Chiara, one of the most notable female vocalists in the Maltese Islands has been working on a number of original tracks in recent months following her signing to independent record label, Hands Up Music which is known for supporting the Icelandic acts at the Eurovision Song Contest. Following the release of her first single Forget Forgetting Me to positive reviews, many would have thought that the vocalist would be somewhat alternating between genres but as the release of her new single Żarbun came earlier than expected, the dance genre is still very much well represented. Joining her and providing guest vocals on the new track is none other than Haffi Haff, who also hails from Iceland and tried to represent his nation at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with the track Ho Ho Ho, We Say Hey Hey Hey alongside his group, Merzedes Club as well as in 2008 as a soloist with the track The Wiggle Wiggle Song. 

Chiara represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions, the first time being in 1998 with the track The One That I Love composed by Jason Cassar and penned by Sunny Aquilina, the second time being in 2005 with the self-penned song Angel and last but not least in 2009 with the entry What If We composed by Marc Paelinck to the lyrics of Gregory Bilsen. The renowned vocalist has been re-branding herself in recent months, ditching away her ballads for an r'n'b / dance type of sound. The european audience had the pleasure to see this new image during the Melodifestivalen where on behalf of the Maltese Jury, Chiara gave the votes. Her latest single, Żarbun which of course translates into Shoe is quite intriguing and escflashmalta.com urges you to have a listen whilst staying in touch for all of the latest news.

Source: Hands Up Music, JJ Chircop (Image)

Martin Isherwood from the United Kingdom, Sharon Vaughn from the United States and Stano Simor from the Czech Republic represent different music genres but nevertheless, their tastes hover and they have predominantly agreed with each other as they analyse and assess the entries competing in this years' Eurovision Song Contest. The ten (10) qualifiers as decided through their respective outcome will be revealed on the day of the actual semi-final to increase the suspense.  In the second semi-final, seventeen (17) countries will be in contention and in slot number six (6), the producers have decided to put none other than Malta represented by the Public Broadcasting Services. The tiny nation will be participating in the esteemed international competition for the twenty-sixth time. Gianluca, a first time participant in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest was the winner following a cumulative public and jury vote with his entry Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat. 

Although fully committed to what he describes as his vocational calling, music has always served as a good break for the singing doctor, who has very adeptly found a balance between his daily ward rounds and his passion for music. Gianluca is the front man of a local band, whose dynamic performances and recent single releases have propelled it to the forefront of the island’s music scene. While funk and indie elements characterise the band’s distinctive sound, Bezzina draws on a wider variety of influences as a solo artist. He is mostly inspired by Michael Bubé’s brassy standards, John Mayer’s modern blues, the nu-folk style of Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale, while also being deeply captivated by Chris Tomlin’s contemporary Christian music. Gianluca is a regular singer with his prayer group and has also spent time doing voluntary work among children in Turin, Cairo and Palermo, with the sisters of Mother Theresa. 

He started off his music career by playing the piano accordion, eventually shifting his focus to singing in various charity concerts around Malta, including the popular biannual Voices concerts and Rockestra, a yearly event organised by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and held under the Patronage of the President of Malta. It was through one of these charity events that songwriters Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat approached Gianluca with the intention of collaborating. Originally intended to be a radio hit, Tomorrow's feel-good factor combined with its simple yet meaningful lyrics, possessed all the necessary ingredients to take it to the Eurovision stage this year. Gianluca looks forward to broaden his experience through the Eurovision Song Contest as he feels it will give his career greater potential for growth and exposure, while allowing him to make further contacts with foreign music professionals.

In the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest, Malta has always had a selection procedure but nevertheless, it has been altered throughout the years to reflect a similar system to the one used internationally. This years' edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest was one of the best in terms of both quality of production as well as competing tracks and several could have represented the nation abroad. The overwhelming public favourite was Kevin Borg with the song Needing You co-written with Thomas Thornholm, Simon Gribbe, Danne Attlerud and Michael Clauss. This was the song which also won the public vote and spent a couple of days at number #1 following it's release on iTunes. The second runner-up slot went to Davinia Pace with the track Betrayed composed by Elton Zarb to the lyrics of Matt Mercieca (Muxu). Davinia will be joining escflashmalta.com to comment on the second semi-final which will see Gianluca competing. 

Malta has an extremely rich history at the Eurovision Song Contest, quite similar to Iceland for that matter noting that the small Mediterranean Island is yet to win the prestigious competition despite being the first runner-up on two occasions in the past decade, the first time in 2002 thanks to Ira Losco and her entry 7th Wonder composed by Philip Vella and penned by Gerard James Borg and the second time in 2005 with Chiara and her self-penned track Angel. Apart from that, Malta has also finished in the second runner-up position twice, in 1992 with Mary Spiteri and her song Little Child composed by Georgina Abela to the lyrics of Ray Mahoney and in 1998 with Chiara and her entry The One That I Love composed by Jason Paul Cassar to the lyrics of Sunny Aquilina.  Last year, Malta returned to the final following a two year absence with the stunning semi-final performance of This Is The Night by Kurt Calleja.

Professional Critics Voice their Opinion

Rating: 83%

Martin Isherwood: Nice idea for the title but a bit clever and hard to grasp. Good lyrics. Nice voice if slightly unusual sibilant sound. Great tune. Very hooky. Still reminds me of the Housemartins.

Sharon Vaughn: Hands down my favourite. This song is magical and the singer is the perfect vessel to carry it. Best of Luck!

Stano Simor: Gianluca was one of my favourite artists in this years' national selection, one which I follow closely prior to the Eurovision Song Contest. The track itself is very positive and will surely help Malta progress to the final for the second consecutive year. The caribbean sound is something specific and one which I very much enjoy to listen to. 

Source: eurovision.tv

Ira Losco began her music career relatively early and achieved success as she built a road to the top noting that she went from a variety of local competitions to represent Malta within the Eurovision Song Contest, earning the first runner-up position with 7th Wonder composed by Philip Vella to the lyrics of Gerard James Borg. Upon her return, she was a true hero and she has built a reputable career, releasing her fifth studio album entitled The Fire, earlier this year. Working with the likes of producer, Howard Keith of Jagged House, Ira has always managed to carve out an image which keeps her grounded and true to herself. 

Her latest studio album has received rave reviews from local critics and has also led the albums chart on iTunes for five consecutive weeks and the next step is promoting the material off it through a number of live performances, and one of the first will be coming at the Beland Music Festival. Alongside her band, Ira will be performing with a nine piece band on Saturday, 11th May and remember that all of the proceeds would be going to Puttinu Cares, a charity which supports children in need. Ira Losco is a true, seasoned performer and in recent months, her live performances have been absolutely stunning. This will be one of the events of the season and despite following the tough act in the form of Kevin Borg on the day before, she will have the crowd at the palm of her hand considering how much she adores all of her fans.

Supporting Ira Losco on the night will be none other than two other bands, one of them being Planet Seed which is duly fronted by Klinsmann, finalist at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest on several occasions and the other one being known as The New Victorians. In the meantime, the evening shall be hosted by Moira Delia from Ilsien in-Nisa which airs on ONE Television as well as Christian Micallef who is known for hosting Replay on NET Television. Remember that you may purchase your copy of The Fire on iTunes. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available. 

Source: Beland Music Festival, Official Ira Losco Facebook Page

Gianluca, the representative on behalf of Malta at the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat has just concluded his promotional tour across Europe. He had the pleasure of visiting a number of countries including; Armenia, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the United Kingdom respectively. The media was present at every event and our colleagues at Radio International led by Juergen Boernig who is the escflashmalta.com Head of Communications spoke to our representative during the Eurovision In Concert within The Netherlands.

Despite being an apparent newcomer to the local music scene, Gianluca rose to fame relatively quickly having managed to come out of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest as the victor ahead of artists such as Kevin Borg whose presence was well respected by the crowd. Juergen basically asked Gianluca of his plans in the lead up to the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest whilst also discussing the alternate version of Tomorrow which features all of his family members. The first time that it was performed in public was during the programme, Xarabank aired on Television Malta and following the positive public reaction, it was thought best to record it and include it on the promotional disc which could be purchased on iTunes. 

One of the brand new initiative launched by the official website of the international competition is live video chats with the competing artists where fans and editors alike pose questions. Gianluca will be the one who has the honour today and as a matter of fact, Stella Floras from esctoday as well as John Stanton from eurovisionary will be joining Victor Escudero to pose the most difficult questions. The public are also urged to put their queries through by following the respective link. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news with regards to the participation of Gianluca as he takes to the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest on the 16th May with the track Tomorrow which as mentioned before is co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek.

Source: escflashmalta.com, radiointernational.tv

Kevin Borg, first runner-up at this years' edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the track Needing You which he co-wrote with Michael Clauss, Simon Gribbe, Thomas Thornholm and Danne Attlerud will be returning to his home country in order to give a major concert. This event set for the 10th May 2013 will be taking place in the locality of Żejtun and will be kicking off this years' edition of The Beland Music Festival in aid of Puttinu Cares. In recent years, this prestigious week long of activities has been receiving a lot of exposure and attention from both locals and foreigners. Entertainment is offered for the whole week free of charge with a number of volunteers going round and collecting donations for a just cause.

The Beginning, the debut album from Kevin Borg following his success in the talent show, Idol managed to climb to number #3 in the Swedish charts and that was the beginning of what has been a pretty positive career. Within the first studio album, there were a number of hit singles including With Every Bit of Me, Street Lights and The Last Words. In recent years, songwriting has become more concurrent for the performer and as matter of fact, has a publishing deal with Lionheart Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music in Sweden. He has been working with a number of artists including none other than Robin Stjernberg who will represent Sweden with the track You. Kevin has always kept Malta close to heart and despite finishing in second place at the end of January, has pledged to support Gianluca in the best possible way as he represents Malta in Sweden with his entry Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat.

escflashmalta.com is proud to support The Beland Music Festival for a third year running and for this simple reason, our aim is to give you a detailed look at who will be performing and when. As a matter of fact, more articles will be released in the coming days. On the 10th May, Kevin Borg will also be supported by former Eurovision Song Contest representative; Glen Vella and one his backing vocalists, in the form of Pamela. In the meantime, Maestro Paul Abela has been enlisted to conduct the band as each performer takes to the stage to perform in a live manner. The hosts for the evening will be none other than Ronald Briffa and Pauline Agius, both of whom have hosted several competitions in recent years. Stay tuned for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available and do not forget to buy Needing You on iTunes to continue supporting Kevin Borg.

Source: The Beland Music Festival

Kelly Schembri, a finalist in the 2011 edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest which took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta has somewhat been busy in recent months with both modelling and vocal performing. Apart from being part of the girl-group Monroe who performed in Malta during the recent Malta Music Awards broadcasted on Television Malta, she has also collaborated with Stephen Davids and Honorebel on another track entitled Strip Search which has received positive acclaim upon it's release.

Honorebel is a well known recording artist hailing from Jamaica and has worked with the likes of Pitbull, Akon, Flo-Rida, Sean Kingston, Shaggy and Afrojack. Strip Search which was released late in 2012 is an electro-pop track which a number of interludes which feature the hip/hop genre. A catchy beat and a thumping bass line is surely enough to get the crowd going and it seems that the people behind the song are trying to create a true summer hit considering the fact that the release of the official video took place in the past couple of hours. One of the co-writers of the track is also Gerard James Borg, a leading lyricist in the industry who has worked on a number of successful chart successes in Belgium, Iceland, Sweden and Malta. He was also the man behind five entries at the Eurovision Song Contest, including 2002 first runner-up 7th Wonder performed by Ira Losco. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news and enjoy the official video of Strip Search performed by Honorebel and featuring Stephen Davids and Kelly Schembri.

Source: YouTube

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

The first un-official rehearsal for the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in the past couple of days as artists from all over the continent got together during the annual Eurovision In Concert held in The Netherlands. Final promotional tours are being held now as the date draws closer and as countries compete for what seems to be an extremely open edition of the international spectacle. 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.

The interviews in relation to the Malta Eurovision Song Contest have all been published and now with the Eurovision In Concert in tow, a series of new interviews with artists who were present will definitely be taking centre stage in the next couple of episodes. The team has planned a total of six for today, kicking things off with Ryan Dolan who will be representing Ireland in the first semi-final with his entry Only Love Survives. We had the opportunity to discuss several issues including his national final victory as well as his upcoming recording of the music video featuring a number of fans. It is quite intriguing that it is the only interview we chose for the first semi-final for this week but nevertheless, the others come from the second semi-final including Sopho & Nodi who will represent Georgia with their song Waterfall co-written by Thomas G:Son.They speak about their internal selection as well as their collaboration with the winning composer of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

Keeping in line with the second semi-final, one of the vocal powerhouses seems to very much belong to Moran Mazor who will be flying the flag for Israel as she performs Rak Bishvilo in Sweden. There has been a lot of media coverage surrounding this artist as of late regarding her choice of attire at the international spectacle with the broadcaster refusing to let renowned designer Galliano work on her dress. Marco Mengoni was one of the drawcards during the Eurovision In Concert and when he was relaxed, he definitely showed wearing tracksuits and baggy pants but nevertheless, always the gentleman, he dresses up for the occasions. We spoke to him about his victory during the Sanremo competition with L'Essenziale as well as his personal expectations of the international spectacle. Italy is one of the favourites in this years' competition and therefore, Marco whose album, #PRONTOACORRERE is currently number #1 in Italy will definitely be one of the artists to look out for during the forthnight.

Gerard Joling, who represented The Netherlands back in 1988 Eurovision Song Contest achieving ninth place with his entry Shangri-La was also around during the festivities and the team of Radio International wanted to get his opinion on this years' competition along with his thoughts on the Dutch entry which is being performed by the popular, Anouk. The final interview for this week comes with none other than Gianluca, who will be representing Malta in the second semi-final with the song Tomorrow, co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek. 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 Chris Poppe 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

Tomorrow, co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek with vocals provided by Gianluca is being touted as a dark horse in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The young performer was a complete newcomer to the festival scene a couple of months ago and ultimately finished in second place when it came to the public just behind favourite, Kevin Borg but nevertheless, with the overwhelming support of the jury, he was given the opportunity to carry the flag on behalf of the country. The Public Broadcasting Services are doing their utmost to promote both him as an artist as well as the actual track, an infectious indie/pop song which is current in both genre and presentation.

A promotional tour might not always be key to success but several countries appreciate the visit and this year, one has to applaud the broadcaster on their strategy. Earlier this year, Gianluca was asked to appear as a guest performer in Armenia where he had the opportunity to perform during the national selection but nevertheless, this would not be the only destination noting that in the past couple of hours, he also performed to a massive crowd at the Eurovision In Concert in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The annual party featured twenty-six of the competing artists in this years' international spectacle. 

In an interview which he gave to esckaz, it was also revealed that he will be visiting Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and London. The latter was previously revealed exclusively by escXtra. In the meantime, Gianluca has also decided to take a stance and select his favourite entry in this years' Eurovision Song Contest, that being Ég á Líf by Eyþór Ingi on behalf of Iceland. This does not come to a surprise considering the stunning message that the track encompasses. We would like you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about Gianluca and his entry Tomorrow as they represent Malta in this years' international competition.

Source: PBS (Image), esckaz.com

After last year’s concert was proven to be a great success, a group of young adults within St.Pauls’s Band club of Safi shall be once again organising this concert. One of the main organisers, Joseph Barber, willl be the presenter on the night. It shall include different singers to last year’s show, but will none the less consist of some of Malta’s greatest talent, with the most anticipated participant being Gianluca Bezzina. 

This concert will be embellished with amazing voices which are familiar, particularly to viewers of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest. Four main vocalists will be headlining the event this time round. Danica Muscat, a two time Malta Eurovision Song Contest participant, mainly known for her participation in the television programme, Io Canto on Canale 5. Glen Vella, who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2011 with the track One Life composed by Paul Giordimaina and penned by Fleur Balzan. Amber, second runner-up in last years' national selection with Answer With Your Eyes composed by the same team behind Glen's entry. The surprise guest of the show is surely Federika Falzon, winner of a competition in Sanremo along with the Zodiac Dancers who will provide further entertainment away from a vocal stand point.

This years' edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest saw an artist rise to the occasion with Gianluca coming out as the winner with Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat. Next month, Gianluca will be represent Malta in Sweden but prior to that he will make a special appearance at this event in particular. The concert will be divided into two sections, where in each section every singer will sing their three most successful tracks. This two hour long, taking place at the Safi Primary School on Friday 19th April, 2013 will begin at 8.30pm. Tickets can be obtained from Safi’s St. Paul’s Band Club or Local Council at the price of 8EU. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Press Release