A week ahead of the anticipated start of rehearsals, Michela has finally given her first live public performance of “Chameleon”. The 18-year old star had recently cancelled her pre-party appearances in London and Amsterdam to focus on preparing for Tel Aviv. She has been rehearsing in Sweden for the past few weeks.
Following the disappointing announcement of her withdrawal from the pre-party circuit, fans can finally see and hear Michela perform “Chameleon” ahead of rehearsals. Alongside rehearsals, Michela has embarked on a select number of shows around Malta to get her prepared for the big stage in Tel Aviv. The performance below took place at Cafe del Mar, where she was joined by other X Factor Malta finalists.
The performance is a far more intimate affair that what we can expect from her performance next month. Recently, it was revealed that Michela has been working with an all-star team to put together an epic stage show for Tel Aviv. Our team will be on the ground in Tel Aviv next month to give you all the details!
Who is Michela?
The 18-year-old rose to fame in Malta after wowing the public with her powerful vocals in the X Factor Malta. Back in January, she won the competition, and by extension, the ticket to represent Malta in Tel Aviv. In addition to Eurovision participation, she also signed a record deal with Sony Music Italy. Although praised for her emotive and explosive performances of ballads throughout the competition, she surprised fans by dropping one of the most popular up-tempo dance songs of the season.
She will be competing to bring Malta back to the Grand Final for the first time since 2016, performing in 11th place in the second semi-final on 16th May.
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
Malta first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971 with Joe Grech and his song, “Marija I-Malitja”, which finished in last place with 52 points. They also finished last on their second attempt in the contest in 1972. After a third appearance in 1975, Malta withdrew from the contest until 1991, when they returned and finished in sixth place with 106 points.
Since their return in 1991, Malta has finished in the top three on four occasions – Mary Spiteri with “Little Child” in 1992 and Chiara with “The One That I Love” in 1998 which both finished in third place, and also Ira Losco with “7th Wonder” in 2002 and Chiara with “Angel” in 2005, which both finished in second place. Malta has not yet won the contest, however.
In 2018, Malta failed to qualify for the second time in a row with Christabelle’s “Taboo”, which finished 13th in the second semi-final with 101 points. Christabelle also became the last participant to be selected for Eurovision via the Malta Eurovision Song Contest national final format. They have since confirmed that The X Factor Malta will return for a second season this year.
Are you looking forward to seeing the staging as much as we are? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! We’ll also be posting plenty of content on our YouTube channel in the run up to Tel Aviv!
