Maltese national broadcaster returns to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest after a break of 2 years.
In a surprise announcement, the Public Broadcasting Services will be returning to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest set to take place in Kiev, Ukraine on the 30th November. Gaia Cauci, a student of La Voix Academy under the tutelage of Gillian Attard was chosen internally by the broadcasting house after being on the receiving end of the International Achievement Award at this years’ edition of the Malta Music Awards. (escflashmalta.com)
Malta has entered the Junior Eurovision Song Contest eight times since debuting at the first contest in 2003. Entrants are selected in the Junior Song For Europe contest, organised by the Maltese broadcaster PBS.
History
Malta’s best placing in the contest was in 2008, when Daniel Testa came 4th with “Junior Swing”. The country’s worst placing was in 2005, when Thea & Friends came 16th and last in the contest with “Make It Right”.
On July 16 2011, Malta decided to withdraw from the ninth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, being the first withdraw for Malta. Even though Maltese is one of the national languages spoken by some of the people of the island, the young artists representing Malta have always chosen to sing in English hoping that this would grant them a better placing. They still have interest in the contest, but also decided to take a break from 2012 as well as 2011.
Editor’s view
We all know why the southern countries stopped participating in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest: broadcasters had enough with the catfights of the parents after the national selections. It is a big step for a country like Malta to return in JESC and I hope other countries to take a lesson from PBS!
WELCOME BACK MALTA
