Malta: X-Factor Malta to run for a third consecutive season

Malta: X-Factor Malta to run for a third consecutive season
Friday, 18 June 2021

  • X-Factor Malta will be coming back for a third successive season after two successful seasons of the show in 2019 and 2020. 

    The Maltese national broadcaster has announced that the X-Factor show will be returning for a third consecutive year since following the first two successful seasons of the show. X-factors has been used as the country's national selection format for Eurovision 2019 and Eurovision 2020. 

    Before X-factor Malta chose its Eurovision hopefuls via the Malta Eurovision Song Contest (MESC) which in the past was called Malta Song Festival. The specific show was Malta's national selection formula since it's debut back in 1971. The format saw several amendements among which the introduction of televoting and the cut of the semi final rounds. Malta did not participate in the contest between 1977 and 1990.

    Since its return in 1991, national finals under various names were held to select the entry, including Malta Song for Europe (Maltese: il-Festival Kanzunetta għall-Ewropa), Malta Eurovision Song Contest, and Malta Eurosong. During this time period, the organization of the event was taken over by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS Malta).The last edition  of that format in 2018, saw Christabelle and her entry Taboo, selected as the Maltese Eurovision entry which ended up 13th in the 2nd semi final with 101 points.

    However, the Maltese broadcaster has not yet confirmed if the X-factor show will be used as the national selection process to determine the country's Eurovision 2022 hopeful. 

     

    Malta in Eurovision 

    Malta participated in Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1971 and has participated 33 times until now. Since 1991 it hasn't missed out any edtion of the competition. The mediterranean country has not been victorious until now but holds two second places in its record (2002 Ira Losco, Seventh Wonder) and (2005 Chiara Angel). Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, it has failed to qualify six times.

    In 2019 the X-factor winner Michela Pace won the right to represent the country in Tel Aviv with her entry “Chameleon” which eventually came 14th in the grand final. In 2020 Destiny Chunkunyere won the second season of X-factor and was set to fly the flag in Rotterdam with her song 'All My Love' but unfortunately the contest was cancelled due to the cornavirus pandemic and she never performed in The Netherlands.

    However, this year Destiny was invited back for Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam where she delivered on Rotterdam Ahoy's stage her entry "Je me casse"  which finished 7th in the Grand final with a total of 255 points, which is Malta's best results since 2005 when Chiara finished 2nd. 

     

    News Source: PBS/ Eurovoix

    Image: TVM