest single considering that it is a cover and this is what he had to tell us 'This is coming at a right time in my life as really I am going through something similar of what the song is talking about. I’m honoured that I’m singing a Gary Barlow song and thanks & respect to Toše who walked away too early…' Fabrizio Faniello maintains an outstanding reputation by virtue of putting the past behind him and looks towards the future. He is always described as a hard working performer by his manager; Manfred Holz of CAP-Sounds, based in Germany under the watchful eye of Universal Music Germany. It is yet unconfirmed on whether he will be submitting any tracks to the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 but stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news.

Source: Universal Music Germany, Spectre Media, CAP-Sounds, Manfred Holz

As the preparations for this years’ Malta Eurovision Song Contest are underway with the composers, authors and singers finalizing their entries, the common public have already started discussing who they think is the clear favourite to succeed Kurt Calleja in Malmo, Sweden. Big names from the local radio industry have been mentioned throughout but attracting them to the local competition is always challenging but if any of them submit and make it through to the finals they will surely stand a good chance to do well and possibly win.

Albeit this, though it seems that the front runner for this years’ contest is none other than last year’s second runner up Amber. Amber made a name for herself after managing to come second in the local talent show ‘ID’ and from then on she never looked back. She participate in the Malta Hit Song Contest and the year after went on to win the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with Trid Tapprezza. The same year she made it through the semi-finals of the contest with two songs Touch Wood and Catch 22, with the latter making it through to the final stages of the competition. 

Last year, it was Amber’s second time in the contest and she captured the judges’ attention achieving a third place thanks to her power rendition of Answer with Your Eyes. From this experience onwards, Amber was presented with a number of opportunities. She was approached by PBS to accompany Kurt Calleja in Baku as his main backing vocalist. This experience gave her a taste of the Eurovision world and having carried a vital role last year, some people thing that this could be her year; all this assuming that Amber is submitting an entry to this year’s competition but if she does she will surely be the main front runner. 

The other favourite will surely be Claudia Faniello who was last year’s first runner-up with her magical song Pure. A lot of people think that Claudia Faniello’s year was last year but if she decides to return to the competition for the eighth time expect her to return with a something strong and original. It will take something special to surpass Pure but Claudia showed what she is capable of achieving last year and few would be surprised if she manages to come back with something even stronger. So, if she returns no one should count her out, especially considering the strong results she’s had in recent years.

The return of former entrants is always possible. Fabrizio Faniello has been trying for a number of times and he has always done well. He is just one of two singers who represented Malta on more than one occasion and if he succeeds, he will emulate Chiara's feat. Other entrants who tried again after their win include; Paul Giordimaina  Georgina, Mary Spiteri, William Mangion, Moira&Chris, Mike Spiteri, Miriam Christine, Debbie Scerri and Ludwig Galea. The return of some of these is remote but others have kept in touch with festivals and haven't ruled out a return. These mainly include Olivia Lewis, Miriam Christine and Ludwig Galea; if any of these return, they will surely pose a significant threat.

Having mentioned the two main front runners one cannot forget other talented individuals who have been participating in the contest for a number of years. The finalists in recent years have all presented strong entries and none should be underestimated in such a competition. After all this is a song contest which should reward the best song at the end of the night and not a popularity contest. Two years ago, an unknown Thea Garrett won the hearts of the local public and the judges’ votes with her power ballad My Dream. So who knows, it might be someone new who can repeat the same feat, although it is not an easy one, surely it isn't impossible. 

Well, there are a lot of questions that are left to be answered, most of these questions will be answered in the upcoming days when the submissions come to a close at the end of this month but until then we have to play the waiting game. We cannot really comment either before we hear the final versions of the songs that will be submitted this year but we would like you to share your views with us on which singer, singers or bands you think should be the ones succeeding Kurt Calleja. In the meantime, keep following escflashmalta.com for all the latest updates about the local music scene.

Source: escflashmalta.com

The music industry is somewhat always yearning for brand new male artists to conquer the scene noting that the numbers are extremely dismal in this regard with females having somewhat of an edge each time even within a competition. This has not been the case in Malta with the last two representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest both being male, noting Glen Vella in 2011 and also Kurt Calleja in 2012. One particular individual who could never be forgotten though is surely none other than two time representative Fabrizio Faniello whose performances are known for bringing a bit of sizzle to the overall competition. Following his disappointing result the second time round, he disappeared only to return back stronger than ever, releasing yet another album of original material in English entitled No Surrender making that recording his fifth studio album thus far. His success in Malta has transcended into Asia actually with Indonesian radio picking up on Fabrizio and play-listing his songs. One of the most interesting things is that CAP Sounds have also managed to sign a Record Deal with Nagaswara for the release of a number of tracks and compilations in Indonesian language.

Thus far, the number has been limited but one does have to keep in mind that Fabrizio is learning a new language and giving meaning to the song as if performing it within a mother tongue, be it either Maltese or English. The very first of the matter remains that his latest single entitled Aku Punya Dia is actually the track Heavenly as had been released in his sophomore album When We Danced. The song which was written by his former writing partners Paul & Georgina Abela is a beautiful ballad and it is now being officially accompanied by a video release which tells the story of a romantic couple who seem to be facing some trouble after what seemed to be very much a misunderstanding. Fabrizio has been trying to return to the Eurovision Song Contest for the past two years and actually it seems that the people would not mind him returning to the competition especially considering that he has managed to reach both fourth (4th) and sixth (6th) position in the final standings. The mixture of votes has also been highlighted noting that he has received good points from both the judges and the tele-voters therefore, we will ultimate see whether he will get such a chance in the future. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about the local music scene and former representatives such as Fabrizio Faniello.

Source: CAP-Sounds

The 1998 edition of the Malta Song for Europe remains to be one of the most interesting competitions to have ever been held in our country due to the fact that it breathed a wave of new talent, two particular artists who would ultimately go onto represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest on multiple occasions, one of them being a female by the name of Chiara who would almost bring the event home and the other one being Fabrizio Faniello who continuously represents the country in frantic fashion overseas. In the past couple of years, the comeback of one of Malta's biggest exports has been rewarded by the amount of time and effort he puts into his projects. He has become somewhat a star in Asia with people knowing him as an artist, and buying his latest record Kasmaran which features his hit songs recorded in Indonesian.

His latest single success coming off the album is for the track Aku Punya Dia which many people will remember as to being Heavenly in his sophomore album When We Danced. The track originally composed by Paul Abela and penned by Georgina Abela has been reworked by Pongki Barata. I must say that it does not really sound any different and when Fabrizio sings these songs again, his fans will clearly become reminiscent of the beautiful ballads he had sung in the past. For the past two years, Fabrizio has tried to return to the Eurovision Song Contest believing that he does have a score to settle and his initial track entitled No Surrender finished in fourth place whilst this years' track I Will Fight For You (Papa's Song) finished in a respectacle sixth place. He has garnered good points from both juries and tele-voting so with the right track. he will definitely go back there. The latest track in Indonesia though is currently found at number #3 in the official top forty and that is a huge achievement for someone who did not have a connection with the nation up until a couple of months ago. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest on Fabrizio Faniello and other local artists.

Source: Nagaswara Music Corporation, Eurovision.tv (Image)

One of the leading stars in the local music scene is surely Fabrizio Faniello having had the honour of representing the country at the Eurovision Song Contest on two separate occasions, the first one being in 2001 with the song Another Summer Night and the second time in 2006 with the track I Do noting that the results were opposite each other reflective the positive and negative aspects on each side. Following a hiatus, Fabrizio decided to come back to what he loves doing and started by recording a track for the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza entitled Futur which finished in third place before making his national return in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 with the track No Surrender which finished in fourth place before trying for another time in 2012 with the track I Will Fight For You (Papa's Song) which would manage a sixth position.

Everything has been quite positive and the release of his album has just helped things even further actually. At the moment, just prior to a day which celebrates father, this years' Malta Eurovision Song Contest track is making waves in the Belgian and the German radio charts noting that it has been available for more than six weeks and currently sits at number #4 as you can see through the official website. On the other hand in Belgium, through BRF1 (Belgischer Rundfunk) he has managed to enter at number #14 for the first time this week. One other major endorsement for this song has been in the United States actually where the retail store Abercromie & Fitch has requested the song to be played within all of their respective shops in the the country giving the track notable exposure in a leading fashion outlet in the world. Fabrizio will continue representing the country in the best possible way and we will be keeping you posted with everything that is going on so stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news!

Source: CAP-Sounds, Manfred Holz