Brooke MESC 2018

Malta makes its decision for Eurovision 2018 tonight, in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2018. 16 acts will take to the stage in hopes of making it to Lisbon. But only one can win – and our Wiwi Jury has been trying to work out who that could be.

Over the last three weeks, our team of music un-professionals has been reviewing each entry. With all the acts having been reviewed, the Wiwi Jury has placed Brooke at the top of their rankings, with her entry “Heart of Gold”!

Brooke scores an overall average rating of 7.6, winning her second Wiwi Jury after triumphing last year too. It’s a little down on her total from 2017, but clearly our Jury thinks it’s definitely her time to go to Eurovision.

You can see all the Wiwi Jury rankings below. Simply click on a song title to find the full review, and see some of the highlights (or lowlights) from the top five as well:

Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2018 — Wiwi Jury Results

1. Brooke – “Heart of Gold” (7.6)

The good: Sure, it’s yet another MESC track with lyrics that make you scratch your head, but Brooke sells every single word with believability. The song’s radio-friendly sound avoids seeming vapid or shallow through its simple, yet empowering message which is all too timely for women today. “Heart of Gold” is truly 24 karat goodness. (Sebastian, 9/10)

The bad: Musically, it’s a decent tune that works with Brooke’s vocal talents, though the millennial whoop feels tired. But wtf is going on what the lyrics? It seems to be taking the tired boyband cliche of “girl, you don’t know you’re beautiful” and flipping it around to woman addressing a man…Brooke wants this obnoxious player to know he’s beautiful on the inside. Beautiful like a pack of wolves. (Robyn, 6/10)

2. Christabelle – “Taboo” (7.3)

https://youtu.be/vmhqmHJrMHs

The good: Christabelle isn’t just a master of euro-dance — she’s an artist. She may have one voice, but she’s got plenty of tricks as she deploys it across textures, volumes and rhythms, taking us on a proper journey from darkness to light. The production is fierce, but she is fiercer. Amid all the clangs and bangs, her empowering message comes through loud and clear. (William, 9/10)

The bad: After a year out of MESC, there was an air of expectation perhaps about Christabelle’s return. But unfortunately, “Taboo” just doesn’t hit the heights of “Rush” or “Kingdom”. Whilst the message behind the song is worthy, the lyrics used to convey it become a little overly clunky (Chris, 6/10)

3. Richard & Joe Micallef – “Song for Dad” (7.1)

The good: Some people may call “Song For Dad” dated or cheesy. But how often do you see a father-son duo at Eurovision? The whole package is authentic, they have a very good chemistry and if anything, this would stand out on the big stage as well! (Barnabas, 8.5/10)

The bad: Songs between parents and children can be heartwarming, but when the child in question is a fully grown man, it throws things off a touch. Add to that, the folk moment in music happened about five years ago, and that perhaps explains why “Song For Dad” grates so much. (Angus, 2/10)

4. Eleanor Cassar – “Back to Life” (7.0)

The good: Very contemporary and packaged with a sleek beat, “Back to Life” oozes sass and Eleanor delivers the feisty lyrics with gusto. This is a perfect marriage between singer and song and everything works really well here. With a strong revamp, this could do really well at Eurovision. (Antranig, 9.5/10)

The bad: An unfortunate case of a singer who’s much, much better than the song. As with many of the songs in MESC, it feels like “Back to Life” could have been given to just about anyone. Eleanor still shines through, but she could be doing so much more. (Chris, 5.5/10)

5. Jasmine – “Supernovas” (6.6)

The good: Here we go — this is where the competition is! From the very first word Jasmine’s voice shines through and captures your attention. One of the few MESC entries this year with decent lyrics, “Supernova” is heavy-hitting but still builds nicely throughout (and that key change is everything!) (Jonathan, 9/10)

The bad: Aren’t supernovas exploding stars? Then why does this song never reach a climax if it’s called “Supernovas”? This is linear, generic and doesn’t bring much to the table. Jasmine’s got a great voice…but that’s all. And great voices are a given at MESC. (Luis, 3/10)

6. Aidan – “Dai Laga” (5.97)
7. Miriana Conte – “Rocket” (5.90)
8. Deborah C – “Turn It Up” (5.77)
9. Matthew Anthony – “Call 2Morrow” (5.67)
10. Avenue Sky – “We Can Run” (5.53)
11. Rhiannon – “Beyond Blue Horizons” (5.1)
12. Dwett – “Breaking Point” (5.03)
13. Danica Muscat – “One Step at a Time” (5.0)
14. Petra – “Evolution” (4.97)
15. Tiziana – “First Time” (4.47)
16. Lawrence Gray – “Love Renegade” (4.23)

That’s what our jury thinks — but what do you think? We’ll shortly be releasing the results of our MESC 2018 poll as well, to see who y’all picked as your favourite.

Is Brooke your number one as well? Do you think that there could be a shock result tonight? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

Read more Malta Eurovision news here

25 Comments
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HĂ©ctor
HĂ©ctor
6 years ago

“Song for Dad” is the only listenable song (5.5/10). The rest are just trash pop that sounds exactly the same. But one of the divas (Brooke, Eleanor, Christabelle, Deborah,…) will end up winning most probably.

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

The songs in the top 5, I’m not really into are “Song for dad” and “Supernovas”. I like the other three. Brooke is great and she has to go to Eurovision sometime. I really like her song, but I don’t know if this is the right song for her to go to Lisbon. Christabelle also has a song with a strong message a nice melody. Eleanor has a song with a modern sound and it stands out for sure in this NF. I’m still going to see the intro seems like “Skeletons” but it doesn’t bother me that much, because… Read more »

SHAUNZERS
SHAUNZERS
6 years ago

It’s not just about the song though… if it was, Eleanor should win. But you also have to take into account personality and the way she addresses the press, which plays a role in jury scores, and this is where Brooke has the edge. If there was to be a medium between those.. Christabelle might win, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Jasmine, Richard and Joe or Deborah C pull off a shock win or Top 3. Petra is looking good as well, as is Tiziana.

Hada
Hada
6 years ago

They’re all terribad, so it might as well be that one.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Hada

“Terribad.” Well done for inventing a new English word. 🙂

NickC
NickC
6 years ago

I think Eleanor Cassar should win. Christabelle is my second choice.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
6 years ago

Hopefully Richard and Joe but to be honest, it is hard to be that interested in it. Probably going to end up as the weakest national selection this year so expecting the Maltese public to pick another bleh female vocalist with another bleh song.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

Malta will be the punching bag in that semifinal.

Ari
Ari
6 years ago

Too bad there’s nothing like Kewkba this year.
Malta does not have a single song that can make an impact in Lisbon, so it’s really already over before it began regardless of who wins tonight.
Same with Iceland, my favorite country. Not a single stand-out. Maybe Slovenia saves the year for me.

Antranig Shokayan
Editor
6 years ago

Brooke, Christabelle or Eleanor would all be great choices for Malta. Good luck!

KESC
KESC
6 years ago

Hmm, let’s be honest.. She is a great singer, who has stage presence, and who knows how to sing, but with Heart of Gold, she would not really bring Malta a good result. And since Malta is also in the second semi final, they need a song that is easy to remember, so that people can vote for them.
I would pick Song for Dad. It’s a masterpiece, and it would be also a change for them, since they’ve only sent females in the recent years.

Of course, Brooke should represent her nation, but not this year.

Mufasa
Mufasa
6 years ago
Reply to  KESC

You’re right!! The only good choice would be Richard and joe

:)
:)
6 years ago

Malta will be amazing tonight. So many amazing songs. Let’s all enjoy the show 🙂

Hihello
Hihello
6 years ago

Song for dad is the best of this bunch of blaaa songs.. if Brooke wins she would be better have another song for Lisbon ..

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Malta final starts at 21:00CET tonight (8pm UK), and so far I have been given one web address for a live stream, here: https://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/live/

If anyone has alternative streams (like YouTube) or knows of other information, please do post here. Thanks.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

NO. She deserves to go but not with this mess of a song. If she goes with this she’ll flop and Malta won’t give her another chance. Try again next year.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

I agree. Heart of Gold is a bad song, but Brooke is a good performer. She has charisma and a good voice. She does deserve to win, but not with this song. Maybe next time she can pick a different subject than empowerment of the masses, since she tried three times with that, each time with less creativity.

NickC
NickC
6 years ago

I agree too. Brooke deserves to go as a performer, but not with this terrible song.

H
H
6 years ago

Does anyone know if there will be a livestream of MESC tonight??

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  H

Yes. I have been given this web address for it: https://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/live/

H
H
6 years ago

Does anyone know if there will be a livestream of MESC tonight?

Malvina
Malvina
6 years ago

Song For Dad…Please Malta, no Diva again, it will not work.

beccaboo1212
6 years ago
Reply to  Malvina

You’re lucky that “Heart of Gold” isn’t a ballad! 🙂

eurovision6
eurovision6
6 years ago

Kamferdrops could be disqualified from Melodifestivalen since the demo version of her song has been out for 8 years

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

My personal list for tonight: 1. Breaking Point – 8.5/10 2. Song For Dad – 8/10 3. Back To Life – 7.5/10 4. Taboo – 7.5/10 (Up from previous 5/10) 5. Supernovas – 6.5/10 6. Turn It Up – 6/10 7. Call 2Morrow – 6/10 8. Beyond Blue Horizons – 5/10 9. First Time – 5/10 10. We Can Run – 4/10 11. Heart of Gold – 4/10 12. Dai Laga – 3.5/10 13. Rocket – 3.5/10 14. One Step at a Time – 2.5/10 15. Love Renegade – 2/10 16. Evolution – 2/10 Most likely to win: Brooke Borg,… Read more »