Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "On Again... Off Again" written by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The song was performed by the duo Julie and Ludwig. The Maltese entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey was selected through the national final Malta Song for Europe 2004, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition consisted of a final, held on 13 and 14 February 2004, where "On Again... Off Again" performed by Julie and Ludwig eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a four-member jury and a public televote.

Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Country Malta
National selection
Selection processMalta Song for Europe 2004
Selection date(s)13–14 February 2004
Selected entrantJulie and Ludwig
Selected song"On Again... Off Again"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (8th, 74 points)
Final result12th, 50 points
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2003 • 2004 • 2005►

Malta competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2004. Performing during the show in position 8, "On Again... Off Again" was announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 14 May. It was later revealed that Malta placed eighth out of the 22 participating countries in the semi-final with 74 points. In the final, Malta performed in position 6 and placed twelfth out of the 24 participating countries, scoring 50 points.

Background
Main article: Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2004 Contest, Malta had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 1971. Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years. The country had, to this point, competed in every contest since returning in 1991. Malta's best placing in the contest thus far was second, which it achieved in 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco.[1] In the 2003 edition, Malta placed 25th with the song "To Dream Again" performed by Lynn Chircop.

For the 2004 Contest, the Maltese national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), broadcast the event within Malta and organised the selection process for the nation's entry. PBS confirmed their intentions to participate at it on 10 October 2003.[2] Malta selected their entry consistently through a national final procedure, a method that was continued for their 2004 participation.

Before Eurovision

Malta Song for Europe 2004

Malta Song for Europe 2004 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. The competition was held on 13 and 14 February 2004 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in the nation's capital city of Valletta, hosted by Andrea Cassar and Ray Calleja and broadcast on Television Malta (TVM) as well as on the website di-ve.com.[3][4]

Competing entries

Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 10 October 2003 and 7 November 2003. Songwriters from any nationality were able to submit songs as long as the artist were Maltese or possessed Maltese citizenship. Artists were able to submit as many songs as they wished, however, they could only compete with a maximum of one in the competition.[2] 189 entries were received by the broadcaster. On 10 December 2003, PBS announced a shortlist of 36 entries that had progressed through the selection process.[5] The sixteen songs selected to compete in the competition were announced on 8 January 2004. Among the selected competing artists was former Maltese Eurovision entrant Georgina who represented Malta in the 1991 contest, Debbie Scerri who represented Malta in the 1997 contest, and Fabrizio Faniello who represented Malta in the 2001 contest.[6]

Final

The final took place on 13 and 14 February 2004. Sixteen entries competed and the 50/50 combination of votes of a four-member jury panel and the results of public televoting determined the winner. The interval act of the show featured performances by the 2004 Ukrainian Eurovision entrant Ruslana, and the local acts Claire Baluci, Ivan Filletti, Hooligan and Winter Moods.[7] After the votes from the jury panel and televote were combined, "On Again... Off Again" performed by Julie and Ludwig was the winner.[8]

Final – 13–14 February 2004
Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Jury Televote Total Place
1 Leontine "Love Moves the World" Eugenio Schembri, Doris Chetcuti 35 12 47 11
2 Andreana "24/7" Mark Spiteri Lucas, Deo Grech 23 40 63 8
3 Rita Pace "Dying to Be Free" Rita Pace 15 8 23 16
4 Roger Tirazona "Give Me One More Night" Paul Abela, Roger Tirazona 31 16 47 11
5 Fiona "One Way Love" Rene Mamo, Joe Julian Farrugia 25 24 49 9
6 Natasha and Charlene "A Simple Wish" Charlene Grima, Deo Grech 15 32 47 11
7 Julie and Ludwig "On Again... Off Again" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg 59 80 139 1
8 Eleanor Cassar "Through All My Life" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan 41 36 77 7
9 Keith Camilleri "Tango 4 Two" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg 45 44 89 6
10 Georgina "Close to My Heart" Paul Abela, Roger Tirazona 34 4 38 15
11 Debbie Scerri and Prodigal Sons "Get Free" Andrew Zammit, Debbie Scerri, Prodigal Sons 14 28 42 14
12 Ali and Lis "It's a Wonderful Life" Ralph Siegel, John O'Flynn 58 48 106 5
13 Olivia Lewis "Take a Look" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan 62 72 134 2
14 Marvic Lewis "Can't Give My Love" Paul Abela, Georgina Abela 28 20 48 10
15 Lawrence Gray "You're On My Mind" Philip Vella, Joe Chircop 51 56 107 4
16 Fabrizio Faniello "Did I Ever Tell You" Paul Abela, Georgina Abela 48 64 112 3
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Jury 1 Jury 2 Jury 3 Jury 4 Total
1 "Love Moves the World"4871635
2 "24/7"1104823
3 "Dying to Be Free"272415
4 "Give Me One More Night"6911531
5 "One Way Love"3119225
6 "A Simple Wish"561315
7 "On Again... Off Again"912182059
8 "Through All My Life"16581241
9 "Tango 4 Two"121410945
10 "Close to My Heart"10461434
11 "Get Free"733114
12 "It's a Wonderful Life"182201858
13 "Take a Look"2016161062
14 "Can't Give My Love"11151128
15 "You're On My Mind"141812751
16 "Did I Ever Tell You"82014648

Preparation

Following Julie and Ludwig's win at the Malta Song for Europe 2004, PBS announced that "On Again... Off Again" would undergo remastering for the Eurovision Song Contest. The revamped version was produced by Ralph Siegel and the release of the song's new version and official music video was announced on 27 March 2004 and made available online.[9] The music video for the song was filmed earlier in March at several places of Malta, including the Dwejra Window in Gozo, the San Anton Gardens in Attard and the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.[10][11]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 took place at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey and consisted of a semi-final for the first time on 12 May and the final of 14 May 2004. According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2003 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. On 23 March 2004, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final and Malta was set to perform in position 8, following the entry from Portugal and before the entry from Monaco.[12] At the end of the semi-final, Malta was announced as having finished in the top 10 and consequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Malta placed eighth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 74 points.[13] The draw for the running order for the final was done by the presenters during the announcement of the ten qualifying countries during the semi-final and Malta was drawn to perform in position 6, following the entry from Serbia and Montenegro and before the entry from Netherlands. Malta placed twelfth in the final, scoring 50 points.[14]

The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Malta on TVM with commentary by Eileen Montesin. The Maltese spokesperson, who announced the Maltese votes during the final, was Claire Agius.

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Malta and awarded by Malta in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Greece in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Malta

Points awarded by Malta

References
  1. "Malta Country Profile". EBU. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  2. "Regulations". Maltasong. 10 October 2003. Archived from the original on 15 May 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. "Malta Song for Europe 2004". 4lyrics.
  4. Grech, Deo (14 February 2004). "Ukraine presents song tonight in... Malta!". Esctoday. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  5. "Performers Maltese selection made public". Esctoday. 10 December 2003. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. Cini, David (8 January 2004). "Song for Europe Festival". Maltasong. Archived from the original on 5 June 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  7. Massa, Ariadne (15 February 2004). "Julie and Ludwig for Europe". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  8. "Malta 2004".
  9. Philips, Roel (27 March 2004). "The Netherlands, Malta and Spain present video". Esctoday. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  10. "Julie and Ludwig release CD single". Times of Malta. 23 April 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  11. "LAUNCH OF MUSIC VIDEO!". Maltasong. 25 March 2004. Archived from the original on 23 April 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2004.
  12. Bakker, Sietse (23 March 2004). "Eurovision 2004: this is the running order!". Esctoday. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  13. "Semi-Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. "Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. "Results of the Semi-Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  16. "Results of the Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.