Miriana Conte, Malta’s representative for Eurovision 2025, announced that the EBU has disqualified the lyrics of her song! What are the implications? What happens now? All the details in the article!
Drama in Malta! A Surprising Disqualification: Miriana Conte, who was chosen to represent Malta at Eurovision 2025 to be held in Basel, Switzerland, announced in a dramatic move that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has reversed its decision and decided to prohibit the use of a word from the song that also serves as the song’s title, “Kant” (in Maltese: “Singing”).
The singer was caught completely off guard during the music video shoot, but in an official statement, she declared she “will not give up.” The final deadline to submit the song for the competition is March 10, and the Maltese national broadcaster TMV announced that it would make a decision on the matter two days before the deadline.
Earlier this week, the singer revealed in an interview that her song for Eurovision “Kant” would undergo a makeover in preparation for Eurovision. She also added that the EBU approved the song name and the use of the word “Kant,” which resembles a derogatory word in English, alongside the original song name with a translation clarifying the meaning of the word.
This week, the singer addressed the issue of the song’s name in light of reactions mainly from the UK, an English-speaking country, and the problematic nature of airing a song with a word that sounds like a vulgar word in their language. On this matter, the singer explained that she understands the problematic nature, but noted that the EBU had approved the song as it is so that there would be no problem at Eurovision itself.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
The Double Standards of Broadcasting
Today, the EBU decided that the use of the word “Kant,” even if attributed to the Maltese meaning “Singing,” is unacceptable. It appears that the British broadcaster, the BBC, is behind the move to disqualify the use of the word that sounds “vulgar” or “provocative” in their language, according to the Maltese broadcaster, TVM. The BBC’s request to disqualify the use of the word is quite strange since last year England was represented by a song and a performance that were particularly provocative. Perhaps Olly Alexander appeared on the Eurovision stage with the song “Dizzy” and apparently broke records with the almost erotic scenes he created on stage.
Besides the BBC’s double standards, there are other songs and performances that could be argued to have crossed the family-friendly viewing threshold, like the duo Nebulossa who represented Spain last year with the song “Zorra” (translated as: “Bitch”), which, besides the name, also featured a barely-there outfit on stage. There are two more examples approved by the EBU this year, the Finnish song “Ich Komme” (translated as: “I am coming”) by Erika Vikman, and the Australian song “Milkshake Man” performed by Go-Jo, both of which are quite provocative and hard to interpret otherwise.
Implications and Future Steps
After the surprising announcement, Malta’s odds of winning plummeted, and in less than half an hour, it fell in the betting rankings. Since Conte won the Maltese Eurovision national selection, she had managed to climb into the top ten in the odds table in recent weeks and then dropped to 12th place. This is quite an impressive achievement that proved the audience’s love for the song and its emerging popularity in the competition, for a country that usually does not lead in the betting odds.
The word “Kant” is quite central to the song, and Miriana faces a very difficult task if she indeed has to change it. Since the song was already approved by the EBU and disqualified shortly before the deadline for submitting songs, perhaps there will be some consideration on their part, and they will give Malta an extension of time to change or replace the song that will represent it at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
Malta in Eurovision 2025
“Kant” (Singing) is the title of the song to be performed by Miriana Conte, who will represent Malta in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2025 on May 15 in Basel, Switzerland. The song was co-written by the singer alongside Benjamin Schmid, Matthew Mercieca, and Sarah Evelyn Fullerton. Schmid has previously written numerous entries for Malta’s national Eurovision selections and co-authored the winning song of Junior Eurovision 2015, “Not My Soul.” Mercieca contributed to Malta’s Eurovision entries in 2015 and 2018. This marks Schmid and Fullerton’s first Eurovision entry and Mercieca’s third. The song is performed in English.
The song advocates for freedom of expression and breaking societal constraints, emphasizing independence and female empowerment. It begins with an invitation to reveal an intimate, perhaps provocative, secret and transitions into describing a stifling environment that suppresses individuality. The chorus serves as a call to action and presence, expressing the protagonist’s ability to influence reality and encouraging others to shed inhibitions and follow her rhythm. The song concludes with a reinforcement of its message to live and express oneself freely.
Currently, Malta is ranked 11th on the betting odds ahead of Eurovision 2025.
Miriana Conte – Who is she?
Miriana Conte is a Maltese singer, specializing in soul and R&B. Miriana began her career on the “X Factor” Malta, like many other singers in the country. The program previously served as a format for selecting the Maltese representative for Eurovision. Miriana also competed in the Maltese Eurovision National Selection in 2022 and 2024 but did not achieve high results.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Malta’s 37th participation in Eurovision. Malta joined the competition in 1971 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2002 and Eurovision 2005 after finishing second twice.
