Malta: The results of the First Semi-Final of MESC 2025!
The First Semi-Final of MESC 2025, held at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Valletta, has just concluded, with eight artists punching their ticket to the Grand Final on 8 February, when we will find out who Malta’s next Eurovision representative will be. The Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2025 presentation was helmed by Pauline Agius, Davide Tucci and Valentina Rossi, while ADONXS, Czechia’s representative at this year’s Eurovision, performed an acoustic version of his entry, entitled “Kiss Kiss Goodbye“.
The participants
In the first semi-final, twelve artists presented their proposals for Eurovision 2025 in the following order:
- Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Hideaway“
- Dre’ Curmi – “Te amo“
- Raquela – “Silenced“
- Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent“
- Matthew Cilia – “Control“
- Marie Claire – “Wildflower“
- Justine Shorfid – “Still I Rise“
- JVF – “Festa (No Time for Siesta)“
- Adria Twins – “Qalb ma’ Qalb“
- Haley – “Whistleblower“
- Victoria – “Juno“
- Kurt Calleja – “Aziz/a“
The competitive part
Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Hideaway“
First on stage is Mark with a country ballad. He is seated in the middle of the stage, playing his guitar and surrounded by white flowers. During the chorus he comes to the front of the stage, while vocally his performance seems to lack at some points.
Dre’ Curmi – “Te amo“
Next on stage is Dre’ Curmi with an up-tempo track, which gets the crowd going. He is accompanied by two dancers and his vocals are quite good. The show is characterized by a variety of colors and patterns, while the LEDs are mainly filled with floral designs.
Raquela – “Silenced“
It’s Raquela’s turn with a dynamic ballad, which despite some instabilities she delivers very nicely. At the beginning she is alone, and then she is accompanied by four female dancers. The whole setting is strongly reminiscent of the spring season, in soft lighting and with flowers as props in the middle of the stage.
Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent“
One of the favourites to represent Malta in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Kristy Spiteri takes to the stage. On a raised structure, dressed in white, with a dark aesthetic and angel figures on the LEDs, she performs her song in a magical way and captivates the audience, proving that she will have no problem qualifying for the final.
Matthew Cilia – “Control“
Matthew comes on stage with a rock song, which the audience seems to like. He is accompanied by a drummer and a bassist, and his performance has some inconsistencies. Quick changes in lighting, red and black shades characterize the performance, which because of its nature stands out on tonight’s semi-final.
Marie Claire – “Wildflower“
Marie appears alone on stage to perform her song “Wildflower”. The arena is filled with warm colors and the singer performs quite well from a vocal point of view. During the bridge of the song, many hands appear on the LED clapping rhythmically, bringing the pulse to the audience.
Justine Shorfid – “Still I Rise“
Next up is Justine with an up-tempo ballad and gets the audience going before it even starts. Wearing a gold dress and giving a quite emotional performance in dark and red lights, she shows that she knows how to set the stage on fire.
JVF – “Festa (No Time for Siesta)“
It’s the turn of JVF, who put the audience in carnival rhythms. Dressed in red and with a variety of colours and fireworks on their LEDs they know how to entertain the audience, delivering their song with a lot of energy and few mistakes.
Adria Twins – “Qalb ma’ Qalb“
Next on stage are the Adria sisters performing a ballad. They stand on two tiered white structures, dressed in identical bordeaux dresses and perform a very emotional performance on the smoke-filled stage.
Haley – “Whistleblower“
Haley appears on stage to perform her pop song beautifully. Dressed in a sparkling outfit and accompanied by two dancers, she starts the presentation by sipping tea, then comes to the main stage to perform the choreography under pink and blue lights.
Victoria – “Juno“
Another favourite, Victoria, takes to the stage and gets one of the biggest applause of the night. With a futuristic look and a very dynamic performance, she drives the audience crazy, especially on the bridge of the song, during which she performs an acrobatic choreography with the help of four dancers.
Kurt Calleja – “Aziz/a“
Kurt closes the show with an up-tempo track. Against the backdrop of a modern city he performs his song a little weakly, accompanied by three dancers, while at the end the stage is flooded with a plethora of colours, corresponding to the joyful mood of the performance.
The results
The MESC 2025 system foresees two semi-finals, with 12 songs respectively. Eight artists from each semi-final will qualify for the MESC Grand Final.
The winner of MESC 2025 and therefore the country’s representative at Eurovision 2025 will be decided 50% by a jury and the remaining 50% by televote, i.e. telephone calls and SMS.
The eight artists who are through to Saturday’s final to compete for the representation of Malta in this year’s Eurovision are:
- Raquela – “Silenced“
- Adria Twins – “Qalb ma’ Qalb“
- Justine Shorfid – “Still I Rise“
- Victoria – “Juno“
- Kurt Calleja – “Aziz/a“
- Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Hideaway“
- Kristy Spiteri – “Heaven Sent“
- JVF – “Festa (No Time for Siesta)“
MESC 2025 Schedule
First Semi-Final: February 4
Second Semi-Final: February 6
Grand Final: February 8
Now all eyes are on the Second Semi-Final, which will take place on Thursday February 6, to find out the remaining eight artists who will complete the 16–man shortlist for the Final.
Last year, the Island of the Knights was represented by Sarah Bonnici and “Loop“, but failed to qualify to the Grand final. Will Malta manage to break the streak of three consecutive eliminations this year?
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates on MESC 2025 and Malta’s Eurovision journey!
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