Watch: Eurovision was Aidan's childhood dream; now it's the real thing
The singer will represent Malta in Vienna with his winning song 'Bella'
Eurovision singer Aidan has said he is still coming to terms with winning the Malta edition of the competition, where he secured victory with his song Bella nearly 20 years after first dreaming of performing in the iconic contest.
The 26-year-old won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with a total of 283 points — 113 from the jury and 170 from public televoting — and will represent Malta in Vienna, Austria, this coming May.
Speaking to Times of Malta on Sunday morning, just before appearing on TVM’s The Green Room, hosted by Ron Briffa, the singer admitted he was still coming to terms with the win.
“I am still processing everything this morning, and I am trying to do the maths from yesterday because everything happened so quickly,” he said. “I am very grateful, happy and honoured that the jury and the public supported me.”
This year is Aidan's third time competing in the Malta contest. He first entered in 2018 with Dai Laga, which placed fourth, and in 2022, his son Ritmu placed second.
A year later, however, Aidan was disqualified from the competition after organisers ruled he had breached the festival’s regulations by uploading unauthorised posts on social media.
This year, he returned with jazz ballad Bella and finally achieved what he describes as a childhood dream.
“That was the first time I saw Eurovision; I was 7 years old, and I said, 'one day I want to be on that stage',” the singer said, recalling watching Olivia Lewis perform Vertigo in 2007.
“That dream became a reality, and it will become even more so in May when I am on the actual Eurovision stage in Vienna.”
Less than 24 hours after his win, the singer was already holding meetings and giving interviews in the run-up to Eurovision.
Appearing on The Green Room alongside fellow finalists Matt BLXCK and Mychael Bartolo Chricop, Aidan said he had not expected to win, but had faith in his team.
He also shared some of his favourite entries from the competition, including Kelsie Borg’s Let a Girl Breathe and Denise’s Trophy.
“It is between those two, but I could imagine singing Trophy,” he said.
Besides Eurovision, Aidan said he would be “pretty busy” in the coming months, with the release of his album, which includes Bella, scheduled for March, and his third concert at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre in September.