Good luck, Malta!

I think I was 11 or so, when I realised that the tiny state of Malta had been taking part in Eurovision in the past. I was intrigued! I was trying to find out anything about it: What were their songs like? How many time did they participate? Why did they give the contest up? I even wrote the SVT and asked why Malta did not sing at Eurovision anymore, but didn't get any useful answers back.

My fascination for Malta grew and I even had a penfriend from there (if anybody knows André from Lija, then tell him I said hi!) for a few years. And then, in 1991, I almost fell off my chair when a Swedish newspaper published the running order for Eurovision and Malta was on the list. They were back!

And so I always had a soft spot for the Maltese, and kept my fingers crossed, especially during the first years, when they did surprisingly well. Since then, me and Malta have had our ups and downs, and I sometimes find the offerings from the sunny island to be a bit too plastic and predictable for my taste.

But I am still very happy to have them around. Best of luck for tonight's selection. To celebrate the occasion, I share the Maltese preview clip from 1994. I have never kept my fingers crossed and believed so much in Malta as I did that year. The live version left a lot to be desired, but I ached for this song. And I still do.



Chris & Moira - More Than Love - Malta 1994
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