Nine-year-old Chanel Monseigneur beat out eleven other young hopefuls at last week’s Maltese Junior Eurovision 2020 national selection, and will go on to represent the Mediterranean island nation on November 29, 2020 with “Chasing Sunsets.”
Malta’s national selection was held on September 19, 2020, but Monseigneur was crowed the winner today. The national selection was decided by 50% online voting and 50% jury (singer and composer Dominic Cini, Malta’s Eurovision 2019 representative Michela Pace and Junior Eurovision 2019 representative Eliana Gomez Blanco). Monseigneur beat out 2nd place Leah Mifsud (“Anywhere”) and 3rd place Mychael Bartolo Chircop (“The Child From Inside”). Gianluca Cilia, who represented Malta at Junior Eurovision 2017, was placed among the remainder of the pack with his duet with Yulan Law (“Deck of Cards”).
Monseigneur will enter “Chasing Sunsets,” an English language ballad about being inspired by Malta’s beautiful sunsets and the dreams they inspire her to chase.
“Growing up I have always been fascinated by the beautiful sunsets we have here in Malta,” Monseigneur wrote on a September 24, 2020 Facebook post. “My parents usually take me to various twilights to view the sunset in all of their beauty. Meanwhile looking out of my window sill at night fall in summer is pretty special as the sky turns into scarlet red. This song is therefore inspired from the never disappointing scenes that sunsets put in my eyes, they make me dream about life, about all the pleasing things I go through.”
Malta qualifies to perform in English as it is one of Malta’s official languages (Junior Eurovision has a 60% official language or native language minimum requirement for lyrics).
“Chasing Sunsets” is composed by Aleandro Spiteri Monseigneur, Peter Borg, and Joe Roscoe, with lyrics by Emil Calleja Bayliss. She is also currently receiving vocal training from Clare McCartin.
Aleandro is Monseigneur’s 20-year-old older brother, who is making waves in his own right as a musician in the United Kingdom. Peter Borg and Joe Roscoe also perform and write with Aleandro in the band Red Electrick, with the band winning Best Band and Best Album at the Malta Music Awards 2020. Bayliss will be familiar to Junior Eurovision fans, having co-written Ela Mangion’s Junior Eurovision 2018 entry “Marchin’ On” among others.
Monseigneur will be hoping to Malta back on track at Junior Eurovision. Malta are traditionally a strong contender, having won in 2013 and 2015 with Gaia Cauchi’s “The Start” and Destiny Chukunyere’s “Not My Soul,” respectively. Despite fielding a well-known and well-regarded performer in Eliana Gomez Blanco, the song did not click with Junior Eurovision 2019 audiences and came in 19th and last place.
What do #YOU think of Monseigneur’s victory? Do #YOU think she will do well for Malta, or do #YOU think they should have sent one of her rivals instead? Share your thoughts below, in our forum, or in the comments below.
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