Stefan Galea is taking part in the Maltese Eurovision selection for the very first time. His song titled “Light Up My Life” was written by Ylva and Linda Persson, and it has made it to the top 20 of the Maltese national selection. Previously he took part in Malta’s national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Shake Up Wake Up“.

We wanted to get to know Stefan Galea a little bit better, so we asked him about his song, his team, his views on Eurovision, and more. Check out everything he told us in this interview right here:

First of all I would like to congratulate you for making it to the top 20! How do you feel about being in the semi finals of Malta’s selection?

It’s all very surreal, but it’s finally starting to sink in. It feels great because Eurovision is huge and very popular here in Malta, so I feel truly honored to be amongst the twenty semi-finalists, being more of a radio artist this past year, I felt that Eurovision would be the next right step in my music career.

How did you decide to enter this Contest this year?

Well it was always a dream and goal of mine to be part of it, mind you… I have always been a Eurovision fan and I follow it very closely every year. I’m the type of person who would get a Chinese takeout whilst watching the show on the night. I felt that this experience would open up so many new doors being the biggest event on our island. The fact that this year I’m going to be one of the soloists makes it even more special. 

Can you tell us more about the story behind your song, and the team who worked on it?

“Light Up My Life” is a happy pop tune, I believe it puts forward a catchy element which is very easy on the ear, it’s about a teenage story of someone who dreams to be with his crush, in a way that he is explaining his feelings towards the person throughout the whole song, but in reality one can still interpret the message according to his own views and perspectives. The song is written and composed by the super talented Swedish duo Ylva & Linda Persson, it has been an absolute pleasure working with them, I instantly knew that Light Up My Life was the track for me when I first heard it, because it represented my style of music.

How are you getting ready for the national final? Did your ideas for the stage performance all come together, and how is everything going to look like?

I must say that I am very excited and at the same looking forward to be up on stage. I am truly anxious to see how everything is going to look like. At this point I’m focusing hard on my vocals in terms of technique and training under the tuition of Christine Gauci & Gillian Attard at La Voix academy, whilst rehearsing as much as possible with the team who will be backing me up on stage, special thanks to Kristina Ann Schranz. I’m not going to reveal much but I sincerely do believe in simplicity. I think it makes things a bit more cohesive.

Who do you think is your biggest competition to win the Maltese national final?

This year there truly is a lovely variety of genres that you can’t really pick someone and say that this is surely going to Sweden, because all the songs have that likable factor. If I had to choose according to my personal tastes in music, I’d say “Chameleon” by Ira Losco, “Golden” by Brooke, “Alive” by Jasmine, “Kingdom” by Christabelle, and “Little Love” by Franklin.

What would representing Malta in Eurovision mean to you?

You have no idea how much it would mean to me! It would surely mean a lot because in reality it will open up so many more doors and contacts within the music industry. It would surely change my life, I’d definitely be more busy because I would have to juggle my university studies in between, but just performing on that amazing stage to millions of people all around Europe would be every artist’s goal, because the dream is to perform for thousands in concerts let alone millions watching on Telly.

What would be your all time favorite Eurovision song?

“Every Way That I Can” by Sertab Erener. It brings back some very nice childhood memories, I believe that it was the Turkish entry.

What sort of music do you listen to in your free time, when all you want is to relax?

I love mellow songs, mostly contemporary, dance music when I’m out to party, and yes I do love musical theatre!

What do you do when you are not singing?

Studying (as sad and boring as that sounds) and Oh my God I truly love cooking! Especially when it comes to Italian and oriental cuisine.

Are you engaged in any other projects at the moment?

I just finished doing this year’s Christmas panto by the MADC named treasure Island. Currently I am focusing on Eurovision, but after the festival I’m planning to work on my new single and EP.

Stefan also recorded a video message for all of his fans, and all of the readers of ESCBubble. You can check it out right here: