News - Live: Malta decides for Eurovision | Eurovision Song Contest News - Azerbaijan 2012 

The show

The show starts at 20:45 CET. It will be hosted by Keith Demicoli, Pauline Agius and Owen Bonnici at the Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta' Qali. Twenty acts will perform and the winner will be chosen by a mixture of jury voting and televoting at a 50/50 split. Mary Spiteri, who flew the Maltese flag in 1992, Chiara, the 1998, 2005 and 2009 representative as well as the 2008 Armenian representative, Sirusho will all perform as special guests.

How to watch?

A webcast will be provided by eurovision.tv here.

Participants

1. Dorothy Bezzina - Moments
     
   2. Foxy Federation - Fired up
    
   3. Lawrence Gray - Stories
     
   4. Eleanor Spiteri - Velvet ocean
   
   5. Claudia Faniello - Samsara
   
   6. Thea Garrett - My dream
     
   7. Priscilla & Kurt - Waterfall
    
   8. Nadine Axisa & Clifford Galea - Once in a lifetime
  
   9. Glen Vella - Just a little more love
    
  10. Audrey Marie Bartolo - Good intentions
     
  11. Klinsmann - Her name was Anne
     
  12. Claire Galea - Ole Satchmo blues
  
  13. Wayne Micallef - Save a life
 
  14. Petra Zammit - All I need
   
  15. Ryan Dale & Duminika - One for you
 
  16. Eleanor Cassar - Choices
  
  17. Silver Clash - Broken
    
  18. Tiziana Calleja - Words are not enough
     
  19. Ruth Portelli - Three little words
  
  20. Pamela Bezzina - Hold on

Your opinion

* You can vote for your favourite song in our poll here.

Interviews

* You can find interviews with all 20 finalists here.

Gallery

* You can see photos from the dress rehearsals here

LIVE

And we are live! Chiara opens the show performing an uptempo version of What if we, the song which brought her to the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest final.

The Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta' Qali is full and the crowd is really enthusiastic, the show this year is quite impressive with a green room and post cards before each song.

1. Dorothy Bezzina - Moments

Dorothy returns for the second time to the Maltese Eurovision race after finishing 16th last year with promises. Perfect vocals from Dorothy again and a much more moving performance than in the semi. She is all alone on stage, performing her soulful ballad (which kind of remotely reminds us of Ne partez pas sans moi). Dorothy takes advantage of the entire stage and the catwalk which looks very good on camera. Although it is not very original or memorable this song could do better if drawn later.

2. Foxy Federation - Fired up

Four very sexy ladies take the stage next. Dressed in tiny red dresses, Foxy Federation remind us of Sugababes as they perform their uptempo, dance song far from flawlessly, though. They too take advantage of the stage far and wide as well as the catwalk. You can remember the tune but would rather forget the vocals.

3. Lawrence Gray - Stories

Change of pace and style now as Lawrence takes the stage to perform his operatic ballad. He is an experienced Eurosong participant, having done this six times so far, last one in 2004. Accompanied by a single female ballet dancer, he delivers his song to perfection. Not sure this could do well in Eurovision though.

4. Eleanor Spiteri - Velvet ocean
Eleanor Spiteri has previously participated as part of the group Trilogy in 2006, 2007 and 2009 achieving their best result in 2007, when they finished second behind Olivia Lewis with Starlight. Her song was composed by Paul Abela, who composed the Maltese entries in 1991, 1996 and 2001 and also served as a conductor in 1991, 1992 and 1996.

The song starts off quite impressively but doesn't really go anywhere or rather it goes everywhere. Eleanor is often out of tune which doesn't really help at this stage. She also goes down the runway, seems they will all do tonight but her interaction with the audience is not as effective as the ones by previous acts.

5. Claudia Faniello - Samsara

Claudia returns for the fifth time to the Eurovision race with a song by the most productive song creating team in Malta. Two semi naked male dancers accompany Claudia on stage for Samsara which starts off mystically to develop into a dance song which doesn't really fit its exotic theme. Claudia is confident and the dancing quite impressive but her vocal performance leaves a lot to be desired but this could be tonight's winner anyway.

6. Thea Garrett - My dream

Thea's vocals on the contrary are excellent tonight as she delivers her powerful, dreamy ballad. Dressed in elegant silver she stands centre stage. something that looks like a trail of her evening gown transforms into a dancer a gimmick which adds a nice touch to the act.

7. Priscilla & Kurt - Waterfall

THe first duet of the night takes the stage now. Another passionate love song only there is no chemistry whatsoever between the two singers. Priscilla overperforms and Kurt is extremely out of tune.

8. Nadine Axisa & Clifford Galea - Once in a lifetime

And another duet follows with another love song. Nadine is sweet and elegant and the chemistry really works this time although Clifford's vocals are the weak link. They are accompanied by four elegant lady string instrumentalists. This song reminds us of years past and could do well with the older audiences. Warm applause by the audience.

9. Glen Vella - Just a little more love

Glen returns for the third time. An R n' B song, pretty Michael Jackson in parts. The performance is fun and the vocals strong, some backing dancers would be a good idea though. Glen is enthusiastic and can carry the Maltese audience away but generally this type of song hardly does well in Eurovision.

10. Audrey Marie Bartolo - Good intentions

A show tune now from audrey who is accompanied by one male dancer and four . The song is rather old fashioned and the same can be said for the singer. The performance is not bad but Audrey who is a good vocalist could do much better with a diferent type of song.

11. Klinsmann - Her name was Anne

A flashback now to previous Malta Eurosong editions with Klinsmann dressed in his favourite red coat a song pretty much like those of his past participations. He is quite out of tune today but he is a charismatic performer and delivers a fun performance. The song is indie pop, McFly style

12. Claire Galea - Ole Satchmo blues

And the lady sings the blues now. A classy, jazzy tune very well performed but of a kind which rarely does well in Eurovision. Claire's dress is highly old fashioned to suit the atmosphere of the song and she is accompanied by a single, black saxophone player who takes us straight to New Orleans. It's lively and atmospheric but will not be voted by younger audiences.

13. Wayne Micallef - Save a life

Here we have a case of a very nice song, which could do very well on the radio, but very badly performed. Wayne's vocals are shaky, same as in the semi final, but he looks good on camera and the song is catchy and memorable.

14. Petra Zammit - All I need

Wayne gives his place to Petra's excellent vocals in this american, R n' B ballad. A refreshing performance overall with Petra being all alone on stage dressed in an animal print, skimpy dress and tights. This does not go very well with the audience present, though.

15. Ryan Dale & Duminika - One for you

Back to shaky vocals now. Ryan, dressed in a gold jacket, is accompanied by three ladies and a puppet. It is a fun act, would not actually call it a joke entry, and although Ryan is lively and energetic, his vocals are really bad tonight which takes away some of the the fun.

16. Eleanor Cassar - Choices

It wouldn't really be a Maltese eurosong without Eleanor since she has taken part six times so far. A rock tune now and one of the best performances of the night. Really strong vocals as Eleanor fills the stage with her powerful voice and performance, even though she is all alone up there. The only problem might be that the styling does not suit the song at all.

17. Silver Clash - Broken

Girlie pop for next by Silver Clash. Not much to tell here, sadly. The song is pleasant enough but the extremely weak vocals don't give it a single chance. The two ladies are accompanied by two energetic dancers who are a nice distraction from the messy, amateurish performance.

18. Tiziana Calleja - Words are not enough

Words are not enough.... indeed. Tiziana does her best but her vocals are shaky and the fact that she holds an active part in the choreography does not really help. A powerful dance song which somehow brings Angelica Agurbash to mind, could be the golden evening gown.

19. Ruth Portelli - Three little words

Ruth has gained confidence since the semi and her vocals have improved. she looks sweet and innocent as she delivers her sentimental love song. Although the song was composed and penned by the men behind many Maltese eurovision entries it is neither strong nor memorable.

20. Pamela Bezzina - Hold on

The second operatic song of the night for last and it is very well received by the audience present. Low key verses and high notes in the chorus, performed quite well although not flawlessly by Pamela who is a frequent Eurosong contender having taken part every year since 2005. Dressed in an elegant, silk gown and maybe a bit too much makeup, Pamela performs alone.

And the winner is Thea Garret with My dream.