A local blues and rock guitarist, who ended up homeless during the pandemic, and a good friend of his who helped him through, have jointly released a song in Maltese.

Għaliex jien? (Why me?) marks a collaboration between singer-songwriter Kersten Graham and percussonist/drummer Jean Paul Borg of The Busker. The song speaks about solitude and is inspired by the pandemic and the hardship it brought on, especially among those who lost their income, such as Graham himself.

“2021 was probably the worst year I experienced. Due to the pandemic, everything I knew changed... but nothing for the better,” he says.

“I had a hard time accepting the simple fact that due to the pandemic, I stopped being a full-time musician, as I couldn’t play anywhere… which led to huge financial problems, up to the point that I ended up with nowhere to stay. Luckily, JPx [Borg] was right there to help, and to help me get back on track.”

The two soon came up with the idea of submitting a song to the Maltese festival Mużika, Mużika. Their aim was to challenge themselves in writing a different rock track, featuring a pop vocal melody and with Maltese lyrics.

“The whole vibe was perfect, and I managed to bring together my personal stuff, together with the theme we agreed on: that of expressing the artists’ sentiment during COVID. I’m more than confident that this track will help people who are currently struggling at the moment to which I hope they realise, as much as they are alone, or let down by their closest members in their family or close circle of friends, they are never truly alone,” Graham says.

It is not the first time Borg and Graham have worked together, but unlike previous times, where they assisted each other with their own projects, this time they partnered up to release the song as a duo.

“This marks a very special moment for us, being the debut for ‘Kersten Graham & JPx’,” Borg says.

He explains that the song itself is about solitude and despair, where one ends up wondering why it has all happened to them − ‘għaliex jien? (why me?).

“Some might say that we are living in dark times with COVID-19 and war going on, and we don’t need to hear more about this, but the song itself is more of a companion, encouraging that whatever you are feeling, you are not alone and there are others who are having similar experiences. Thus we motivate each other that whatever happens, one is not alone,” Borg concludes.