Chiara has once again mesmerised the public with her angelic voice, garnering enough votes to win the Malta Song for Europe Festival with her song Angel.
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.
Dressed in pink, to remind herself that she will always remain a little girl at heart, Chiara sang the ballad beautifully - the crowd gathered at the Mediterranean Conference Centre gave her thunderous applause.
In the past few years Chiara has developed her songwriting skills and she has actually composed the winning song herself, besides providing the lyrics.
Chiara, whose song received 11,935 votes, has a bright musical future ahead. Under the wings of Bridge Productions she has just been signed up with EMI Publishing, who believe the "world deserves to hear her incredible voice".
"I was dreaming that I would one day go back to the Eurovision. I tried to stick to the same formula and I hope Angel reaches hearts in the same way The One That I Love Did," she said wiping off tears of emotion.
Chiara will now be representing Malta for the second time in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held on May 21 in Ukraine's capital Kiev.
Olivia Lewis, who was one of the favourites, placed a close second with 11,369 for her unique rendition of Déjà Vu, composed by Philip Vella and written by Gerard James Borg.
Perched high on a pedestal and donning a flowing bronze dress, Olivia, together with her tribal dancers, gave a splendid show, which was very well received.
However, the overall result could take on a sour note after it was learnt that the Maltese Composers and Authors Union (UKAM) would be filing an official complaint with Maltasong because of a power cut in Mosta, Lija and Naxxar, among other localities.
According to sources, the electricity "conveniently" went out at the beginning of the festival and was back on just before Chiara's performance, putting Olivia at a disadvantage, especially since the gap between the two was just 566 votes.
Newcomer J. Anvil placed an unexpected third with 5,903 votes for his 1920s Charleston tune You composed by Augusto Cardinali and penned by John Attard.
Unlike previous years, all 22 contestants were called on stage and 10 were short-listed. These included: Keith Camilleri, Sunshine in Your Eyes; Manuel, The Angels Are Tired; Ali & Lis, Don't Stop The Party; Aldo Busuttil, Addio Ciao; Pamela, Play On; Eleonor Cassar, He; and Glen, Appreciate.
This year's festival was one of the best editions in terms of the variety and high standard of the songs. Everyone was commenting on the good mix of ballads, pop and dance songs.
The only hitch, in an otherwise smooth evening, was the announcement of the televoting result, which was delayed by about 45 minutes, because one of the three telephone companies had a problem.
Presenters Clare Agius, John Bundy and Moira Delia kept the crowd entertained and gave a witty, short snapshot of the contestants prior to their song.