It’s the Eurovision down season, and don’t you for a second think we’re going to stop speculating, arguing, and pushing our heated opinions. Our latest series will look at the national finals of Eurovision, and discussing how we would reform the national finals of Eurovision. Today we’re having a look at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest .
In part five of this series Kittens, Angus, and Daniel discuss what changes they’d make to Malta’s National Final.
What is the Malta Eurovision Song Contest?
Whilst they have used selection competitions before, such as Mużika Malta and X Factor Malta, Malta Eurovision Song Contest has been the method to pick Malta’s entry for the contest since 2022, but has consistently made changes to the format in each of the three years it has been held. The 2024 format consisted of four semi-final shows, branded as “XOW” which took place in October and November 2023, months before the Final in February. Those who progressed to the final were announced at the same time, and without a set amount qualifying from each semi, it had a unique distinction of every song from the third show failing to progress. The final is a combination of Jury (7/9 vote share) and Televote (2/9 vote share). As of yet a MESC winner is yet to reach the Eurovision Grand Final.
Do we like what the NF does so far, and do we think there’s a chance of it producing a winner?
Kittens
Look. MESC is a bit of a mess. BUT it is a wildly improving mess. Knowing what they can do, knowing what their limits are have served it well. As it is now, I don’t think they can produce a winner, or at the least it would be an outside chance. However, I see the improvement that Malta is slowly making. So while I don’t think they’re ready for the win specifically, I can definitely see more left side of the board in their future.
Daniel
Cannot believe I volunteered myself for this one. No I don’t. Not in the slightest. This year’s new addition, XOW, was terrible even by Maltese standards and the calibre of the songs have one hell of a way to go before they even reach a final let alone win.
Angus
Perhaps the Maltese musical scene is not my particular cup of tea. Maybe it is just that I don’t vibe with Maltese live tv. Or maybe it is just how nonsensical the overall format tends to be. Any enjoyment I get out of MESC is purely unintentional, which is a shame both for the NF and for me. Do I think it is entirely bad? No. I like that PBS Malta aren’t afraid to experiment. I also appreciate the general flow and production value of the later rounds of MESC. Will it produce a winner? It isn’t likely to, and any potentially winning track is at risk of being replaced by PBS, but never say never.
What changes would we make to the National Final?
Kittens
The structure of the final is way too long. Starting in October, having that big huge gap between that and the final loses any momentum they were gonna have. There’s a great argument for maybe whittling down the acts to the final few in a different way, perhaps just via an online vote. Spending time filming music videos and extra content are nice to have, but the important bit is that singers can perform live (with dancers if applicable) – that’s what they need for Eurovision. I’m not against the live-on-tape performances at all, if that makes things less chaotic on the final night, so I’d be happy for these to stay.
Daniel
Get rid of XOW, maybe even pretend it never happened. I’d happily have it purged from my memory. Secondly, 36 songs is too many for any national selection, never mind for a small country like Malta. As a basic starting point, PBS need to be more ruthless with who they let into the competition in the first place because whilst in most years there have been some songs I have had quite a bit of time for, it’s often gruelling to find the diamond when there is such a huge amount of chaff to dig through. I’d like to see a standalone MESC live show with around 10 songs, whittled down from all the selections by people who actually know the industry.
Angus
Let me begin by echoing things that have been said above. The national final is spread out over too long a period of time, and too many songs participate. I don’t mind a big NF and I think even smaller countries can make it work! But over the last few years MESC hasn’t exactly been a showcase of musical variety, which makes the large line-up feel unnecessary. A smaller line-up would do better justice to the 2 or so songs each year in MESC that do something a bit different, assuming they’d get picked. That is where another issue lies for me. I am not sure if the poor song variety is due to the selection committee or just by virtue of what gets sent in, but it needs work. Malta doesn’t really showcase a variety of music and a lot of songs get picked that just make me wonder what PBS decided to cut. An overhaul of the selection process/committee to pick more varied songs or to get more varied submissions to pick from would do the NF a world of good. Both as a show and as a contest that picks a competitive representative for Eurovision.
Do we think any reforms are likely to happen to this NF?
Kittens
I really hope they do. Just tightening everything up, less focus on filling up the whole TV schedule for months – they had more content than some of the bigger NF’s! I dread to think of the cost of that content! I’d hope that another NQ puts a fire up them to get this right.
Daniel
They definitely should. A second last place, albeit another harsh one, in a row might be sending alarm bells that they need to do something different, but I worry that they will take it in completely the wrong direction.
Angus
MESC has frequently seen changes to the overall format. Even those fundamental changes often feel like they led back to the same end result however. I do think that PBS Malta is trying to make MESC better as both a national final and as its own TV show. But with only history as my guide, I wouldn’t even dare to guess what changes they might come up with next or whether these changes will end up changing anything.
Malta’s Eurovision Journey
Malta made its Eurovision debut in 1971, with Joe Grech performing “Marija I-Maltija” (Maria the Maltese Lass), finishing 18th with 52 points. Malta did not participate in Eurovision from 1975 until 1991, when they returned with the song “Could It Be” by Paul Giordimaina and Georgina, finishing 12th with 32 points. Since then, Malta has been at every Eurovision and finished in the top 10 an impressive 12 times. Their best result is second place, which they’ve achieved twice. The first time was in 2002, when Ira Losco sang “7th Wonder,” and the second time in 2005 with Chiara’s “Angel.”
Sarah Bonnici represented Malta in 2024 with her song “Loop”. When all was said and done, Sarah placed 16th in the second semifinal, garnering 13 points.
What do you think about our reforms? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Chris Sant Fournier
Tim J