PBS recently announced the 24 young performers who will be competing for a spot in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Nice. 12 of them have already performed in the first semi-final.
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be held in Nice, France, on November 26th. As the date is approaching, more and more countries are preparing to select their act. One of those countries is Malta. PBS, which is the Maltese broadcaster, has announced the 24 semi-finalists who will be vying for a spot in the final. And the first semi-final is already done.
The Maltese selection process
Each semi-final has 12 singers competing for a spot in the final. The first semi-final took place on July 22nd, and the second semi-final will take place on July 29th. On August 5th, it will be revealed who made the cut and will proceed to the finals. And on August 12th, the final will take place, where the winner will be decided by a mix of jury and televotes. In Malta, the jury holds 80% of the power, while the public holds the remaining 20.
New rules
This year, PBS has decided to have the competing song specifically written for the chosen champion. This means that while the winner will be announced in August, the song will be chosen in September. Malta is already searching for composers who can bring about a Maltese victory.
The competitors
The 24 competitors are as follows:
Semi-final one (have already performed):
- Emilie Vella
- Mia Lanzon
- Point Blank
- Keira Farrugia
- Emma Farrugia
- Isis Jade Miller
- Aaliyah Grech
- Dawn Desira
- Geneve Dimech
- Shyann Cutajar
- Ella Seychell Navarro
- Cesca Galea
Semi-final two (July 29th):
- Anneka Xerri
- Naomi Camilleri
- Krista Chircop
- Zoya Failla
- Maria Curmi
- Chanel Mifsud
- Kaylyn Mallia
- Yulan Law
- Daylin Cassar Randich
- Jade Schembri
- Marcus Mifsud
- Andrea Camilleri
Malta in Junior Eurovision
Malta has won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest twice – once in 2013 and once in 2015. They have also finished last three times- once in 2005 and once in 2019. In 2022, Malta sent Gaia Gambuzza with the song “Diamonds in the Skies”. Gambuzza finished 16th out of 16 performers. You can see Gambuzza’s performance below:
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