Malta’s Eurovision 2022 representative, Emma Muscat, has released a new song for the Eurovision Song Contest entitled ‘I Am What I Am’.
Written and produced by Dino Medanhodzic alongside Emma herself, the new song is an uptempo pop number heavy on themes of self-empowerment. Although initially announced without much fanfare on Emma's Instagram, it has now been confirmed that the song will replace Emma’s winning song from MESC 2022, ‘Out of Sight’.
A singer, songwriter and model originating from Malta, Emma has spent the last few years in Italy, where she came to prominence on the popular talent show Amici di Maria de Filippi.
After coming fourth on that program, she began to release a steady stream of EPs and singles, including ‘Avec Moi’, ‘Vicolo cieco’ and ‘Sangria’ – the last of which has been certified gold. She is currently signed to Warner Music Italy.
Emma was the clear winner of MESC 2022, where she won both the juries and the televote to finish with 92 points, well ahead of Aidan Cassar’s ‘Ritmu’ in second place. Emma had one of the more unusual stagings, including a section where she was joined onstage by a small child.
This isn’t the first time, however, that Malta has initially selected a song via a national final before changing it up a few weeks later. In 2016, Ira Losco won MESC with the song ‘Chameleon’. Shortly after the national final, however, TVM announced that Ira Losco would be participating at Eurovision with a new song, later revealed to be ‘Walk on Water’.
Malta ultimately came twelfth in 2016 with 153 points. Notably, 137 of those points came from the juries, with whom Ira reached an impressive fourth place.
This year, Emma Muscat will be hoping to obtain a similarly strong result. Malta will perform in the first half of the second semi-final at Eurovision 2022.
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