We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is the MESC semi final, which will take place on the 15th of January. MESC will select the Eurovision representative for Malta in Vienna.
Who is taking part in the MESC 2026 Semi Final?
There are 18 artists taking part in the semi final of MESC. The 18 artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| Adria Twins | “Nerġa’ nqum” |
| Aidan | “Bella” |
| Chess Galea | “Shout It Out” |
| Denise | “Trophy” |
| Ema | “Achikuku (Don’t Think About It)” |
| Franklin Calleja | “Guide You Home” |
| Janice Mangion | “Univers” |
| Kelsie Borg | “Let a Girl Breathe” |
| Kelsy Attard | “Perfectly Broken” |
| Kurt Anthony | “On the Borderline” |
| Liston | “Mela” |
| Mark Anthony Bartolo | “Mumenti sbieħ” |
| Matt Blxck | “Ejja lejja ħdejja ‘l hawn (The Flute)” |
| Matthew Cilia and the AfterParty | “Brutality Mentality” |
| Mychael Bartolo Chircop | “My Sweet Angel” |
| Nathan Psaila | “Ganador” |
| Rhiannon Micallef | “Hold Myself Up” |
| Stefan Galea | “Pose” |
Who is our winner from the MESC semi final?
We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-18 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 18 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.
3rd. Ema – “Achikuku (Don’t Think About It)” (5.00):
2nd. Liston – “”Mela” (3.67):
1st. Kelsie Borg – “Let a Girl Breathe” (2.00):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from MESC?
Samantha (Mela): “Mela” is such a refreshing song for Malta. It really stands out in the selection and could do the same on the Eurovision stage. Sometimes songs like this can be over the top but this isn’t the case here. I think this could do well if staged properly as it’s sure to be stuck in your head.
Rory (Achikuku): Malta’s offerings this year haven’t given me much to really get stuck into, but Ema’s track is one of the few that I do really love. The little touches of Afropop being brought into such a stellar production really do make it a pleasure to listen to. Couple this with Ema’s extraordinary voice, it would be amazing to see such a bright and colourful and positive track make it to the Eurovision stage
Kittens (Let a Girl Breathe): I was ready to give up on this song a bit at the start but if you’ve seen my comments before you’ll know I do LOVE a bit of progression. What seems like a fairly innocuous pop song to start with has a kick hidden in it with that driving bassline. While it may not be revolutionary, there’s something very slickly produced about all of this that gives it that bit of elevation higher than the others. This song needs a very tightly structured presentation, big attitude, with on target vocals, so the risk is high – but it could really pay off and pull that attention and grab the win!
What is MESC?
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.
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.
Who would you like to see represent Malta in Vienna? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2026!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit:
Tim J 
Loïc Nonnotte