'Confident and excited' Aidan is ready to 'make Malta proud' at Eurovision

Malta’s Eurovision hopeful, Aidan, is “confident and excited” ahead of this evening’s semi-final after the jury rehearsal on Wednesday “went very well”.

Speaking to Times of Malta from Vienna hours before taking to the stage, Aidan said performing on such a stage had always been “a childhood dream, so to finally be here feels incredibly special”.

“I am ready to get on stage and make Malta proud,” he added.

Aidan, who is representing Malta with his song Bella, will be the penultimate performer of 15 acts this evening. He will be vying for one of the 10 spots for Saturday’s grand final.

Tonight, Aidan will be going up against singers and acts from Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania and Norway.

On Wednesday, Aidan performed during the jury rehearsal which he said “went very well, both musically and technically”.

This year, the semi-finals are being decided both by public vote and, for the first time since Turin 2022, by professional juries, in a bid to restore fans' faith in the voting system.

Aidan insisted Bella is “more than just a song”.

“I want the audience to feel something real and lasting,” he said.

He explained that Bella, which he co-wrote with Joep van den Boom and Sarah Bonnici, is a “metaphor for beauty, fragility, and the tragic ending of a great love”.

“It tells an emotional story that many people can connect with in their own way.”

More than that, Aidan pointed out this was “Malta’s first ever grand cinematic jazzy ballad”.

“It’s sweeping, emotional, and artistic, designed to stand out both musically and visually. I hope audiences are drawn into its atmosphere and leave the performance feeling moved, even after the song ends,” he said.

Asked about his expectations for tonight’s performance, Aidan said he was feeling “very positive and proud of everything we’ve created around Bella”.

“We’ve put a lot of passion and work into every detail of the performance, and I truly believe the song has something unique and emotional that can connect with people,” he added, before pointing out that Eurovision “is always unpredictable”.

“I’m going into tonight’s semi-final with confidence and excitement, and hopefully it will be enough to see us through to the final.”

In the run up to the event, Aidan embarked on a 12-country promotional tour and he was also featured in a billboard campaign across several countries.

He thanked “everyone in Malta for all the support and love throughout this journey”.

“The response to Bella has honestly been overwhelming and it truly means the world to me,” he said.

PN leader Alex Borg called Aidan this afternoon from his campaign trail to wish him “good luck”. He urged him to “try your best; the whole of Malta is behind you”.