Karen Debattista is one of the newcomers in the Maltese national selection! She is entering the Maltese national selection with the song “12, Baker Street”, written by Jan van Dijck and Emil Calleja Bayliss.

We had a lovely chat with Karen regarding her song and the Maltese national selection, as well as her team, her views on Eurovision, and more. Check out everything she told us in the following interview:

• Hi Karen! First of all congratulations for making it to the top 20! How do you feel?

I’m so excited and happy that I’m one of the 20 finalists for this year’s selection. I’ve been dreaming of performing on such a stage for a very long time, so you can imagine how much I’m looking forward to the semi-finals and hopefully the finals!

• How did you decide to enter the Contest this year?

The Malta Eurovision Song Contest is something of a highlight in our local musical calendar so having a song in the Contest has always been on my mind. This year was my second attempt at submitting a song. I was approached by the composer and author of the song and they told me that they had a something in mind for this year’s Contest, and upon hearing the song I decided that I’d take the chance and submit the song.

• How did you get in contact with the composer(s) of your song?

The author of my song, Emil Calleja Bayliss, happens to be a very good friend of mine. He had been in contact with the composer, Jan van Dijck, regarding other musical material, and together they expressed their interest in coming up with a song for me for this year’s Contest.

• Can you tell us a little bit about your song?

I consider my song for this year’s Malta Eurovision Song Contest as one with a mixture of genres, all combined together to create a wonderful harmony. In my opinion it is quite a unique song, considering that to my knowledge, there was never such a song in previous editions of the competition. Apart from the music, the lyrics of the song also help to draw in people since it is a sweet love story which shows that if it is true, love will find a way.

• How are you preparing yourself for the national final?

I am definitely practising the song so that vocally I will be 100% sure and confident for my performance on the night.  In due course we will also hold rehearsals together with the rest of the team.

• Have you already had some thought about how your performance will be on stage?

Definitely. I have a very eager and hard-working team behind the song, so the planning of the performance is close to ready and I have to say that it is taking shape.

• Who do you think is your biggest competition to win this national final?

I honestly can’t say, for the simple reason that I haven’t yet heard heard all the songs!

• Malta is hosting Junior Eurovision only a week before the national final. Are you planning to attend this event?

Yes I will probably attend. It’s going to be a spectacular night of music, and with what I’ve seen and heard until now, it looks like it’s going to be a night to remember.

• What does Eurovision mean to you?

Eurovision is a celebration of music, with each country bringing something different to the stage. It is an example of how music unites different countries at least for one night, despite all the differences that may exist. It is also a means of global exposure for us singers, apart from the experience of performing for such a large audience in a foreign country.

• Are you a Eurovision fan, and have you got an all time favourite Eurovision song?

I am most definitely a fan. Each year I look forward to getting together with family and friends for a night of light snacks, some wine and the Eurovision Song Contest streaming live on television. My all-time favourite song would have to be Norway’s entry in last year’s Contest – “Silent Storm”. It is a tough decision to make since there are a couple more favourite songs that I just love listening to over and over again.

• Do you have a message for all the readers of escbubble?

I would like to thank all the readers of ESCBubble for the constant support towards all artists, both in the Malta Eurovision as well as in the Eurovision Song Contest. I hope that you’ll all like my song “12, Baker Street”!

• Thank you so much for taking your time out for this interview, and we wish you the best of luck in the Maltese national selection!

Give a listen to Karen’s entry in Malta Eurovision Song Contest, “12, Baker Street”: