Sixteen acts have been named finalists for this year’s Malta Eurovision Song Contest taking place this Saturday.
The next phase of the competition is to compete at the MESC 2017 grand final on the 18th of February 2017, which, for the first time, will be held in one session. The general public will be able to vote for their favourite song through tele voting. The winner will subsequently represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine in May.
In this year’s contest one can find a mixture of all ages, both young and those with more experience. Among these contestants, there are some who are still studying. Three of these contestants spoke to us about how they manage their time between their studies and rehearsing for the big night.
Rhiannon, who is currently at University studying European Studies told us that “It’s not easy to balance everything, particularly because I’m writing my thesis at the moment and the majority of my team is Gozitan, requiring me to visit Gozo quite a lot”. Rhiannon’s song, Fearless, is a personal expression of who she is and an investigation of empowerment. She wrote the lyrics herself and they shed light on the experiences that have made her who she is today. Rhiannon tries to keep calm and take each day one at a time.
You can listen to Rhiannon’s song, "Fearless’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9SxXcIJtEw
Maxine is currently attending St. Martin’s Sixth Form and is in her second year. Maxine told us that these last three weeks were quite hectic as she had to cope with lessons, studying for her mock exams, interviews and rehearsals, but she managed to find time for everything by preparing a timetable at the beginning of the week. Maxine added that “Bombshell is an uplifting song which says that even though there may be instances when people try to bring you down and make you think that you aren’t able to do what you want to, you have to act and feel as if you’re a bombshell and just show everyone what you’re capable of.”
Maxine’s song, "Bombshell’ can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL3HiNAqrVw
Jade is currently studying theatre and performance at Higher Secondary. When speaking to The Third Eye she said that, “in the morning I go to school and straight after I prepare for an interview or programme that I would have scheduled before my rehearsals.” Her song "Seconds Away’ is a song about a couple that is about to break up, but the girl isn’t ready to let go of her lover.
Tune in to Jade’s song, "Seconds Away’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjpw2T5Abdo
