Richard Edwards is no stranger to Eurovision, as he represented Malta in 2014 as a member of Firelight with the song “Coming Home”, which he wrote by himself. He is back in the Maltese Eurovision selection this year with his self-penned song “You”.

We had a chat with Richard regarding his comeback to the Maltese Eurovision selection, and we asked him about his new song, the rule-change in the national final, as well as some more personal questions in order to get to know him a little better. Read everything he told us in this interview right here:

Hi Richard! First of all, congratulations to making it to the MESC final! Could you tell us more about the story behind your song, and the team who worked on it for the start?

“You” is an acoustic love song that can relate to a lot of people. It’s a simple melody that touches a deep feeling inside for me. I wrote this song just over a year ago. One side of the song is written from a very happy place in my life, the other side of the song is when I say: “We used to sing the songs we knew from the ones that made us smile, but now those precious melodies are songs to feed my eye”. It is about the love between my mum and her mum (my grandma).
“You” doesn’t need a mind blowing projection behind it, nor does it need a fancy light show. The stand out point of my entry is in the song itself with no gimmicks to fool the audience.

How are you getting ready for the night of the final?

Basically I’m taking lots of honey lemon and ginger 😉 I’m practicing the song to make sure I can deliver it in the best way I can. I want to make sure I’m 100% ready technically and vocally so that on the night I can deliver the song with the emotion it deserves.

What do you usually do when you are not singing?

Basically as a full time musician most of my time is spent on my passion which is Music, either practicing new Technics either vocally or with one of the three instruments that I play. I also spend a good bit of time in writing new songs , collaborating with other artists and recording in the studio. I also enjoy keeping fit by running and working out. If there’s time I might cook and do the house work 😉 

What do you think of the rule change in this year’s MESC, that only the public will pick the winner?

It’s good, the Maltese public will chose the winner making it a true Maltese selection.

Why should you be the one to represent Malta in Kiev this year?

I would love to represent my country again in Ukraine, and would certainly love to be doing it with a song that in my opinion would stand out in a simplistic way.

Who do you think is your biggest competition to win this year?

All of the songs have a good chance to win the contest, it could go either way I guess. It’s in the hands of the voters. I’m going to focus on the performance of my song “You” and try my best to take the competition element out of it.

Are you currently involved in any other projects?

I enjoy collaborating with other artists and songwriters both locally and internationally. I’m also a proud member of “Firelight”, and we are currently working on releasing our second album in the not so distant future. I’m also blessed to be busy with gigs throughout the year. I do lots of acoustic work and try to do my bit for charity by organizing fundraisers can that raise money for a charity I believe in.

Richard, we also have a couple of questions for you just to get to know you a little bit better. What would be your favorite book?

Not really a reader sorry.

Favorite movie?

Shawshank Redemption.

Your own signature dish?

Roast potatoes that would make Gordon Ramsey impressed :p

In a movie about your life, who would be playing you?

I would imagine the lead character.. hehe

What would you bring to a desert island?

You didn’t mention any limit so I guess I would get the biggest boat with everything I might ever need, bring my family and friends and have a ball.

Your ideal duet-partner would be?

Stevie Wonder.

The last song you listened to was…

“You”, five minutes ago while I was practicing.

Thank you very much for your time Richard, and we wish you the very best of luck at the MESC Final!

If Richard Edwards is your personal favorite in the Maltese selection this year, you can vote for him in our poll here:

Give a listen to Richard Edwards’ entry “You” right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTEvtkYG524