Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
| Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Malta | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | |||
| Selection date(s) |
| |||
| Selected entrant | Sarah Bonnici | |||
| Selected song | "Loop" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Malta is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "Loop" performed by Sarah Bonnici. The Maltese entry for the 2024 contest was selected through the national final Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS).
Background
Prior to the 2024 contest, Malta has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-five times since its first entry in
The Maltese national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), broadcasts the event within Malta and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. For the third year in a row, the broadcaster opted to select the Maltese entry through the national selection show Malta Eurovision Song Contest,[2] a format previously held between 2012 and 2018.
Before Eurovision
Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The competition consisted of a semi-final phase and final, and was held between October 2023 and February 2024.[3][4] Both phases were broadcast on Television Malta (TVM) as well as on the broadcaster's streaming platform tvmi.mt.
Format
The competition was divided into a semi-final and a final. The semi-final phase consisted of nine performances in each of the four weekly episodes of the TV show XOW between 27 October and 17 November 2023, where a combination of votes from a jury and a public televote determined a total of twelve qualifiers for the final. This consisted of a show week featuring pre-recorded performances and ad-hoc music videos created by the contestants, with the winner being decreed by a similar combination of votes from the jury and the public. The final was originally planned as a one-night show to be held in January 2024; on 9 January, however, PBS clarified the mechanics of the final stage: three episodes aired between 29 and 31 January, where the finalists were interviewed; the music videos for their songs premiered on 1 February; a "nostalgia night" was held on 2 February, where contestants performed Maltese or international songs from the past; and the final was held on 3 February.[3][5][6][7]
Competing entries
On 15 April 2023, PBS announced the songwriting camp MESC Music Exchange Camp would be held between 12 and 15 June, dedicated to the creation of 18 competing songs for their next national selection.[2]
On 21 August 2023, PBS published the regulations of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024, announcing that artists and composers would be able to submit their entries between 28 August and 20 September 2023. Songwriters from any nationality were able to submit songs as long as the artist was Maltese or possessed Maltese citizenship. Artists were able to submit as many songs as they wish, however, they could only compete with one in the semi-final. A dedicated panel selected the semi-finalist entries, which were announced on 18 October 2023.[3][8][9] It was later revealed that ten of them, without specifying which, had been selected from the MESC Music Exchange Camp.[10]
Among the selected competing artists were Moira Stafrace of
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s)[12] |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Arding | "Bellus" |
|
| Cosette Baldacchino | "Free Fall" |
|
| Dan | "Baraxx" |
|
| Denise Mercieca | "Mara" |
|
| Desirei Grech | "Watch Me" | Unknown |
| Dominic Cini | "Bewsa" |
|
| Eliana Gomez Blanco | "There's Only Flowers" |
|
| Erba' | "Sirena" |
|
| Franklin Calleja | "Puppet" |
|
| Gail Attard | "Wild Card" | Christina Magrin |
| Greta Tude | "Topic (Bla Bla)" |
|
| Haley Azzopardi | "Tell Me That It's Over" |
|
| Janvil | "Man" |
|
| Jessica Micallef | "Tagħna Tnejn" | Jessica Micallef |
| Karin Duff | "Breaking Bad" |
|
| Kurt Calleja[a] | "Misunderstood" |
|
| Kyle George | "Arrows" |
|
| Lisa Gauci | "Breathe" |
|
| Lyndsay Pace | "Fire Proof" |
|
| Maria Christina | "Moving On" |
|
| Marie Claire | "Fading" |
|
| Mark Anthony Bartolo | "Condition or Fiction" | Mark Anthony Bartolo |
| Mark Portelli | "Just Be" | Kimberley Cortis |
| Martina Cutajar | "Miles Away" |
|
| Matt Blxck | "Banana" |
|
| Michela Galea | "Let's Talk About Love" |
|
| Miguel Bonello | "Better Off Alone" |
|
| Miriana Conte | "Venom" |
|
| Moira Stafrace | "Feather Flight" |
|
| Nathan | "Ghost" |
|
| Oxygyn | "Cloudmaker" |
|
| Ryan Hili | "Karma" |
|
| Sarah Bonnici | "Loop" |
|
| Sopranique | "Empire" |
|
| Stefan Galea | "Numb" |
|
| Thea Aquilina | "Blood Stream" |
|
Shows
Semi-final
The semi-final took place over four episodes of XOW – hosted by Ron Briffa and Jacqui Losco – on 27 October, 3 November, 10 November and 17 November 2023, with nine acts performing in each show. The voting was open after each show and for a fifth overall round on 24 November, at the end of which the results were announced.[13][14]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurt Calleja | "Misunderstood" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Sarah Bonnici | "Loop" | Advanced |
| 3 | Gail Attard | "Wild Card" | Advanced |
| 4 | Mark Anthony Bartolo | "Condition or Fiction" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Eliana Gomez Blanco | "There's Only Flowers" | Eliminated |
| 6 | Oxygyn | "Cloudmaker" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Nathan | "Ghost" | Advanced |
| 8 | Lyndsay Pace | "Fire Proof" | Eliminated |
| 9 | Dominic Cini | "Bewsa" | Eliminated |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marie Claire | "Fading" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Franklin Calleja | "Puppet" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Desirei Grech | "Watch Me" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Sopranique | "Empire" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Janvil | "Man" | Advanced |
| 6 | Haley Azzopardi | "Tell Me That It's Over" | Advanced |
| 7 | Denise Mercieca | "Mara" | Advanced |
| 8 | Mark Portelli | "Just Be" | Eliminated |
| 9 | Maria Christina | "Moving On" | Eliminated |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jessica Micallef | "Tagħna Tnejn" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Cosette Baldacchino | "Free Fall" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Michela Galea | "Let's Talk About Love" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Thea Aquilina | "Blood Stream" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Miguel Bonello | "Better Off Alone" | Eliminated |
| 6 | Moira Stafrace | "Feather Flight" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Dan | "Baraxx" | Eliminated |
| 8 | Stefan Galea | "Numb" | Eliminated |
| 9 | Karin Duff | "Breaking Bad" | Eliminated |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erba' | "Sirena" | Advanced |
| 2 | Miriana Conte | "Venom" | Advanced |
| 3 | Christian Arding | "Bellus" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Lisa Gauci | "Breathe" | Advanced |
| 5 | Matt Blxck | "Banana" | Advanced |
| 6 | Martina Cutajar | "Miles Away" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Greta Tude | "Topic (Bla Bla)" | Advanced |
| 8 | Ryan Hili | "Karma" | Advanced |
| 9 | Kyle George | "Arrows" | Eliminated |
Final
The final took place on 3 February 2024 and was hosted by Carlo Borg Bonaci and Angie Laus.[19] Voting was opened on 2 February, after the release of the music videos, and lasted until the final. Yulan Law and The Busker performed as interval acts. The winner was determined by a weighed combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel (7/9) and a public televote (2/9).[20]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Janvil | "Man" | 24 | 5 | 29 | 8 |
| 2 | Haley | "Tell Me That It's Over" | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| 3 | Erba' | "Sirena" | 47 | 9 | 56 | 4 |
| 4 | Nathan | "Ghost" | 15 | 8 | 23 | 10 |
| 5 | Lisa Gauci | "Breathe" | 36 | 3 | 39 | 5 |
| 6 | Sarah Bonnici | "Loop" | 79 | 23 | 102 | 1 |
| 7 | Greta Tude | "Topic (Bla Bla)" | 25 | 7 | 32 | 7 |
| 8 | Miriana Conte | "Venom" | 23 | 2 | 25 | 9 |
| 9 | Ryan Hili | "Karma" | 54 | 17 | 71 | 3 |
| 10 | Gail | "Wild Card" | 17 | 3 | 20 | 11 |
| 11 | Denise | "Mara" | 30 | 9 | 39 | 5 |
| 12 | Matt Blxck | "Banana" | 51 | 29 | 80 | 2 |
| Draw | Song | Juror 1 | Juror 2 | Juror 3 | Juror 4 | Juror 5 | Juror 6 | Juror 7 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Man" | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 24 | |
| 2 | "Tell Me That It's Over" | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| 3 | "Sirena" | 4 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 47 |
| 4 | "Ghost" | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 15 | ||
| 5 | "Breathe" | 7 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 36 |
| 6 | "Loop" | 12 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 79 |
| 7 | "Topic (Bla Bla)" | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 25 | ||
| 8 | "Venom" | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 23 | |
| 9 | "Karma" | 5 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 54 |
| 10 | "Wild Card" | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | |
| 11 | "Mara" | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 30 | |
| 12 | "Banana" | 10 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 51 |
Preparation and promotion
Ahead of the contest, "Loop" was revamped in February 2024 in collaboration with Swedish songwriters and producers Joy and Linnea Deb; the new version, recorded in Stockholm, was released on 14 March.[22][23]
As part of the promotion of her participation in the contest, Sarah Bonnici confirmed her presence at the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024,[24] the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024,[25] the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024[26] and the Copenhagen Eurovision Party (Malmöhagen) on 4 May 2024.[27] She will also perform at the Eurovision Village in Malmö on 7 May 2024.[28] She additionally launched a social media challenge on TikTok and Instagram between 17 March and 16 April 2024, with the creator of the best video performance for "Loop" being selected to win two tickets for semi-final 2 – where Bonnici is set to compete.[29]
At Eurovision
The
Semi-final
Sarah Bonnici will take part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 2 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May.[33]
Notes
- ^ Not to be confused with the Kurt Calleja who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
References
- ^ "Malta". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ a b Granger, Anthony (15 April 2023). "Malta: Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Confirmed as Songwriting Camp Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – Rules & Regulations" (PDF). PBS. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Popescu, David (22 August 2023). "Malta: Format changes for 2024 national final". ESCUnited. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Manfrin, Edoardo (22 August 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Malta conferma la partecipazione e cambia il regolamento della selezione". Eurofestival News (in Italian). Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Malmö 2024: The 36 acts competing to represent Malta". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Fotios, Ntinos (9 January 2024). "Malta: The Grand Final of MESC 2024 will be held on February 3!". Eurovisionfun. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Stephenson, James (21 August 2023). "Malta: MESC 2024 Final Will Have No Live Performances". Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ a b Caligari, Rodianne (18 October 2023). "SEE: 36 songs announced for semi-finals of MESC2024". TVMNews+. PBS. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (27 February 2024). "Malta: Ten MESC 2024 Acts Selected from the MESC Music Exchange Camp". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (18 October 2023). "Semi-finalists of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 revealed, including Ryan Hili and Eliana Gomez Blanco". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Malta: MESC 2024". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ Cano Alcalá, Beatriz (27 October 2023). "Comienza el MESC 2024 con su primera semifinal: participantes, mecánica, horario, cómo y dónde verla y más información" [MESC 2024 begins with its first semifinal: participants, mechanics, schedule, how and where to watch it and more information]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Cano Alcalá, Beatriz (24 November 2023). "Anuncio 12 finalistas del Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (MESC): participantes, mecánica, horario y dónde verlo" [Announcement of the 12 finalists of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (MESC): participants, mechanics, schedule and where to see it]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (25 October 2023). "Malta: Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Show One Participants Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (1 November 2023). "Malta: Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Show Two Participants Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (9 November 2023). "Malta: Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Show Three Participants Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Conte, Davide (16 November 2023). "Malta: Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Show Four Running Order Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ "Carlo Borg Bonaci and Angie Laus will present Malta Eurovision Song Contest". TVMNews+. PBS. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ a b Schulte-Wieschen, Claire (4 February 2024). "Sarah Bonnici will represent Malta at Eurovision 2024 with 'Loop'". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Cano Alcalá, Beatriz (24 November 2023). "MESC 2024: Conoce los 12 finalistas que aspiran a representar a Malta en Eurovisión 2024" [MESC 2024: Get to know the 12 finalists wishing to represent Malta in Eurovision 2024]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (10 March 2024). "Malta: 'Loop' Revamp Confirmed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2024). "Malta: Sarah Bonnici Releases Revamped Version of Eurovision Entry 'Loop'". Eurovoix. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Rico, Vicente (15 March 2024). "A bailar: ¡Malta, con Sarah Bonnici, es el 20º país confirmado para la PrePartyES 2024!" [Let's dance: Malta, with Sarah Bonnici, is the 20th country to be confirmed for the PrePartyES 2024!]. Eurovision-Spain.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Percy, Lucy (6 March 2024). "Sarah Bonnici from Malta will slay the stage at London Eurovision Party". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (7 March 2024). "Eurovision in Concert: Seventeen Acts Confirmed So Far". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ @malmohagen_eurovision_party (24 March 2024). "Reminder of Acts 1-16 in our line-up. Get ready to vote live on your top 10 songs in the MalmöHagen Grand Final Show and Concert: the only Pre-Party for Rest of World Eurovision Week visitors to unite with European based visitors in the same place!". Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Andersson, Rafaell (26 April 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Competing Acts to Perform at the Eurovision Village". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (17 March 2024). "Malta: Sarah Bonnici Eurovision Ticket Giveaway". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (13 December 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed!". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Eurovision 2024: Rehearsal Schedule". Eurovisionworld. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.