Sarah Bonnici has released her debut visual album. “something i had to lose” is the first full length album from the 2024 Maltese Eurovision contestant, and is a very new side of Sarah. The project comes after Sarah found success as a songwriter on AIDAN’s Eurovision 2026 entry “Bella”.
About “something i had to lose”
The project, written by Bonnici and with producers Matthew James Borg, who worked on her Eurovision entry “Loop”, and Edward Abela, explores the experiences and emotions that have shaped the last few years of her life. Each song on the album forms part of the wider visual experience, and takes Bonnici back to the soul and jazz sound that first made her fall in love with music while growing up.
Most of the instruments on the album were recorded live, and the vocals have been left largely unedited to deliver the raw character of the original performance of the songs. The project features 6 new songs, with instrumental musical interludes and spoken word passages completing the wider visual album.
The album is very different from Bonnici’s previous work, and fans of “Loop” will see the singer in a completely new light. The jazz influence on the tracks is immediate and obvious, and many of the songs are comparable to the music of Raye or Amy Winehouse. Tracks like “Barry” and “What I Left Behind” are raw and personal, and Sarah’s vocals shine in this jazz and soul genre of songs.
Sarah Bonnici says:
something i had to lose is the most honest version of myself I’ve ever shared. For years, I found myself creating music that I believed would resonate with the widest audience. This album helped me reconnect with the music that feels most natural to me. My debut visual album exploring what we loose in the process of becoming.
Listen to “something i had to lose” on streaming:
Spotify:
Apple Music:
Sarah Bonnici’s Eurovision History
Sarah Bonnici is a 25 year old singer from Gozo in Malta. Since 2009, from a young age Sarah has been involved in the music industry. Sarah has been trying to get to Eurovision since 2009, when she entered the “Malta Junior Eurovision Song Contest” with “The Mambo Song”. In the competition, Sarah finished fourth. Later in 2010, Sarah tried to represent her nation in Junior Eurovision again, and while again she did not win the national final, she did win a chance to become a backing dancer for the eventual entry.
As Sarah entered her teenage years, she participated in singing competitions all over Europe in countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Sarah was also successful in a lot of these competitions. In 2018 Sarah also participated in the Maltese version of The X Factor. A few years later in 2022, Sarah competed in the adult version of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, with her song “Heaven”. “Heaven” finished twelfth in the national final.
Her Eurovision entry for 2024, “Loop”, was written by John Emil Johansson, Kevin Lee, Sebastian Pritchard-James, Leire Gotxi Angel, Matthew James Borg, Michael Joe Cini, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Ale Zabala, as well as input from Sarah herself. It placed last in the second semi-final, scoring 13 points.
In 2026, Bonnici was one of the songwriter’s for Malta’s Eurovision entry “Bella”, performed by AIDAN. The song placed 18th in the Grand Final in Vienna, receiving 89 points, 81 from the national juries and 8 from the televote.
Are you excited for the new chapter of Sarah Bonnici’s music? Have you listened to “something i had to lose” yet? Let us know your thoughts on social media and follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and ZOOP for more information on Eurovision 2027!
News Source : Sarah Bonnici
Photo Credit: Lorella Castillo