We Listened To All 40 Malta Eurovision Song Snippets And These Are The Nine Most Promising
It’s officially time to find out who will representing Malta during the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
Will Aidan’s Spanish lines earn him the Maltese ticket or will the public think it’s not fuego? Or is it finally Brooke’s time to say checkmate?
40 songs will compete across four quarter finals, for 24 semi final spots – and we went through all of them to find the most promising sounds.
So far we only have 30 seconds from the audio cut of each song to judge from, so things could very well change over the coming days. However, from these little snippets we have somehow managed to find the most promising nine songs vying to represent Malta in Liverpool.
9. Nathan ‘Creeping Walls’
18-year-old Nathan is one of the most likeable and talented of this lot – but this song choice is not it. He could benefit from an age-appropriate and unpretentious performance to stand out, because the song is not doing much for him, which is a shame.
8. Eliana Gomez Blanco ‘Guess What’
Usually this playful genre in the vein of musical theatre is not well received at Eurovision. But Eliana Gomez Blanco has the personality to carry it through. I’m not a huge fan of this, but I respect the risk taken.
7. Jessika ‘Unapologetic’
This seems like an appropriate title for a mediocre song. It’s unapologetic! Yes, the track seems uninspiring, but Jessika’s charisma and likeable ways can elevate any song. And when the bunch is dire, charisma and likeable ways are all that’s left to draw anything from.
6. Cheryl Balzan ‘La La Land’
Some have already likened this song to Anime intro music. I guess that’s not a bad thing, right? This sounds like a decent debut from Cheryl Balzan. However, I think the X Factor finalist can do much more with a voice like that.
5. Maria Debono ‘X’allegrija’
This one is definitely vivacious with bonus points for Maltese lyrics. However, there is a missed opportunity for an ethnic bop that would have gone down so well. I’m looking forward to hear the vocals live. They must also be vivacious, right?
4. Maxine Pace ‘Alone’
It is almost unfair to have to judge this on 30 seconds from perhaps the least significant part of the song. And we know Maxine can deliver a strong vocal performance. There is potential here, let’s see.
3. The Busker
Saxophones have a good track record at Eurovision. This unexpected number from The Busker raises eyebrows, but in a good way. I would not mind this winning. Let’s not forget that there is no juries in the semi-finals of Eurovision anymore. If Malta has to qualify for the final, a song that gets public votes must represent.
2. BROOKE ‘Checkmate’
Could this be the year that Brooke finally says checkmate? Maybe. It’s hard to judge a ballad from 30 seconds but there is promise. This does not seem to be Brooke’s best ever song, but she’s taking a risk with a ballad. I think this product can lend itself to being potentially the best vocal performance of the selection.
1. AIDAN ‘Reġina’
Maltese, English and Spanish. And all three tongues have made it to the snippet! Aidan representing Malta in this era of Eurovision is natural and logical. But this snippet left me wanting more. Regardless, if it’s a bop with enough Maltese in it and an instrumental dance break, this needs to go to Eurovision.
Are you pleased with the level of songs of this year’s Malta Eurovision Song Contest?