In May, Miriana Conte will be “serving kant” at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland after she won the local competition with her fun and cheeky – some might say outrageous – pop track.

Her song Kant had already gone viral among Eurovision fans on social media, who loved the wordplay.

Some, on the other hand, find the sexual connotation vulgar and unfit to represent Malta.

But what is Miriana really saying? To philosophers’ dismay, it has nothing to do with Immanuel Kant.

While 'kant' is the Maltese word for singing, in queer and drag culture, “serving c*nt” is used to describe a person who is bold and full of confidence.

The term grew even more popular when the American drag queen RuPaul rebranded the concept as “C.U.N.T”, which stands for Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent.

In other words, it denotes someone is sassy and fiercely assertive – all qualities Miriana brought to the stage on Saturday night.

After winning the competition, Miriana took to Instagram to share someone’s YouTube comment on her song. The post noted how this year is the 60th anniversary of the musical The Sound of Music, which is very popular in Switzerland, and pointing to the connection between the musical and the song’s lyrics “do, re, mi, fa” before the chorus.

“She has ADHD and she has been told what to do, where to go, what to wear and what to say all the time. When she sings, she feels free,” the commenter said.

Miriana shared a screenshot of a social media comment about the interpretation of Kant. (Instagram.)

“That is why she called the song Kant which in Maltese means singing. She is using her singing to teach the kids that they must be the ones to lead their lives and not be led all the time. It’s actually the same story of the musical.”

The performance was described as “witty and professional”.

Miriana shared a screenshot of the comment saying: “The ones that get it, get it.”

Some fans said it was “embarrassing” to send a girl in a leopard print bouncing on a ball to represent Malta.

“So disappointed. This will represent us,” another remarked, while another said they were “deeply ashamed” of the country they were born in and love.

“Vulgar, subversive, corrupting and misogynistic,” went another description.

“Imagine the presenters introducing the song as ‘kant’. We’ll be the laughing stock of Europe, believe me,” one wrote.

Miriana’s outfit also sparked a range of comments, with some criticising it as tacky or not being the right shape for her leopard-print body suit.

But former Times of Malta blogger Mel Hart said she “kant be bothered” by all the negative comments.

“What is it with this country and the second a woman with slightly more meat on her bones goes on stage, we need to judge her on her looks,” she asked.

Many others defended the song, noting how previous quirky acts often perform well at the Eurovision.

“It’s perfect for the vibe,” one wrote, while others praised Miriana for providing the best performance of the final.

“She served, and served and kept on serving until she won!” a happy fan commented.

“Sending an outrageous song to an outrageous contest is the right choice. Finally, the Maltese people made the right choice and ignored that conservative voice in their heads.”

“Kant was clearly designed to have that playful and unconventional appeal, and it worked in the team’s favour,” one fan pointed out.