The Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (MESC 2026) is starting to take shape, and there’s already plenty for fans to get excited about. From the first batch of competing songs coming out before the festive break to the announcement of some big-name guest performers, PBS is clearly pulling out all the stops as Malta begins its journey to Eurovision 2026 in Vienna.
First songs and hosts revealed
As we’ve already reported, we know who the hosts will be for this year’s MESC contest. The trio set to guide viewers this time round will be Keane Cutajar, who’ll be joined by veterans – and winners – of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Destiny Chukunyere and Gaia Cauchi bringing their musical pedigree to the stage.
Keane, who himself is a local TV presenter, will be in good company, as Destiny took home the JESC trophy back in 2015 with the song ‘Not My Soul’, before representing Malta at the ESC in both 2020 and 2021. Gaia, who also won the JESC in 2013 with her song ‘The Start’, went on to compete in the Maltese version of ‘The X Factor’ before receiving three nominations in 2019 at the Malta Music Awards for her track, ‘Why Should I?’.
Alongside the host announcement, PBS also dropped the first sixteen songs competing in MESC 2026. Here are the first songs revealed:
- Adria Twins – “Nerġà nqum”
- Denise – “Trophy”
- Ema – “Achikuku (Don’t Think About It)”
- Franklin Calleja – “Guide You Home”
- Chess Galea – “Shout It Out”
- Kurt Anthony – “On the Borderline”
- Stefan Galea – “Pose”
- Kelsey Attard – “Perfectly Broken”
- Kelsie Borg – “Let a Girl Breathe”
- Liston Bongailas – “Mela”
- Matthew Cilia – “Brutality Mentality”
- Matt Blxck – “Ejja lejja ħdejja ’l hawn (The Flute)”
- Mychael Bartolo Chircop – “My Sweet Angel”
- Rhiannon Micallef – “Hold Myself Up”
- Nathan Psaila – “Ganador”
- Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Mumenti sbieħ”
This year’s theme is ‘L-ewwel lejla li ħabbejt’, which means ‘You never forget your first’. PBS call it ‘evocative’, saying on their official announcement: “It celebrates the deep-rooted nostalgia and the instant spark of falling in love with music, the stage, and the magic of the Eurovision Song Contest itself.”
Interval acts for Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026 unveiled
Things are getting even more exciting, with the announcement of a major guest act set to take to the stage for the Final. Fans won’t have to wait long either, as Baby Lasagna has been confirmed to perform live on the final, being held on January 17th.
A fan favourite from 2024’s Eurovision season, the musician known who goes by the name of Marko Purišić captured the continent’s attention at with Rim Tim Tagi Dim. It went on to give Croatia its best ever Eurovision result, finishing in an impressive 2nd place cementing him as one of the most talked-about artists of the year.
Tommy Cash has also been confirmed as a special guest: this time for the MESC Semi Final, taking place on January 15th. His track “Espresso Macchiatto” represented Estonia at ESC 2025, and went on to finish an impressive third place with 356 points.
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.”
Miriana Conte represented Malta in 2025 with her song “Serving”, previously known as “Kant”. Competing in the second semi-final, Malta qualified – ending their three-year long non-qualification streak. Miriana would eventually finish in 17th place, earning a total of 91 points. Of these, 83 came from the juries, while just 8 came from televoters.
Are you excited for this year’s show? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: PBS
Photo Credit: PBS
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Giwrgos Oiko