Aidan finishes 12-country promotional tour as winning odds slip
The singer's odds of winning have slipped since before the tour
Malta’s Eurovision entry Aidan has wrapped up a 12-country promotional tour ahead of the second semi-finals of the iconic music competition, while seeing his odds of winning slip.
The tour included visits to Australia, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, San Marino, Lithuania and Romania, and finishing up in the United Kingdom, where he performed at the London Eurovision Party.
The 26-year-old singer, who will represent Malta with his track Bella, embarked on the tour to bring his music to new audiences, boosting his odds of success.
Since mid-March, however, Aidan's odds of winning have fallen from two per cent to one per cent, with the singer dropping three places in the rankings to 14th.
Finland remains the current favourite with its song Liekinheitin, performed by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, with France and Denmark in second and third places, respectively.
At the time of publication, European bookmakers put Finland’s chance of winning at 31%, France’s at 11% and Denmark's at 10%. Azerbaijan is currently ranked bottom in 35th place.
In a statement, Aidan called the tour a “truly special experience to meet so many of this year's participants and to spend time with fans from all over the world”.
“The warm welcome I received everywhere was incredible, and it has been a pleasure to share my music with so many people who love the contest as much as I do”, he said.
“We are now working on a new elevated staging for Bella in Vienna, I have a great team behind me, and I can't wait to share more details soon.”
The singer has posted regular social media content throughout his tour, and while most have focused on musical content, regularly featuring performances with fellow contenders, one Facebook video earlier this month took a personal turn when he discussed being admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis around two years ago, leaving him unable to perform.
“I had a big concert coming up, and I did it anyway, but not to my full capacity. I couldn’t give my all in that concert, and I was really gutted – it was really hard for me mentally and physically. I couldn’t be myself, I couldn’t be the usual Aidan”, he said.
“Every day I look back and appreciate I get to do what I get to do”, he said when asked to name one of the most difficult moments of his life.
Aidan and his team are now undergoing preparations to travel to Vienna, where he will compete in the second semi-final of the competition on May 14. He will be the 14th contestant to take to the stage.
Eurovision has been dogged by controversy in recent years over the participation of Israel, which has faced international condemnation over its treatment of civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
And last month, the country moved to occupy parts of southern Lebanon as it continues its bitter military campaign against militant insurgency group Hezbollah.
In February, hundreds of protestors led by President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, marched through Valletta calling on the government to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest while Israel remains a participant.
Culture minister Owen Bonnici has said Malta will not boycott the contest, instead saying he encourages a "culture of dialogue".