Fourteen-year-old Eliana Gomez Blanco will represent Malta at this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, taking place on November 24 in Poland.
She auditioned with the song Sto Male (Je Suis Malade), which in English translates to ‘I am sick’, a powerful ballad about a woman, who after being cheated on and humiliated by the man she based her life around, cannot ease the suffering of a one-sided love.
The 14-year-old is a resident singer on a local TV program and has represented Malta in multiple international festivals. She has been singing since the age of six and won young singer contest Għanja Tal-Poplu Żgħażagħ 2018, performing a duet with the song Dwell. In the same year she was also a finalist in the Malta Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
The teenage girl announced her participation in the contest via Instagram, stating "it's like I'm living a dream! I still can't wrap my head around what has happened in these few hours! I am going to represent Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Gliwice, Poland."
The song Eliana will be singing at Junior Eurovision is still unknown, however it should be safe to assume she will be singing another powerful ballad that will show off her vocal range.
Eliana was chosen from a group of 12 male and female singers. The young artists performed their songs and showed their musical talents in front of the judges, composed of Claudia Faniello, Ela Mangion and Deo Grech. 50% of the votes came from online voting and the other 50% was given by the judges.
Last year, Ela Mangion represented Malta in Belarus with her song Marchin’ On. She finished 5th with 182 points.
When will the Junior Eurovision be held?
This year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the Gliwice Arena, Poland, on November 24 2019. It marks the first time Poland will host a music-based Eurovision event! Last year, Roksana Węgiel brought Poland its first Eurovision-adjacent win with Anyone I Want To Be.
Who will take part?
So far, the following nineteen countries have confirmed their intention to participate: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan (Although Kazakhstan have stated their intention to participate in the contest, they must be invited by the host broadcaster in order to participate), Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine and Wales.
How has Malta fared?
Malta debuted in 2003 and, in recent years, has shown better results in this contest as opposed to the Eurovision Song Contest. So far, they have won twice, in 2013 and 2015. Since returning in 2013 after a two-year absence in 2011 and 2012, Malta has finished in the top 10 for six consecutive years. Can they make it seven this year?