Previewing the Entrants of Eurovision 2019 – Part Twenty-Five: Malta

Hello everyone and welcome to another post on The Blogging DJ. Today we will be continuing to look in-depth at each of the forty-one entrants competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. In this post, we are off to Valletta, to talk about the Maltese act for this year, Michela Pace and her song “Chameleon”. Will the song fade into the background or stand out in Tel Aviv?

Selection Process

In a change to their usual selection process, the Maltese broadcaster TVM used the first season of The X Factor Malta to choose their act, with the song being released at a later date. Michela Pace survived the four weeks of the contest without ending up in the sing-off once, and was announced as the winner on the 26th of January, with “Chameleon” released on the 10th of March. It has also been announced that Malta will perform in the eleventh slot in semi-final two.

Music Video

The Blogging DJ’s Review

I had very extremely high hopes for this song, judging from the hype on social media, and didn’t actually hear the song until this review. I can say that it is very modern and could be played in Top 40 shows all over the Globe, such is the quality of the production. The bridge is almost note perfect, as is the last twenty seconds, where the power comes out. Unfortunately, before that, the song would build and build and pop-drop into a chorus which doesn’t inspire me or give me life in the slightest. I admit that I am not the biggest fan of modern club music yet, to my ears, it is just an assortment of soft EDM beats that doesn’t have the fire of a song like “Fuego” (Cyprus 2018). I really worry that, whilst it sounds fresh in the studio, it will feel really empty and soulless live.  6.5

Live Performance Video

This song has not yet been performed live before the contest. If it is, a video of that performance will be placed here.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, you can currently get odds ranging from 18/1 to 25/1 on Malta winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. This suggests that bookmakers and betters see this song as definitely qualifying and finishing in a very good position in the Grand Final. It may be worth a punt if you believe in the live performance potential of the song.

Record at Eurovision

Malta have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest on thirty-one occasions since making their debut in 1971, performing in the Grand Final in all but seven of those years. They have yet to win the contest; their best placings have been a couple of runner-up spots, courtesy of Ira Losco (2002) and Chiara (2005), the latter also finishing third in 1998. Last year, some neat staging wasn’t enough to push Christabelle into the Grand Final, with “Taboo” finishing thirteenth in it’s semi-final.

So what do you make of the Maltese entry? Do the bookmakers have it right that this song can challenge for victory? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more Eurovision posts in the coming weeks!