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 back to the second and final part of ESCUnited’s Team Reviews for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2025! Yesterday we brought you the thoughts and feelings on Semi Final 1’s offerings for Eurovision this year, and today we will be finishing up with Semi Final 2. Will they be better? Will they be worse? Will they be the more likely mixed bag of scores? Let’s find out!
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.
Okay, enough yapping. Let’s get on with the 12 songs of MESC 2025’s Semi Final 2!
Kelsey Bellante – “365”
Boris – 6 – “YA AIN’T DIRTY ENOUGH. Tell me about it, sister. The of song the word “dumpster fire” was invented for. Holy hell, lmao. I’d almost admire the lack of shame.”
David – 3 – “Sure, it’s a catchy pop tune, but just because you have this template for the most “pop anthem” song possible, that doesn’t make it interesting. It’s heard so many times before and there’s nothing you haven’t heard before. The song just doesn’t catch me, but I can appreciate it for what it aimed for.”
James – 2 – “Boring, dated, materialistic hip hop featuring an Iggy Azalea look-alike telling you that you’re not dirty enough while a Lil Jon impersonator barks off screen. Besides, does anyone in Malta even own a Bentley? Wouldn’t this song only last the length of cruising from one side of the island to the other (or Valetta to Popeye’s village)? “365” has no flow, its pre-choruses stopping movement like goats used to stop traffic on their remoter roads. The goat’s pellets have a better chance of doing well at Eurovision.”
Jasmin – 6 – “Not my kind of “dirty” song but it does kinda bang. The vocal has a lot of potential and this song is not meant for the vocalist in my opinion. There is a very thin line between sexy and cheap. Let’s see where this lands with the staging and performance.”
Rebecca – 1 – “This is like if your mother said, “No sweetie, we have Fancy by Iggy Azalea and Charlie XCX at home.” Not my genre, not by a long shot, and while I admit that I have glaring biases here I will not be changing my mind.”
Highest Score: 6 (Boris & Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 1 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 18/50 (3.6 Average)
Krista Šujak – “Unheard”
Boris – 5.5 – “One of those songs that is “almost good”. There are parts of “Unheard” that could retain attention (the cerebral stream of consciousness, the voice), but the instrumentation heavily lets it down. Single piano into like… a sitcomeque poprock tune into a HEAVILY Taylor Swift inspired bridge is an awkward transition for a song that’s really about a woman struggling to make her voice heard. Maybe next time Krista… be a bit more you and bit less Indie Girl trope.”
David – 2 – “Doesn’t capture me, it’s just out of my pace and interest. She seems like a sweetheart, but I’m judging the song, and it’s just not for me.”
James – 8 – “Something a little modern, radio friendly here, but bootstrapped to a Eurovision formula the cranky auld fans could enjoy (the change-up at the bridge and the explosive finale being Eurovision coded, in particular). If Krista has an ounce of charisma and PBS puts a few quid in for staging, this could have potential.”
Jasmin – 6.5 – “I like the old-school pop-rock vibes you can see in every 2000s’ movie about teenagers going to school or at university. It won’t leave us breathless but she wasn’t unheard either.
Rebecca – 3 – “She has a decent voice but I just don’t feel any emotion from this, which is incredibly important for this kind of “I’ve been ignored my whole life” message. Real Emma Muscat vibes here.”
Highest Score: 8 (James)
Lowest Score: 2 (David)
Total Points: 25/50 (5.0 Average)
Kelsy Attard – “Love Me Loud”
Boris – 5 – “A deceptive song title. “Love me loud” isn’t really about showing affection, nor is it loud or memorable. It’s a tepid, bland jazz ballad that serves as a dry cracker for Kelsy to spread her vocal paté over.”
David – 2 – “I don’t have much to say about this, I’m personally just bored and not into this genre. Great vocal performance, but the rest… just not me.”
James – 6 – “With a title like “Love Me Loud,” you expect something saucy and raunchy, not lyrics that are a variation of “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” The neediness of the protagonist with the savior complex is matched by the tempo of the music, the desperate “please” and the speedy ramp-up at the end. It’s not clear why her dirtbag beau should be saved by her, but Kelsy believes it, Kelsy sells you on it, and the instrumentals almost plead with her.”
Jasmin – 4.5 – “Among all other songs, this one didn’t catch much of my attention except for the “please” part which I found off putting. The vocal is good but other than that, this song is just not on my radar.”
Rebecca – 1 – “I spent most of this song screaming “YOU CAN’T FIX HIM, HONEY” at my screen. In the video she really feels like she’s overacting the emotion, which is incredibly off-putting. Overall just a big mess of boring and pitiful, unfortunately.”
Highest Score: 6 (James)
Lowest Score: 1 (Rebecca)
Total Points: 18.5/50 (3.7 Average)
Miriana Conte – “Kant”
Boris – 8 – “What if “IJBOL” was a song. Gays far and wide have been crying for Malta to send Mirjana to Basel on the premise that Kant made them laugh, and I mean, point taken, Kant is excessively funny. It’s SUCH nonsense, down to the “official explanation” that Mirjana secret solution to life is by singing in the face of hters (“KANT” is “SONG” in Maltese). The problem with that is that yes, she actually REALLY is singing “CUNT” on purpose, and will have to change that into something very much NOT funny once she wins the Eurovision ticket. So um yeah, thanks for the laughs, queen but it would be better for everyone if you do-re-mi-fa-se-se-served KANT from the sidelines, and not the stage.”
David – 9 – “Don’t judge by the cover, would apply HEAVILY here! This is an absolute bratty deception! If we pay attention to the overall message of the song, it’s one you humanly can only applaud, despite it might be in such a bitchy attitude style. Absolutely clever! Beat and rhythm on point, instant catchiness, VERY memorable… if it wasn’t for the deception, I probably would’ve been closer to a perfect score.”
James – 1 – “Great. AI now has a “Pander to Basic Gays” setting.”
Jasmin – 7.5 – “Kant meaning “singing” in Maltese is a funny way of getting away with this word play. She is serving indeed. Am I buying it? Partly… I prefer her previous attempts much more. This is provocative and definitely will resonate with many Eurofans.”
Rebecca – 6 – Okay, let’s hit the obvious points first. Yes, she’s serving. Yes, she’s making a cheeky joke based on popular slang. Yes, it has a banging beat. My huge issue with this is that in approximately 11 months this will have aged like milk. Its goal is purely pandering to a demographic to get points, and I’m really not into that.”
Highest Score: 9 (David)
Lowest Score: 1 (James)
Total Points: 31.5/50 (6.3 Average)
Martina Borg – “Yo Listen”
Boris – 6 – “Another one of those ALMOST GOOD entries. Martina has a strong voice, an interesting musical style and loads of things to say… which she does very incoherently? The song is about a break-up but it drowns itself out in non-sequiturs, platitudes and bad metaphors that appear to have been randomly strung together. “Yo Listen” also sounds like the intro tune for a teen Nickelodeon show (how on Earth am I able to make this comparison twice in the same selection and accurately too?) which makes it hard to take seriously given the subject matter. With a bit more refinement “Yo listen” could have been a banger. Instead it’s clumsy mess that leaves a lot to be desired.”
David – 1 – “So… I’m listening, but what the heck am I listening to? Horrible lyrics that are so random. Alright, there is some attitude, but what a mess overall. I honestly don’t get the message… at all!”
James – 6 – “Fun and funky, a throwback to the early ‘90s from the groove to Martina’s fashion. It can be a little repetitive, a little low key and a little out of time, and very unlikely to win, but Martina could be one to watch for the future if given something modern, and makes her strut her stuff more.”
Jasmin – 7 – “I didn’t expect Malta to have something groovy in their selection. It’s a vibe and definitely an earworm. The cool kids will like this.”
Rebecca – 7 – “Oh hell yes. The piano gives me huge Stevie Wonder vibes, and as a whole this song stands out in this selection because nothing else even approaches the same sort of sound as it. It’s got generic lyrics but I mean… it’s so groovy I can absolutely forgive it. So into this.”
Highest Score: 7 (Jasmin & Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 1 (David)
Total Points: 27/50 (5.4 Average)
Dario Bezzina ft. Żeppi l-Muni – “Għażliet”
Boris – 6.5 – “A lowkey ethnobanger. Nothing excessively great, but the Maltese and general rhythm build up a few authentic layers that I enjoy. Strange that PBS held this one back as a reserve. It’s actively better than most songs in MESC.”
David – 4 – “If I didn’t know ahead, I could’ve probably been fooled to believe this was an Arabic song. Very Arabic in sound and performance. It might be unique for some, but not quite for me. I mean, this is very slow, if we compare it with other Middle-Eastern sound, and struggles to leave that impact. It’s not bad, but it’s just nothing special either.”
James – 7 – “As a rule of thumb, the song that gets subbed in for one that is disqualified usually seems to be in the top quartile of the selection. “Ghazliet” has character, and I am not saying that because the featured vocalist looks like a tough bastard who’s seen things as a sailor in the Red Sea. It sounds like, for once, a Maltese song with Maltese terroir, while it also leans into the Working Joe self-belief anthem of Dons’s “Hollow.”
Jasmin – 7.5 – “I will always support singing in any language that is not English because songs have much more character (personal opinion not facts) and same goes for this one. I have no idea what is it about but it is pleasant and seems authentic. That intro was arresting and sadly it didn’t translate to the rest of the song.”
Rebecca – 4 – “Ethnic beats are great, but it’s a bit too sleepy to keep me engaged for the whole three minutes. Dario seems like a very passionate singer though, so I can’t bring myself to dislike this one too much.”
Highest Score: 7.5 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 4 (David & Rebecca)
Total Points: 29/50 (5.8 Average)
Miguel Bonello – “Breaking the Cycle”
Boris – 4 – “Much like his last appearance, a good voice wasted on a fundamentally uninteresting mewling ballad.”
David – 3 – “I’m questioning a few things, I do feel like that Miguel is overreaching, if that makes sense, by inserting his long and high notes too much into song, when the music isn’t quite at the same pace. The song overall just seems a tad bit out of tune then, and can rub one off in the wrong way. It’s alright, but maybe a bit too much.”
James – 2 – “Narcissistic tortured artist nonsense of the sort I don’t want to see anywhere near the contest. I won’t say anymore for fear that speaking of this travesty invokes a spell that attracts more of this.”
Jasmin – 5.5 – “The vocal is there but the song narrative is a typical cliché we see in every selection. The production makes it somewhat unique though it is quite generic overall.”
Rebecca – 4.5 – “Please don’t set yourself on fire, Miguel, that would be very distressing. There’s some good lyrics hidden in here but the instrumentals just aren’t very engaging, and while Miguel’s vocals are pretty good for the most part there’s some very low notes that I think he will struggle to hit live.”
Highest Score: 5.5 (Jasmin)
Lowest Score: 2 (James)
Total Points: 19/50 (3.8 Average)
Nathan – “Concrete”
Boris – 5 – “An attempt at the Nickelback rock. I’m sure some simple souls like Emma are going to froth this. When you’re starving, even a storebought lasagne will taste like restaurant quality. It’s merely an “Okay” from me, though.”
David – 7 – “Not bad, not bad at all. Packing an important personal message in an uplifting song. Maybe it’s a bit too predictable, but it’s an enjoyable listen, as in there’s nothing that really surprises you, with this song. It’s hard to describe what could make it better, but it’s probably a feeling thing, but honestly, it’s great.”
James – 6 – “Great. Malta have their own Paul Rey. We will be debating the “what if we changed just one thing” qualities of his entries for years to come. He’s 80% of the way to being a viable star, but it’s hard to nail what it is that’ll break him out of Malta.”
Jasmin – 4.5 – “Sometimes falsetto is just not the right option. It’s another pop song with cheese lyrics I’m afraid. Not amazed by this, he had better attempts in previous years by a mile.”
Rebecca – 6 – “This is pretty good, if a bit plain. I really like his voice, and the switches between high notes and these gravelly low notes are very interesting. The concrete metaphor is a bit… odd, and doesn’t always land in the way I think it was intended.”
Highest Score: 7 (David)
Lowest Score: 4.5 (Jasmin)
Total Points: 28.5 (5.7 Average)
Stefan Galea – “Lablab (Talk Talk)”
Boris – 7 – “He opens with TELLER OF UNTRUTHS and the rest is an extended laugh-out-loud moment; Now that Greta Tude is on a well-deserved sabbatical, Stefan must have thought “it’s MY time to be the main character”. Unfortunately for him, the topic of the day is drag(ging useless homo’s). I’m laughing at how extremely overdramatised “Lablab” is, in part because I KNOW everyone listening to it will dismiss it on sight. It really just is one of those songs that is blissfully unaware of how it comes across to unbiased viewers, and that sets it up for a delicious fall. Seven points for the sake of Schadenfreude!”
David – 2 – “Here I feel that the song overdoes the artist. The beat and music are quick, loud and absolutely bonkers. Meanwhile, Stefan fails to justify the energy of the song, with the soft and slow singing, as if, he is not even in control. It feels very un-synced and can set one’s interest in the song off, at least that’s how I perceived it.”
James – 3 – “You can tell that Matt Blxck was involved because there are moments of absolute cringe, such as the entire outro, will get Europe to groan. And who under the age of 45 says “Talk to the Hand” anyway? This tries to be a fun novelty, but like most at Eurovision national selections, ends up being as irritating as it is unoriginal.”
Jasmin – 4 – “Ummm.. that’s different. However, I’m over these “I’m serving attitude” songs at this point. The beat is all over the place but that might be a good thing to make this stand out among bland entries. I’ll give it credit for being authentic but I’m also not the target audience for this at all.”
Rebecca – 7 – “Dramatic and weird and so very, very gay. Was not surprised in the slightest when I saw that Matt Blxck was one of the songwriters. What else am I supposed to say? There’s so much going on here that it probably should be a mess, and maybe it is, but it’s a mess that feels like it came from an absolutely great night out that you don’t have any regrets over.”
Highest Score: 7 (Boris & Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 2 (David)
Total Points: 23/50 (4.6 Average)
Kurt Anthony – “Miegħek Biss”
Boris – 1.5 – “Even the quirk of ‘Fully In Maltese’ cannot disguise that this is one life-ending, joy-draining dementor of a ballad.”
David – 1 – “Next…”
James – 8 – “A dramatic, old school ballad delivered with gusto by a classically rugged and handsome balladeer in Kurt Anthony. It’s a pity we’re seeing less ballads because the ESC fandom is becoming more narrow-minded and pretending they have ADHD to justify terrible novelty acts. And Maltese could, as a language, do with an outing at Eurovision as a ballad to showcase how beautiful it is. And given Gen X and Boomers need an act to latch on to, Kurt could be a good bet at qualification for the Final in attracting that demographic.”
Jasmin – 6 – “Once it gets going, this song is really sweet and nice but the first minute is kind of rough and many people will lose interest in it. Not being in English is a plus in my books. Overall, decent but not competitive or impactful.”
Rebecca – 2 – “The only thing I wrote down in my notes for this one was that I was bored. Points for the fact he’s singing in Maltese, but that’s about it.”
Highest Score: 8 (James)
Lowest Score: 1 (David)
Total Points: 20.5/50 (4.1 Average)
Kantera – “LalaRataTakeke LalaRataKabum”
Boris – 3 – “The favourite in Malta is… a bad sea shanty. *sigh*. I mean, I’m sorry, but “Lala Ratata Cake Kaboom” or WHATEVER this stupid song is called (you have NOT earned the prerogative of memorization yet) coasts entirely on vibe and the most shallow premise of fun factor. It’s repetitive, incoherent brain-rot, and the only circumstance where I can imagine it as a Eurovisiion finalist, is the one where Malta draws an utterly pathetic semifinal (ideally with Montenegro, Iceland and Norway as participants).”
David – 7 – “MALTESE PIRATES!!!”
James – 9 – “Who knew the song with the nonsense title and the lead singer playing an instrument with suggestive fist pumping would be the best of the selection? Unlike the forced cruise ship party of JVF, Kantera’s feels more organic, like you show up at a small village with a barrel of wine and the locals come out to party. Bonus for folk instrumentation, lyrics that any foreigner can drunkenly bellow, percussion you can clap to and the best turbofolk party since Moldova won’t be in Switzerland to provide it this year.”
Jasmin – 4.5 – “Definitely a unique title. The sound reminds me of Armenia 2024 a bit and just like with that one, this isn’t doing much for me. It’s way to repetitive and empty. Meh but fun? I appreciate the cultural aspect of it and awesome instruments but it doesn’t grab me.”
Rebecca – 9 – “This makes me indescribably happy. I’m having so much fun and you can’t take that away from me, Boris! We hit those ethnic beats, get some good chanting energy in there, and we’re even blessed with the traditional Eurovision key change??? Absolutely no notes, this is wonderful and would be a great entry for Malta to send.”
Highest Score: 9 (James & Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 3 (Boris)
Total Points: 32.5/50 (6.5 Average)
The Alchemists – “Rubble & Stone”
Boris – 4 – “And on tonight’s episode of “Malta Is Hopelessly Stuck In The Past”, we present to you “Coming Home” by Firelight, without the woman on a dulcimer, and instead of singing they’re coming home in a field of poppies, they’re fighting and dying for you through rubble and stone. Sticks and stones won’t be breaking any souls in this one.”
David – 4 – “It’s a sweet and touchy little melody of a song. We’ve heard these kinds of inoffensive songs so many times before, but yet, there’s always something so charming and melodic about them. No, they don’t leave any heavy impression, but you can appreciate them for their pure existence. Simple and that’s about it.”
James – 4 – “What’s with the return of mid-2010s pop bro-folk with all the “oh” and “hey” returning at national selections this year? Nothing special about this one either, except being a little more polished than the others.”
Jasmin – 5 – “It’s giving a nice cosy feeling but that’s about it. As much as I like country music, this doesn’t hit as I would like.”
Rebecca – 6.5 – “I never would have pegged myself as a country fan, but there’s been a lot of country-esque entries this season that I’m quite partial to. There’s a simplicity to this one, a sort of quiet yet steadfast emotion that really coats my soul and makes me feel a tad choked up. This wouldn’t have a lick of a chance at winning Eurovision, but I like it nonetheless.”
Highest Score: 6.5 (Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 4 (Boris, David & James)
Total Points: 23.5/50 (4.7 Average)
The Final Rankings
We now know what our five reviewers thought of all 24 songs! Let’s see where our top 5 sits now:
- Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent” (7.6/10)
- Kantera – “LalaRataTakeke LalaRataKabum” (6.5/10)
- Miriana Conte – “Kant” (6.3/10)
- Victoria Sciberras – “Juno” (6.1/10)
- Matthew Cilia – “Control” (5.9/10, highest score 8)
And there we have it! Kristy Spiteri remains on top with “Heaven Sent”, though Kantera and Miriana Conte put up a valiant effort to dethrone her. Four of the five top songs were the favourite of at least one reviewer, save for Matthew Cilia’s “Control” which was neither favourite or least favourite of anyone and thus crept right up into the fifth slot.
The Malta Eurovision Song Contest kicks off with Semi Final 1 on February 4th at 9pm CET. Semi Final 2 will take place on February 6th at 9pm CET, and the Final will see 16 of these songs competing for the win on February 8th at 9pm CET.
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.
