Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
| Eurovision Song Contest 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Malta | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Malta Song for Europe 2006 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 4 February 2006 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Fabrizio Faniello | |||
| Selected song | "I Do" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 24th, 1 point | |||
| Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Malta’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was "I Do" by Fabrizio Faniello. "I Do" has been described as a very up-tempo pop song that contains Swedish sounds. The song is written and composed by Aldo Spiteri and Fabrizio Faniello.
Fabrizio Faniello is a popular Maltese pop singer, who was born on 27 April 1981 and showed an interest in music at a young age by performing at festivals. His incredible talent and determination brought him to the Malta Song For Europe Festival in 1998 where he placed 2nd with the song “More Than Just A Game.” One of his biggest career highlights was when he reached 9th place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with his hit “Another Summer Night.” Since then Fabrizio has had many successful albums and singles in Malta and internationally. Fabrizio’s current release is entitled “Believe” which contains the successful single, “Love On The Radio.”
Before Eurovision
The selection of the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 took place over two stages. The first stage was the talent show Opportunity 2 where two entries qualified to compete in the second stage, Malta Song for Europe 2006.[1]
Opportunity 2
Opportunity 2 was a song competition developed by PBS for artists that have never competed in Malta Song for Europe. The competition consisted of thirty-six songs competing over nine semi-finals between 8 October and 9 December 2005 where the top ten entries qualified to compete in the final on 7 January 2006 for two spots in Malta Song for Europe 2006.[2] All shows were hosted by Manuel Xuereb and Moira Delia and broadcast on Television Malta (TVM) during the programme Showtime.[3]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vittorio Gauci | "Is It Destiny" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Alexia Schembri | "Another Day of Hope" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Jessica Muscat | "Let Me Dream" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Joanna Attard | "Is It Too Late" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Pauline Briffa | "Is It Love" | Eliminated |
| 6 | Dario Bezzina | "I Walk the Streets Alone" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Ann Marie Ellul | "A Bit of Magic" | Eliminated |
| 8 | Josef Tabone & Amanda Farrugia | "It Just Comes Natural" | Selected |
| 9 | Lara Azzopardi | "Stay With Me" | Selected |
| 10 | Jan Pace | "Forever Young' | Eliminated |
Malta Song for Europe 2006
Malta Song for Europe 2006 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The competition took place on 4 February 2006 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in the nation's capital city of Valletta, hosted by Eileen Montesin, Josef Bonello and Lou Bondi and broadcast on TVM.
Format
The competition consisted of eighteen songs competing in the final on 4 February 2006. The winner was determined solely by a public televote. In the event of technical difficulties in the televoting system, the votes of a backup jury panel determined the winner.
Competing entries
Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 30 October and 5 December 2005.[4] Songwriters from any nationality were able to submit songs as long as the artist were Maltese or possessed Maltese citizenship. Artists were able to submit as many songs as they wished, however, they could only compete with a maximum of one in the final.[5] 213 entries were received by the broadcaster. On 9 December 2005, PBS announced a shortlist of 50 entries that had progressed through the selection process.[6] The sixteen songs selected to compete in the semi-final were announced on 17 December 2005.[7]
Among the selected competing artists was former Maltese Eurovision entrants Paul Giordimaina who represented Malta in 1991 and Fabrizio Faniello who represented Malta in 2001. On 22 December 2005, "Turn Another Page" performed by Pamela was withdrawn and replaced by "Stronger" performed by Christian Arding.[8]
Final
The final took place on 4 February 2006. Eighteen songs competed and the winner was determined solely by a public televote.[9] Due to technical difficulties in the performance, Ali & Lis and Fabrizio Faniello were allowed to perform again following Olivia Lewis performing "Spare a Moment". In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the show also featured guest performances by former Maltese Eurovision entrants Claudette Pace, William Mangion, Georgina Abela and Mike Spiteri.[1] After the results of the public televote were announced, "I Do" performed by Fabrizio Faniello was the winner with 7,729 votes. "Echoes of Gaia" performed by Charlene & Natasha were the winners of the backup jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J. Anvil | "You Too" | Augusto Cardinali, Giovanni Attard | 4,933 | 4 |
| 2 | Anabelle Debono | "Amazing" | Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg | 2,107 | 14 |
| 3 | Ali & Lis | "Only Till the Morning" | John David Zammit, Paul Callus | 3,907 | 6 |
| 4 | Lara Azzopardi | "Stay With Me" | Chan Vella, Paul Callus | 1,637 | 17 |
| 5 | Charlene & Natasha | "Echoes of Gaia" | Charlene Grima, Natasha Grima, Deo Grech | 2,836 | 10 |
| 6 | Manuel Xuereb | "I Promise You" | Miriam Christine Warner | 3,782 | 7 |
| 7 | Fabrizio Faniello | "I Do" | Aldo Spiteri, Fabrizio Faniello | 7,729 | 1 |
| 8 | Eleanor Cassar | "Tell Me" | Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan | 2,646 | 11 |
| 9 | Trilogy | "This Heart of Mine" | Paul Abela, Joe Julian Farrugia | 4,954 | 3 |
| 10 | Andreana | "So Good" | Alfred Zammit | 635 | 18 |
| 11 | Paul Giordimaina & Morena | "Time" | Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan | 3,046 | 9 |
| 12 | Pamela | "Reachin' Out" | Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan | 2,371 | 13 |
| 13 | Christian Arding | "Stronger" | Charlene Grima, Deo Grech | 4,075 | 5 |
| 14 | Nadine Axisa | "Waves" | Vinny Vella, Ray Tabone | 1,680 | 16 |
| 15 | Josef Tabone & Amanda Farrugia | "It Just Comes Natural" | Clinton Paul | 1,980 | 15 |
| 16 | Kevin Borg | "You're My Dream" | Jason Cassar, Sunny Aquilina | 3,590 | 8 |
| 17 | Claudia Faniello | "High Alert" | Ray Agius, Godwin Sant | 2,416 | 12 |
| 18 | Olivia Lewis | "Spare a Moment" | Ray Agius, Godwin Sant | 7,623 | 2 |
At Eurovision
Malta automatically qualified to the grand final, because it was on the top 11 last year. Faniello scored only one point (which he received from Albania), ending in last place. As Malta failed to reach the top 10 in the final, the country was forced to compete in the semi-final of the 2007 Contest.
Points awarded by Malta
Semifinal
|
Final
|
Points awarded to Malta
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Malta 2006".
- ^ Bakker, Sietse (9 October 2005). "Malta started search for Athens 2006". Esctoday.
- ^ Grech, Deo (1 January 2006). "Malta: 10 finalists for Opportunity 2 Challenge". Esctoday.
- ^ Bakker, Sietse (30 October 2005). "Malta: deadline to submit songs 5th December". Esctoday.
- ^ "Maltasong".
- ^ "Maltasong 2006".
- ^ Bakker, Sietse (17 December 2005). "Participants Maltese selection announced". Esctoday.
- ^ Bakker, Sietse (22 December 2005). "Christian Arding replaces Pamela in Malta". Esctoday.
- ^ "MALTESE NATIONAL FINAL 2006".