Michela 

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The 2019 Malta representative said the betting odds over the last few weeks had ensured the hype was very much real in Malta and for Destiny fans around the world.

“Italy, France and Malta’s entries were the ones I was listening to the most this year – I hadn’t really listened to Switzerland’s entry before, but I really liked it,” Michela told Lovin Malta.

“Switzerland was definitely a dark horse in the race, and at points it was running far ahead, so the night provided a genuine mix of emotions not knowing who is going to win… I feel like in previous editions, the winners were clearer earlier on, this time was much closer than usual.”

She praised the fact that so many countries opted to do something different this year, including Russia and Ukraine.

“Just look at Italy, they are doing different things – even last edition – and the public clearly loved them for it,” she said.

When it came to the allegations that some members from the Italian contingent had been filmed snorting cocaine during the show, she was unsure.

“My motto is: you cannot judge if you weren’t there. I can’t judge them, even if it looked like that had happened,” she said.

She also questioned the timing of the claims.

“They are ruining Italy’s win, especially asking them about it in the press conference right after they won. They’ve said they are open to being tested… everyone’s talking about it, but I don’t really think they should be, it’s just adding to the stigma around it.”

Ira Losco

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Losco has represented Malta twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, back in 2002 (when she placed second) and in 2016. Her experience on the European stage means she knows what to look out for in a good performance – and she was left impressed after yesterday’s showing.

“Visually, it was an insane production, and very pleasant to watch,” she told Lovin Malta.

“Especially considering the fact that the pandemic reduced the chances to watch live concerts and watch live music in general, the show was spectacular.”

Saying she’s been watching other major song festivals like San Remo, she said last night’s event was “on another level”.

“The quality of songs was very high, there was a lot of different genres as well,” she continued. “Those who said they dislike Eurovision were watching and rooting for the genres and supporting these alternative genres that are strong contenders against the pop and mass genres.”

“When it comes to Italy, the winners, I had been following them in San Remo – I’ve been gagging for some live performances – and I liked the band,” Losco said. “Myself, I don’t only do pop, but I’ve also been in an alternative band so I liked their aesthetic, and I liked the song a lot – though I didn’t think it would win the entire show.”

“I thought that if Malta didn’t win, Switzerland were going to win.”

As for Italy, Losco said she didn’t have the information to comment fairly.

“It’s a very serious allegation against them, and I’m not here to talk about drug taking, I’m here to talk about music as an artist,” she said. “I don’t feel comfortable speaking about it, it’s speculation, it could all be an illusion – one way to silence these rumours would be to get tested.”

And when it came to Destiny’s showing, Losco couldn’t be more proud.

“I thought her performance was extremely good, her jury performance was absolutely flawless on a vocal level, and yesterday she managed both the vocal and visual performance, she worked really well with the cameras and her charisma really shined through.”

If you missed out on Destiny’s performance during the Eurovision finals you can watch it below:

Who do you think deserved to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2021? Let us know in the comments below