The Malta Eurovision Song Contest kicks off tonight, and the semi-finalists have been busy perfecting their performances. Twenty artists want the golden ticket for Vienna, and for the past few weeks our Austrian correspondent Patrick Melbler has been catching up with ALL of them. Today, however, our Finnish correspondent Sami Luukela talks with L-Ahwa who is singing the song “Beautiful To Me”.
Congratulations for getting through to the semifinal. How did you feel when you found out?
Thank you! We were all thrilled of course! It’s always great fun singing together, and this is another wonderful opportunity we will definitely enjoy.
Could you introduce the band L-Ahwa?
L-Ahwa is originally made up of seven siblings: Dorothy, Samaria, Gianluca, Paul, Joseph, Vincienne and Francesca, who, aside from their different professions (a teacher, an architect, a doctor, a soon-to-be medical physicist, and another three students of engineering, architecture and sciences), all share a common passion for music. Unfortunately, since the Eurovision stage only allows a maximum of six artists per act, Joseph offered to support us from behind the scenes this time round!
This time all the Bezzina siblings are competing instead of just Gianluca. Why this year?
We’ve been planning to do something together as siblings in the past, and we’ve enjoyed several local performing opportunities. This year, with Malta being also the host country for the Junior Eurovision, we thought it would be an ideal time to submit a song together. We met the publishing team in Malmö back in 2013, when Gianluca was representing Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Tomorrow’. Erik Anjou, the composer of ‘Beautiful to Me’, was very fond of Gianluca’s performance and so while back home, he decided to write him a song for his album, which he then forwarded to us. Since Gianluca had already launched his debut album by that time and also because we all immediately fell in love with the song’s feel-good vibe, we decided to work on it together to produce something different and fun. When the opportunity arose, we all agreed to submit the track.
Is there any sibling rivalry among the Bezzina children or are you always supporting each others?
Not at all! We work very closely together and always enjoy helping each other out. As a family, we have always learnt that the success of a family member is ultimately the whole family’s success.
Have you always been singing together and how often you do it nowadays?
We always remember having fun singing together. Sometimes we enjoy watching old family videos of ours and we notice that there’s always some music playing in the background… be it a nursery rhyme or a disney song… We believe our parents created just the right environment for us at home to be able to develop our musical abilities
When Gianluca competed with “Tomorrow” back in 2013, he placed eighth in the grand final. Do you want to go even higher this time?
We’d rather take things one step at a time! [Laughter]. We’re still hoping to qualify for the final.
How was the whole Eurovision experience in Malmö and what was the reception back home, after achieving a top 10 placement?
We had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves being part of the experience in Malmö when Gianluca represented Malta in 2013, so the Eurovision brings us many fond memories. The reception back home couldn’t have been any warmer! On Gianluca’s return to Malta hundreds of well-wishers turned out at Malta’s international airport to greet him. This was such an overwhelming experience and totally unexpected. We are still extremely grateful for the support these people have shown throughout Gianluca’s Eurovision journey, and also for their continuous backing today.
Could you tell something about your song “Beautiful To Me”?
‘Beautiful to Me’ is a light, positive song with a cheerful beat and a tune which makes it easy to sing along to. The lyrics are quite straightforward. As the title itself implies, it’s a song about being beautiful to someone who cares about you, even when things might not always be going your way. There’s a sense of genuinity in the simplicity of the lyrics, and this makes it so easy to sing them from the heart. This song somehow reflects the lighthearted fun we share together both musically and in general.
Have you heard the other songs of the Maltese selection yet? Any favourites or threats?
We’ve heard all the songs by now, since today was our second rehearsal on stage. It’s a tough competition, but our main aim is to have fun singing together and to make sure we deliver a great performance.
Do you have a message for you fans and readers of wiwibloggs?
We thank all the readers of wiwibloggs for their support and encouragement, and also for finding time to message or comment on our Facebook page: L-Ahwa. We truly appreciate this and also hope they enjoy our performance on the night!
Thank you for talking with us and we wish you good luck!
You’re very welcome! Thank you!
Should L-Ahwa represent Malta in Vienna? Leave your comment below!
Picture Source: PBS Malta
