On the 3rd October, Xarabank will kick-off for another season, and it will do so with a bang, as the revelation of the acts through to the semi-final of the 2015 edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest will be made public. Following the initial submission process, where the Public Broadcasting Services received 134 entries, a shortlist of 48 entries has now been published through the official website.

A quick glance at the list of shortlisted entries, one would realise that the list features a relative amount of established artists including; Glen Vella (ESC 11), Miriam Christine (ESC 96), Olivia Lewis (ESC 07), Lawrence Gray (MESC 98-99, 01-04, 09, 11), Gianluca (ESC 13), Trilogy (MESC 05-07, 09), Daniel Testa (JESC 08), Chris Grech (MESC 13-14), Jessika (MESC 08, 11-14), Amber (MESC 11-14), Domenique (MESC 11, 13), Danica Muscat (MESC 12-13), Marilena Gauci (MESC 11, 13), Andreana (MESC 98, 02-06, 09-10, 14), Fiona Cauchi (MESC 98, 01, 02, 05, 09) & Franklin Calleja (MESC 13, 14).
12, Baker Street – Karen DeBattista
Beautiful to Me – “L-Aħwa”
Break All Borders – Jacqueline Richard
Breakaway – Glen Vella
Call It Love – Kurt Cassar
Chasing a Dream – Trilogy
Close Your Eyes – Danica Muscat
Closed Doors – Chris Grech
Could Have Been Me – Iona Dalli
Dark Dark Waters – Domenique
Dream of Love – Rebecca Mifsud
Eclipse – Ana-Maria Grima
Empty Hearted – Domenique
Fandango – Jessika
Flame – Monroe
For All Those Times – Gloriana Arpa Belli
Freedom – Simaria Galea
Hey Yo – Domenique
Hold My Hand – Estelle Imbroll
Hold On To Love – Olivia & Miriam
Home – Lyndsay Pace
Hurricane – Marilena Gauci
Indestructible – Annabelle Vella
It’s OK – Deborah C
Look – Neville Refalo
Love & Let Go – Sr Michaela, Sr Monica, Sr Rita, Sr Claudia, Sr Denise & Sr Magdalong
Love Call – Danica Muscat
My Next Tattoo – Domenique
Never Ask Why – Andreana & Fiona
Once in a While – Minik
Ringside – Gabriella Azzopardi
Rush – Christabelle
Secretly – Corazon
See Through Lover – Larissa Borg
Shine a Light – Malcolm
Something in the Way – Daniel Testa
Still Here – Franklin
Stop Haunting Me – Raquel Galdes
Stuck Without Me – Kylie Coleiro
Take Me as I Am – Domenique
The One That You Love – Lawrence Gray
The Thief – Dario Mifsud Bonnici
Warrior – Amber
What You Wanna Hear – Stefan Galea
What? When? Where? – Joseph Refalo
Where Do We Go? – Kurt Cassar
Who Needs a Heart – Soraya Cardona
Your Phone – Fiona Cauchi
Apart from the established names, it seems that the line-ups of established groups such as Trilogy and Monroe have both been altered for the upcoming edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with Ludwig Galea replacing Daniel Debono in the former, and Nadia Vella becoming a new member of the latter, joining former Malta Eurovision Song Contest finalist; Kelly Schembri.
Other names which have caught our eye in the list are surely those of; Karen DeBattista, winner of this year’s edition of L-Għanja tal-Poplu; Kurt Cassar, winner of the Best New Talent at this year’s edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza; Annabelle Vella, backing vocalist to Malta’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2008 and a group of nuns, who have most likely been inspired by the recent phenomenon on The Voice of Italy.
Everyone is somewhat gasping about the non-inclusion of Ira Losco in the first shortlist with the general feeling around the industry being that the Public Broadcasting Services may go ahead and offer a wildcard as is stated in the rules and regulations. This will be made public in a week’s time as Peppi Azzopardi and his dedicated team at WE Media reveal the chosen acts. We urge you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com even through Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news about the 2015 edition of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest.
Source: PBS / TVM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laWHKSmEfPA