DISCLAIMER: All the opinions stated in this post represent the views of the person quoted and do not represent ESCUnited as a whole. We are an opinionated lot with conflicting opinions, for which we take full responsibility.

Welcome to the next instalment of ESCUnited’s Team Reviews for the Eurovision 2025 season! Our team is today heading to Malta for a look at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Malta has given us an (un)reasonable 24 songs to choose from, so these reviews will be split over two articles that cover each semi-final.

Our lovely review panel for Malta consists of all of your favourite names that you’ve come to know and love: Boris, David, James, Jasmin and Rebecca.

Usually we embed the videos of the performances into our posts to make it easy for you to follow along, but the site isn’t being too friendly today! So for now, if you would like to listen to all 24 acts you can find the playlist here.

Alright! Are we ready to have a look at what our reviewing titans think of the 12 acts set to participate in Semi-Final 1? Let’s go!

Adria Twins – “Qalb ma’ Qalb”

Boris – 7.5 –  “A set of fraternal twins singing to each other, about each other. It’s a cute premise, even if the melody isn’t the strongest. This really needs on-stage chemistry to fully work, but compared to the other ballads in this field, “Qalb ma’ qalb” is authentic in its intentions and that gives it some appeal across the language barrier.”

David – 4 – “This is where I feel you could say, that music is a universal language. I’m enjoying that it’s in Maltese, despite not understanding anything, but somehow, can feel the message. It’s honestly not bad, it has its build-up, and overall, it’s a lovely composition. I could see myself enjoying and getting the hang of it. I do want to point out though, that it does get a bit stale over its course.”

James – 6 – “When you hear twins doing a song titled “Heart to Heart,” your mind leaps to conclusions that it’s going to be corny. This one doesn’t, taking generic lyrics about guiding each other, etc., and being a generally competent duet. Its being safe and sweet may doom this song to the realms of the immemorable, though. It’s a perfectly fine song, even if the idea of there existing twins who look like Natalie Dormer gives you pause.”

Jasmin – 7 – “With nice visuals this could be a moment on stage. However, the song feels a bit safe and the build-up doesn’t live up to the expectation. The climax is not as strong, there is no impact that would drop my jaw or tear my eyes but it is pleasant overall. Bonus points for not singing in English!”

Rebecca – 5 – “This was the first song I listened to in this year’s lineup that is in Maltese, and I have to say, Malta really needs to send a song in this language. It sounds really lovely! The twins have very good harmonies and their vocals match the tone of the song very well. Beyond that, it’s really just fine. This is certainly one of those entries that needs something a little bit more to give it a fighting chance.”

Highest Score: 7.5 (Boris)
Lowest Score: 4 (David)
Total Points: 29.5/50 (5.9 Average)

Dre’ Curmi – “Te amo”

Boris – 2 – “Why am I feeling so EXHAUSTED all of a sudden. First of all, douchebro is jangling his “Itagnolo” expressions in front of dim-witted Anglo cigarettes like keys in front of a toddler. Secondly, comparing your love interest to a drug addiction as a means of courting them is… not really as romantic as you think it is. Thirdly, oh my god another vapid reggaeturd that only appeals to self-hating gays willing to sell their soul for a banger (any banger) as long as it’s uptempo and sung by a twunk. I hate the world.”

David – 5 – “I guess there was too much English, since this didn’t end up in Spain. This is absolutely something you’d expect from some American singer who barely speaks Spanish. It’s actually quite cool, but I’m just long over this kind of music, because we just hear these kinds of songs every year, like come on, be creative instead. However, the beat is catchy!”

James – 3 – “There is one great thing about this song – I learned the word “inhobbok” (Maltese for “I love you so much”) and its deployment in this song is cute and appropriate in context. That being said, this song blows. Inhobbok usage aside, the lyrics are stupid and repetitive, and though he chose to deploy some Maltese, the chorus is moronic cod Spanish that is infesting national selections lately, like the fandom is slowly morphing into the cruise ship fandom. The instrumental is also grating, like some sort of irritating whistle that is designed to make dogs urinate on command.”

Jasmin – 5 – “This sounds like something a teenage girl would listen to when she realizes she has a crush. The drop really makes no sense with the rest of the song. In places it also resembles those football World Cup anthems everybody loves.”

Rebecca – 3 – “This is just a whole lot of nothing. It’s a buzzword phrase repeated four hundred billion times with a vaguely romantic message also repeated four hundred billion times. There’s nothing remotely interesting happening here. Only points it gets is because it is infuriatingly catchy once you’ve heard it, especially when in the shower, but I’m not happy about it.”

Highest Score: 5 (David & Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 2 (Boris)
Total Points: 18/50 (3.6 Average)

Haley Azzopardi – “Whistleblower”

Boris – 7 – “Three minutes of silly filler nonsense, but it is charming nonsense at least! Secrets? SHE KNOWS! Do you wanna keep them? DON’T SHOW! Maybe she’ll spill them-  OH NOE! Careful she’s the whistleblower. This is how you pad our your numbers, take NOTES other selections.”

David – 2 – “Honestly, lyrics are quite abysmal and poor. It’s like we’ve got some rhymes just for the sake of it, even though it doesn’t quite make sense. I’m even questioning the idea of this “whistleblower”. Anyhow, vocally isn’t strong either and is mostly low-key, so it feels like lots of wasted potential. There was idea, but it wasn’t quite executed the way one would hope.”

James – 4 – “I suspect this song was written for The Real Housewives of Potomac’s Ashley Darby, given her propensity to spill the tea, but she heard it and was like, “I got to make at least one good decision in my life, so no thanks.” And here is random Haley Azzopardi from Malta, fooled into thinking it’s a quality track because Tom Hugo is involved. Granted, this has the basis for a solid movie thriller – girl next door from Malta is fooled into performing a terrible pop song, it goes to Eurovision, villains think she’s a literal “whistleblower,” shenanigans occur. But as catchy a chorus that it has, it is head slappingly daft and I don’t want to hear this ever again.”

Jasmin – 3 – “The chorus is just next level of repetitive (and not in the positive way). Everything about this is highly predictable and the lyrics didn’t help either. It’s not for me, next.”

Rebecca – 2 – “So you tell all of your friends’ secrets to people without prompting? You sound like a really bad friend, honestly. I don’t know if the lyrics are supposed to make me like you, but they really don’t. Points for the simple fact that although the lyrics make you look bad, at least they make sense.”

Highest Score: 7 (Boris)
Lowest Score: 2 (David & Rebecca)
Total Points: 18/50 (3.6 Average)

Justine Shorfid – “Still I Rise”

Boris – 6 – “Justine thinks that cosplaying as Loreen and throwing Nemo’s Drum and Base under her generic electro track makes her worthy of remembrance. It’s a fine filler number (at least she completes the “rise” metaphor so we know she’s singing about celestial bodies and not a sourdough starter) on behalf of being midtempo and not a ballad. “Still I rise” lacks an edge, or just originality in general, to truly contend in this field however.”

David – 3 – “This just feels and sounds like a lot of nothing. Here’s the thing, wonderful voice, but I’m just not intrigued by the song nor the vocals that are delivered. When it comes to the song, it feels like it wants to create to huge moment from a lot of momentum, but it just never hits. Meanwhile vocally, it’s lovely, but just not amazing. It’s a shame.”

James – 3 – “It’s a paint by numbers X Factor / Idol / Voice graduate self-belief banger. The most remarkable thing is songs like this still exist and still sound the same, considering these shows barely make qualifying national selection artists let alone stars anymore. We’re a long way from Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert.”

Jasmin – 7.5 – “The radio will like this song but will the Eurovision audience? Somehow it got stuck in my head which is a plus but I need to see it on stage to judge it completely. For now, it’s good. The vocal carries it through and the last minute really bring is home which makes me intrigued.”

Rebecca – 1.5 – “Not only are the lyrics incredibly bland and generic, they feel like they were stretched to fit the melody by adding unnecessary filler words all over the place. The drum and bass feels like it was put in there solely to be a Nemo ripoff without understanding anything else about what made “The Code” work as a song. Points because in the video she looked like she was really getting into it. I’m glad someone is, at least.”

Highest Score: 7.5 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 1.5 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 21/50 (4.2 Average)

JVF – “Festa (No Time for Siesta)”

Boris – 7 – “Tom Hugo really found his calling in composing fun MESC filler. It is of course EXACTLY what you’d expect from a song that has both Fabrizio Faniello and Jessika Muscat in It and has over ten writing credits. “Fiesta” is hopeless, irredeemable trash, and it’s SO proficient at being hopeless irredeemable trash. Will definitely go back to this one many times after it inevitably dies in the MESC semifinal.”

David – 6 – “Alright, this is such a “come and visit Malta” ad, and it’s actually quite clever! They score bonus points for reminding me of my time on Malta, and it’s just such a fun and happy vibe song. Is it actually a good song in itself, not quite, but it’s hard not to smile. There’s a rhythm to it, and that does score some point as well.”

James – 1 – “This is soundtrack to a cruise ship from Hell. If you love sliding up to boundary non-observant fifty-somethings at a Mediterranean cruise ship foam party, then this song is for you. I just wish Jessika’s robot from her San Marino appearance at Eurovision 2018 would show up to electrocute them all. Yes, Jessika Muscat is the J in JVF, who with Victorio and Fabrizio form a “super group” of sorts (by of sorts I mean not at all). JCVD would have done this better. I was trying to figure out less objectionable lyrics and only found infester and molester would rhyme with siesta, then realized it would be better if we just left this alone and this song Costa Concordias itself onto a rock.”

Jasmin – 5 – “Was I the only one who got surprised seeing these three together on a mutual project? Anyways, the song… has all the elements of a generic summer pop song that last for a couple of months and then new ones come and this one falls behind in everybody’s memory. Can’t wait to see this on stage because it could go in so many ways one can imagine.”

Rebecca – 5.5 – “It’s party time! Surprisingly, I don’t hate it. It really feels like one of those party songs you’d here in the background of a movie to sell the fact that there is definitely a real party going on that’s full of real people, not extras getting paid to be there, no sir. Inoffensive and generic but easy to listen to.”

Highest Score: 7 (Boris)
Lowest Score: 1 (James)
Total Points: 24.5/50 (4.9 Average)

Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent”

Boris – 9.5 – “SEND THIS. Seriously Malta, send this to Eurovision. I’m dead serious. Not only is “Heaven sent” EFFORTLESSLY the best song in MESC (it’s the only one I’ve sunk over 200 plays in), it comes with the built-in camp factor and fun factor that the others lack. Kristy SPARKLES as she sings it in the video. You have a good, catchy song (that really sounds a bit like Edgar – Teya’s writing influence has left its mark) and a charismatic, motivated performer that can leave a mark with televoters if you capitalize on the staging potential. This could be a Eurovision finalist. Cast Kristy aside for Victoria or Kantera at your own peril.

David – 4 – “All these religious references… I’m losing interest over that. It’s a catchy beat, amazing voice, especially the high notes, but it is the religious parts that are just like… so damn cheesy! Eventually the lyrics become a great bother, especially since it feels like there’s a lack of lyrics, and the song eventually just isn’t going anywhere eventually.”

James – 8.5 – “The basic gays will come for the club classical hybrid, the straight males will come for Kristy the Valkyrie, and all will stay for what could potentially be a minor Eurovision cult classic. The buxom Spiteri both looks and sounds great, and assuming the staging is handled correctly – throw taste out of the window, a skimpier outfit for Kristy, shirtless male back-up dancers, etc. – could be an easy qualifier for Malta.”

Jasmin – 8 – “This lives in between serious opera coded piece and a silly catchy pop tune. I enjoyed this more than I want to admit. It’s going to be a guilty pleasure of mine from this selection.”

Rebecca – 8 – “This is without a doubt the best choice for Malta to send this year. The retro disco mixed with electronic club beats creates an absolute banger. That in addition to Kristy’s dramatic, popera vocals make for a unique and memorable performance. If she can pull off all those high notes live without it sounding too strained, this would be an EASY qualification for Malta.

Highest Score: 9.5 (Boris)
Lowest Score: 4 (David)
Total Points: 38/50 (7.6 Average)

Kurt Calleja – “Aziz/a”

Boris – 7.5 – “Cannot wait for James’s soul to BREAK over this monsterpiece <3 Kurt Calleja has always been a cringe lamus, but it’s impressive how a 13 year hiatus and a dad bod can make it sufferable all of a sudden. Yes, “Aziz/a” is The Lamest Song Ever, but that’s what makes it so fun? “Your moves and eyes are like an anesthesia // allayla, we’re bound to get amnesia” are presented as amazing date night events, while Kurt plods along with the cadence of a very old elephant. ♥ It is – with all the affection in the world – utterly hopeless and without redeeming qualities. ♥ And yes, even IF this generous 7.5 is only because I would melt like mozzarella if Kurt were ever to whisper “allayla” in my ear, that STILL DOESN’T TAKE AWAY that ‘Aziz/a’ has fully earned its Fun Finale Filler label!”

David – 5 – “Come on, this is catchy and cool! Maybe a bit cheesy sure, but the song got something. I do feel like we’re somewhere along the lines with “This Is The Night” from 2012, but just not as effective and catchy. It can be heard that it’s not quite the same energy, and this song might be a bit slower as well, but it could be a grower.”

James – 7.5 – “Goofy. That’s one word to sum up this entry. There’s nothing really right about this – the lyrics are breathtakingly stupid, the key change is as clumsy as Kurt’s dance moves, the dropping in of Maltese has all the graceful time of a dog taking a crap on stage. It should be an outright stinker I give a 1 or 2 to, but there’s something wholesome about this. I can’t hate it, because in Kurt’s presentation I get the sense he’s a fun guy and wants nothing more than for me to have a good time while in his presence. By the time the Final rolls around, I could be rooting for this for many reasons.”

Jasmin – 5.5 – “Amnesia would relieve me of these lyrics… also I’m allergic to word “habibi” so all things considered, I’d say this one is not for me. It is catchy and memorable if nothing else.”

Rebecca – 4 – “Definitely wasn’t expecting it to give us a disco beat. This is another entry that is just using buzzwords that may or may not make sense and vaguely romantic lyrics that will fit into any mould. It’s fine.”

Highest Score: 7.5 (Boris & James)
Lowest Score: 4 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 29.5/50 (5.9 Average)

Marie Claire – “Wildflower”

Boris – 3 – “Fake gospel riddled with autotuned falsetto’s that Marie Claire can barely hit in studio. This is already annoying. The live performance of this could very well be diabolical.”

David – 3 – “There we go, the peace anthem is found. Okay, it’s a nice melody and tune, but I’m not feeling the lyrics being a bit… random, if that makes sense? I’m not quite catching the idea of the wildflower. It’s okay, but it’s also not anything special. I don’t mind it, but it’s also quickly forgotten, so to say.”

James – 2.5 – “A mid-2010s pop cut and paste job. Imagery based on something that appears timid but is actually strong. Faux gospel backup singers. Instrumentation dropping to encourage clapping. Inspirational lyrics stolen from Midwestern Grandmothers’ decorations purchased from HomeGoods.”

Jasmin – 4 – “Where to start with this one? It feels dry, a bit safe and besides the vocals, it goes nowhere.”

Rebecca – 2 – “I started playing a game with myself in the middle of these reviews where I would look at the title and guess what the song was going to be about. Imagine my surprise when a song titled “Wildflower” was about growing through adversity and being a unique little flower! The lyrics have a lot of clashing metaphors that just end up leaving me confused and bored.”

Highest Score: 4 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 2 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 14.5/50 (2.9 Average)

Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Hideaway”

Boris – 5.5 – “This is probably the first time I’ve come close to enjoying Mark Anthony Bartolo. I’m NOT there, don’t get me wrong! But there is a lesson to be learned about you know… leaving the house and socializing with others and not caring about you come across, socially awkward as it is, and this synergizes well with his little lisp and awkward introvert body language. Pity that the song itself is very much Nick Jr, and very much not Eurovision.”

David – 1 – “These lyrics bro… they’re bad! How do you even feel like a “hideaway”? What does it even mean? There’s also A LOT of non-sensical rhyming. I’m sorry, when you have me questioning things like this, I’m just wondering what made you wanna sing something like this to begin with. It’s… not good.”

James – 3.5 – “Another mid-2010s pop throwaway. He did miss the opportunity to have the bass replicate the hummingbird’s humming noise rather than just the chirps they threw in. But anyway, another in the let’s hear the timid man roar trope (doubly so because he’s a burly guy who can hit the high notes) with cod inspirational lyrics.”

Jasmin – 5.5 – “And, he is back, again… not into the falsetto tbh. It’s on par with his previous attempts, cute and quite inoffensive. At least the backing vocalists give some flavour to it.”

Rebecca – 6.5 – “What a cool voice and a sweet song. I have to admit that the lyrics of this one really spoke to me, so maybe that’s why I like it more than some of the others—wanting to be more extroverted and outgoing than you’re physically and emotionally capable of is a complicated feeling, so the bittersweet nature of the instrumental works really well. Really love this one!”

Highest Score: 6.5 (Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 1 (David)
Total Points: 22/50 (4.4 Average)

Matthew Cilia – “Control”

Boris – 4.5 – “Every selection nowadays has to feature a lukewarm baby metal song, and it’s starting to get tedious. Metal isn’t supposed to be BORING! WHERE IS THE GOOD METAL AT (in Finland, labelled under “Ich Komme”.)”

David – 8 – “I have two HUGE issues! The random “lose control” screams, and the constant mention of everything “caving”. Literally unnecessary and ruins the sense of the lyrics. Music, if absolute fire! Vocal is epic. This song is lit and could be so much more impactful with the few tweaks to lyrics and the overall instrumentation.”

James – 6.5 – “A Stabbing Westward clone from Malta was not on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are. “Control” is a few tweaks short of being great – the verses don’t have much impact, so when Matthew is bellowing “Lose Control!,” it seems like it’s tacked on from another song. It could have done with some more variation such as a harder breakdown, or drum or keyboard solo. In its basic form it’s not bad and I’ll gladly take industrial metal from Malta, but it could do with a bit more edge.”

Jasmin – 6 – “Not accusing anyone of plagiarism of course, but this sounds like a song every rock band has in their discography. I’d never connect the vocal with his smile and cheerful personality. Show us you mean it when you say “lose control” and go all-out.”

Rebecca – 4.5 – “The beginning really reminds me of AWS’s Viszlát Nyár (Hungary, 2018). It’s fine overall, but I feel like I’ve said this a hundred times already this season—stop with all this weak-ass rock, guys! You have to commit to it, otherwise it doesn’t work at all. Matthew has this great, growly voice that is just SO out of place with this soft of a rock song. A real shame.”

Highest Score: 8 (David)
Lowest Score: 4.5 (Boris & Rebecca)
Total Points: 29.5/50 (5.9 Average)

Raquela – “Silenced”

Boris – 4 – “One of those filler numbers that don’t even count as fun, and therefore becomes vaguely irritating. Raquel sings about wanting to stand up for herself after being silenced with pain and she does it in the most emotionless drone of a voice, over the most generic middling beat possible.”

David – 4 – “Powerful song, but it struggles to bring its message out. When listening to the lyrics, it feels like it’s sung in the wrong genre. Rather than having a touching sensitive song, you have this loud and powerful voice instead, but I guess there was a lot that the heart just needed to express in this song.”

James – 5 – “Thematically, this one is baffling. The normal course of lyrics is she was being silenced, then she found the courage to speak out, victory! The lyrics imply the reverse here. Yet the performance, the instrumentation, do not suggest a downturn like that to match the lyrics. Raquela’s vocal solo is one of triumph, not agony or defeat.”

Jasmin – 6 – “This sounds like it should be anthemic, powerful, and moving but it doesn’t get there in my opinion. If the track had had more character, it would have been more convincing.”

Rebecca – 2 – “Given the emotionally strong subject matter, this feels incredibly plain and boring. Something something generic lyrics, et cetera et cetera.”

Highest Score: 6 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 2 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 21/50 (4.2 Average)

Victoria Sciberras – “Juno”

Boris – 8 – “This is actually a pretty good song. Victoria is able to deliver a convincing studio performance with a song that has a good amount of drama and belting. The problem is that “Juno” is very much in the field of jury bait, and Malta really cannot afford to send songs like those to Eurovision. Malta has no televote pull of its own, and that makes “Juno”, weirdly enough, a huge trap.”

David – 3 – “After looking up “Juno”, things made MUCH more sense… and it also effected my view on the song completely. Going from “alright, sounds decent” to “okay… overexaggerate much”. To claim yourself “queen of heaven”. Song is very loud and bombastic, and maybe waaay too much with the self-pride message, but generally speaking, it’s nothing special either.”

James – 6 – “It’s a fine composition with a compelling vocal performance. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Jasmin – 8.5 – “If this was completely in Maltese, I’d scream! I love the production and if she can sing live, this will be among my favourites. Clear, strong, dramatic with a note of native language. Dance break in the middle worries me a bit, this song doesn’t need it.”

Rebecca – 5 – “It shows how knowledgeable I am about my Roman mythology that my mind immediately went to the Elliot Page movie instead. I’m not sure if she’s supposed to be imitating Juno to find strength or if she IS Juno in the song? Unclear but overall not that important I guess. That high note is a showstopper though, but I just wish the rest of the song was giving me a bit more uniqueness to match it.”

Highest Score: 8.5 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 3 (David)
Total Points: 30.5/50 (6.1 Average)

The Rankings So Far

And there we have it, at the end of Semi-Final 1 our reviewers have looked at half of the entries! Let’s have a look at the top five currently in the lead for the ESCUnited Panel:

  1. Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent” (7.6/10)
  2. Victoria Sciberras – “Juno” (6.1/10)
  3. Matthew Cilia – “Control” (5.9/10, highest score 8)
  4. Kurt Calleja – “Aziz/a” (5.9/10, highest score 7.5 & 7.5)
  5. Adria Twins – “Qalb ma’ Qalb” (5.9/10, highest score 7.5)

Kristy Spiteri is comfortably in the lead with her song “Heaven Sent”, but there is a bit of a crush in the following spots with a 0.2 point difference between 2nd and 5th, as well as a three-way tie for 3rd, 4th and 5th.

The Malta Eurovision Song Contest kicks off with these very songs in Semi-Final 1, set to start on February 4th at 9pm CET.

Stay tuned for the other half of our rankings to be posted very soon! How will the current favourites change?

Agree with our ranking? Think we’re completely wrong in every way? Let us know what #YOU think of MESC 2025 on our socials (@escunited), Discord or at our forum.

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DISCLAIMER: All the opinions stated in this post represent the views of the person quoted …