The one the Maltese love wins again

Chiara was still trying to land on planet earth yesterday as the fact that the Maltese public had once again confirmed she "was the one that they loved" still seemed like a fuzzy dream.

"If people hadn't stopped ringing to wish me well I would still be under the illusion that winning the Song for Europe Festival was just a dream. I'm still crying with joy just thinking about it," she confessed.

Chiara, 28, has become the first singer to represent Malta twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, after winning the local festival on Saturday with her rendition of Angel, a song she penned and composed.

"My biggest fear this year was how people would react to the fact that I had composed and written the song, as opposed to going on stage and singing. I felt like I was showing off my first newborn," she said when contacted at her home yesterday.

Chiara will now again be representing Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held on May 21 in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

Seven years after making Malta proud by placing third in the Eurovision Song Contest with The One That I Love, Chiara was back on stage, no longer the shy girl she was in 1998 but oozing the confidence of a seasoned singer.

"I have matured since then and I feel more confident in what I do. I thought that being out of the scene for a while would have hampered my standing but the vote proved otherwise," she said.

Chiara, together with Olivia Lewis, who placed a close second for her rendition of Déjà Vu, were always being tipped off as the two favourites in the past week.

For the first time in the festival's history the winning song was in the public's hand through televoting and this had generated the fear that many would vote for the singer as opposed to the best song to represent Malta.

Maltasong chairman Grace Borg said she was extremely pleased that the public had picked the winner and did not allow any bias to overshadow their vote. "There was no doubt in people's minds that Chiara should have won; the contestants themselves kept saying she would win," she said.

Asked to comment on the complaint registered by Maltese Composers and Authors Union (UKAM) on the power cut in Mosta, Lija and Naxxar, among others, which disrupted the festival, Ms Borg pointed out she had absolutely no control over such matters.

In some areas, there was a black out at the beginning of the festival, with the power returning just before Chiara's performance.

Now that the winner has been chosen Maltasong will this week start shooting the DVD for Chiara's song and ensure the recording of the CD was complete prior to Ms Borg's visit to Kiev for heads of delegation on March 21.