Malta will remove the word Kant from its Eurovision submission as it appeals the European Broadcasting Union ruling banning the Maltese word because of its similarity to a vulgar word in English.
Sources close to the national delegation said the Maltese song title will tentatively change from Kant to the surname of the singer who won the national contest, ‘Conte’.
Miriana Conte won the Maltese Eurovision last February. The song, which is mostly in English, immediately garnered controversy because the Maltese word kant, used as the title and in the lyrics, has a phonetic similarity to the English vulgar word referring to the female anatomy.
Kant will also be removed from the lyrics of the song.
Sources said that the parts of the song containing the word will likely be left without a lyrical replacement. A sound might be included instead.
Sources said that the Public Broadcasting Service was submitting a revised version of the song to comply with the March 10 deadline.
However, they will still be appealing the EBU’s decision and will also be taking legal action in Switzerland, the country where Eurovision will be held this May.
On Thursday, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said PBS, which broadcasts the Eurovision Song Contest in Malta, was “actively exploring legal avenues to challenge this decision in the Swiss courts”.
He added that the government-owned broadcasting company would also appeal the decision to the chairperson of the EBU Television Committee.
Bonnici said the ban “impinges on freedom of expression and the right to non-discrimination – in this case concerning us Maltese and the right to utilise a word which in our language is positive and beautiful”.
“We will not be taking this lying down,” he said.
The EBU decision was announced earlier this week by Conte, who, after finding out about the decision while filming the music video for the song, said she was “shocked and disappointed” while pledging that “the show will go on.”
The controversy surrounding the song’s title stems from its double meaning; while kant translates to “singing” in Maltese, it also bears a phonetic resemblance to a vulgar English slang term for part of the female anatomy.
The phrase in which the word is included, “serving kant,” can also be seen as a reference to a phrase associated with queer and drag culture, meaning someone who is proud and full of confidence.
Malta’s Eurovision ranking has steadily declined since February.
Meanwhile Malta’s Eurovision ranking has steadily declined since February, with bookmakers now giving Conte a two per cent chance of winning.
Bookmakers predict Conte’s chances of winning Eurovision dropped after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) banned the use of the word Kant from Malta’s entry.
The EBU’s decision on Tuesday garnered significant attention in Malta and abroad, with several international media outlets reporting on the ruling.
On Sunday, just before the EBU ruling, aggregated betting data gathered by Eurovisionworld.com showed Malta’s chances of winning the European song contest at 11th place.
Yesterday Malta’s chances dropped three spots to 14th, with bookmakers saying Conte now had a two per cent chance of victory.
The Eurovision website has also removed Malta’s song title Kant from its listings, now only naming Miriana Conte in its rankings. Sweden, a country renowned for its Eurovision successes, is currently the favourite to win.