Miriana Conte has insisted she was not out to shock with her Eurovision song entry Serving Kant.
“My intention wasn’t to get publicity, it was to serve singing,” the Maltese singer told an interviewer on BBC Newsnight.
Conte told the interviewer that her song “means a lot of things to different people” but that, to her, the song purely meant “serving singing”.
"I didn't expect this reaction," she said.
“Kant” is the Maltese word for song (noun) or singing (verb).
The song’s title has been interpreted as a pun on “serving c*nt”, an expression popularised in LGBT culture that is used to describe a person who is bold and full of confidence.
While Conte insists she was not out for publicity, the song immediately raised eyebrows in other countries, with BBC radio DJs barred from playing it. Under UK broadcasting laws, the word “c*nt” cannot be used on TV or radio before 9pm.
The song's official video on the Eurovision Song Contest's YouTube channel had 1.3 million views as of Saturday - more than double that of entries from Latvia or Belgium and just under the 1.6 million for Finland's entry Ich Komme [I'm coming].
Earlier this week, Conte was informed by the European Broadcasting Union that she would not be allowed to sing the word during the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Switzerland on May 17.
Conte said she was “shocked and disappointed” by the decision but vowed to not let it knock her off her stride. “Diva not down,” she said on social media – a phrase she repeated during her Newsnight interview.
Conte confirmed that the EBU had moved to bar Conte’s entry following a complaint filed by the BBC.
"It's disappointing that a broadcaster as influential as the BBC would raise such concerns, especially given the Eurovision's culture of celebrating diversity and languages," she said.
The BBC has not confirmed or denied that it was behind the EBU decision.
Malta has reacted negatively to the decision and said it is considering legal action. Culture Minister Owen Bonnici described the EBU move as a “textbook case of artistic censorship.”
Malta’s entry is titled Kant (‘Singing’) on the Eurovision’s official website. It remains unclear how the song will change to accommodate the EBU order, with Conte telling Newsnight she still “doesn’t have a reply”.
“There are ongoing discussions, we’re trying to find a middle way that makes both parties happy,” the singer said. "We've made adjustments to ensure the focus remains on the music and the message. The Eurovision is about unity and we want to ensure nothing distracts from that."
Sources close to Malta’s national delegation told Times of Malta on Friday that the plan is for Conte to not sing the word ‘kant’ and to instead replace it with a sound of some sort. Malta must submit a revised version of the song by Monday.