Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Malta originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) will use the talent show X Factor Malta's second season to decide their representative, who will perform a song selected internally by the broadcaster.[1] However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Artist: X Factor Malta Song: Internal selection | |||
| Selection date(s) | 8 February 2020 | |||
| Selected entrant | Destiny Chukunyere | |||
| Selected song | "All of My Love" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Bernarda Brunovic Borislav Milanov Sebastian Arman Dag Lundberg Joacim Persson Cesár Sampson | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Cancelled | |||
| Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Background
Prior to the 2020 Contest, Malta has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since its first entry in 1971.[2] Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years. The country had, to this point, competed in every contest since returning in 1991. Malta's best placing in the contest thus far was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco and in 2005 with the song "Angel" performed by Chiara.
In 2019, Malta returned to the final after two years with Michela Pace, performer also selected through X Factor Malta, and the pop entry Chameleon, managing to achieve a fourteenth place in the Saturday show with 107 points.
Before Eurovision
X Factor Malta
On 11 October 2019, the Maltese national broadcaster PBS announced through their official website that the second season of X Factor Malta would be used as national selection for their performer in Eurovision 2020.[1] The shows started with the first auditions on 6 October 2019 with weekly shows aired on Sundays on TVM lasting until the start of the live shows in January 2020.[3] The final of the show will then take place on 8 February 2020.[1]
Finalists
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third Place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Mercieca) | Kyle Cutajar | Dav. Jr | Karl Schembri |
| Girls (Losco) | Jasmine Abela | Destiny Chukunyere | Justine Shorfid |
| Overs (Alden) | Ed Abdilla | Celine Agius | Paul Anthony |
| Groups (Debono) | Bloodline | F.A.I.T.H | Yazmin and James |
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2020, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Malta was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 12 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[4] However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.
References
- "XFactor winner will again represent Malta in Eurovision Song Contest". tvm.com.mt. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- "Malta Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- Bird, Lisa (6 September 2019). "X Factor Malta: Season 2 to air October 6th". escxtra.com. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2020.