After two non-qualifications in a row, Malta has turned again to their long-running national final format MESC to find their act for Eurovision 2024. After four semifinal rounds, 12 finalists have now been chosen, who will each perform in a grand final in the coming weeks.
11 members of the Aussievision team have listened to the 12 finalists for MESC 2024, and ranked their top 10 songs, providing Eurovision-style points from 12 to 1.
Will Matt BLXCK's 'Banana' get us begging for more? Or will one of the ballads from X Factor Malta alumni Ryan Hili and Lisa Gauci tickle our fancy?
Read on to find out!
12. Janvil - 'MAN' (23 points)
Highs: 6 points from Dale, Mark
Lows: 0 points from Craig, Emma, Hugo, Kyriakos and Liv
11. Nathan - 'Ghost' (29 points)
Highs: 8 points from Craig, 7 points from Steven
Lows: 0 points from Mike and Samuel
10. Greta Tude - 'Topic (Bla Bla)' (31 points)
Highs: 7 points from Samuel, 6 points from Liv
Lows: 0 points from Kyriakos, Mark and Mike
9. Miriana Conte - 'Venom' (32 points)
Highs: 8 points from Samuel, 6 points from Emma
Lows: 0 points from Craig, Dale, Liv and Steven
8. Gail Attard - 'Wild Card' (39 points)
Highs: 12 points from Hayley, 7 points from Emma and Kyriakos
Lows: 0 points from Dale, Hugo and Mark
"I think Gail is the best vocalist in MESC this year and this song has that mysterious/dramatic feel about it which could lend itself to some brilliant staging. I see jury points!" ~ Hayley
7. Haley Azzopardi - 'Tell me that it's over' (45 points)
Highs: 10 points from Mark, 8 points from Steven
Lows: 0 points from Emma, 1 point from Dale and Samuel
"The second best of a bad bunch. The song is dated, but Haley’s got pipes deserving of a bigger stage." ~ Mark
6. Denise Mercieca - 'MARA' (57 points)
Highs: 10 points from Emma, 8 points from Dale, Hayley and Mike
Lows: 0 points from Samuel, 1 point from Mark
"Mara means woman in Maltese and Denise's ode to women could really come to life on the big stage. Apart from all the famous women she namedrops, the song is a shout out to herself as a mother, daughter, sister and wife which should strike a chord with the female voters. Denise has all the sass and attitude to make this work. It just needs some dancers, snappy choreography and pyro and it's Eurovision ready." ~ Emma
5. Ryan Hili - 'Karma' (67 points)
Highs: 10 points from Hugo, Liv and Mike, 8 points from Kyriakos and Mark
Lows: 0 points from Hayley and Steven
"Ryan easily has one of the best vocals of MESC this year - a huge power house belter in a similar vein and style to Andrew Lambrou with 'Break A Broken Heart'. 'Karma' builds to a fantastic crescendo that showcases his vocals in a nice jury friendly way." ~ Liv
"The best of the actual songs in this selection for me. Ryan has an amazing voice and there is enough melody to enjoy." ~ Hugo
"We know Ryan can sing well live and this sounds like the most fully formed song in the competition. Unfortunately, it sounds like a song rejected from Melodiefestivalen and is aggressively unoriginal." ~ Mike
4. Lisa Gauci - 'Breathe' (70 points)
Highs: 10 points from Sam, 8 points from Emma, 7 points from Craig and Liv
Lows: 4 points from Hayley, 5 points from Dale, Kyriakos, Mark and Mike
"Lisa has the best vocals in the line-up, especially amongst the female competitors. There is something incredibly classy and elegant about her and her performance." ~ Samuel
"This one completely passed me by when I first heard it in the semifinals, but it's really grown on me since - Lisa has a genuinely impressive level of control over her voice. I could easily see this as a surprise winner in this year's MESC cohort." ~ Craig
"I am almost certain Lisa Gauci is winning this - she's got that Maltese big vocal that I can imaging locals and juries gushing for." ~ Liv
3. Matt BLXCK - 'Banana' (73 points)
Highs: 12 points from Craig, Hugo, Kyriakos and Liv, 10 points from Dale
Lows: 0 points from Hayley, 1 point from Emma
"Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, sh*t on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it. Matt is bringing camp and fun - this is one revamp and some insane visuals away from being a Eurovision novelty classic." ~ Liv
"Look - we all know Matt BLXCK is going to Eurovision eventually, and I feel like this song and performance is Matt BLXCK doing the most Matt BLXCK-esque piece of Matt-BLXCK musical content that we're ever likely to get. Is it any good? Not sure that matters - this is the obvious choice in this lineup." ~ Craig
"Matt Blxck is back and fierce as ever!! This performance is the most creative and catchiest out of the whole line up this year - will the banana moment make it to the Eurovision stage? We will have to wait and see!" ~ Kyriakos
"It's ridiculous and TikTokky but it kind of works? Matt knows how to work the live performance and the camera. Weirdly this might be the one song that gives Malta a chance of getting out of the semi-final with his charisma and the novelty of it all." ~ Dale
"In the absence of any songs I actually really like in this selection, I would like to give Matt Blxck his shot at Eurovision. Musically this is not it, but it’s just the most eye catching which is more likely to get votes in a semi-final than any of the other mild-mannered, middling and mid-range of death." ~ Hugo
2. Sarah Bonnici - 'Loop' (85 points)
Highs: 12 points from Mark, Samuel and Steven, 10 points from Craig and Kyriakos
Lows: 2 points from Hugo, 3 points from Dale
"In a sea of fabulous divas this song stands out. I have this song on LOOP. Her dance moves and outfit in the audition rounds are already quite good. Can’t wait to see what she brings on the big final stage." ~ Samuel
"A reasonably catchy beat and a singer with personality make this - for me - one of the more interesting entries in the line-up." ~ Steven
"Sarah Bonnici may not be Chanel or Eleni Foureira, but she is giving this performance everything she's got - give her a revamp and an army of backing dancers and this should be good fun in Malmo. Love it!" ~ Craig
"Almost shameless in its deference to Slomo and Replay, but at least this little number is listenable (a low bar that many Maltese finalist entries have failed to reach). Sarah seems enthusiastic. And the opening bars offer her a chance to show vocal prowess. " ~ Mark
"What a bop!! 'Loop' has so much potential for the Eurovision stage. Sarah's performance hooked me from the first watch!! I think she's in with a chance to win the whole national final." ~ Kyriakos
1. Erba' - 'Sirena' (86 points)
Highs: 12 points from Dale, Emma and Mike, 10 points from Hayley and Steven
Lows: 1 point from Craig
"Malta hasn't sent a girl group to Eurovision since 1999 and 2024 is the year to send Erba'. This has all the requirements of a stereotypical Eurovision entry - thumping ethno dance beats, lots of la's and even a chorus featuring the words 'fire' and 'desire' but its catchy, the girls harmonise well and it will go off on the dancefloors of Europe. It may be slightly dated but this is the Maltese act I want to see in Malmö!" ~ Emma
"This is a girl group that somehow combines "girl give us nothing" vibes with fun infectious pop and I am here for it. Some of 'Sirena' is actually super catchy and the harmonies are often quite well done (considering audition conditions) and I just want to go back for more." ~ Dale
"Although the song currently sounds very dated, I think there could be another gear here with the right live performance. They sound like they can sing it live and with a bit more energy this could lift." ~ Mike
"90s light dance/pop girl sounds with a non-English language component kinda work for me (despite the “la la la” and strained vocals at times)." ~ Steven
"On first listen I was not sold but these girls really harmonise well together. Yes it needs a tidy up but I think this also has potential. A bit of an ethno-bop that could work well! Also - extra points for having Maltese lyrics! Catchy as heck!" ~ Hayley
What happens now?
Each of the 12 finalists has received a prize of 5,000 euros with which to produce a music video for their song. They will also be preparing and choreographing their live performance for the final round of the competition.
The grand final of MESC 2024 is yet to be assigned a date, but is expected to take place early next year.
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