Charlò Bonnici says he requested Ira's release from contract

Song for Europe organising committee chairman Charlò Bonnici said he was the one to have urged German record company Cap Sounds to release Ira Losco from her exclusive contract.

"Ira was not dumped by Cap Sounds. I had written to Manfred Holz (managing director) asking him to release Ira seeing that we couldn't get anywhere," Mr Bonnici said.

Eurovision contestants Ira and Chiara had complained about their dealings with Cap Sounds and how the company had failed to support them.

Last week, Mr Holz sent an open letter to all the media in Malta saying the company was releasing Ira after she complained in a local newspaper that she had been left completely in the dark about plans for her future career.

In the light of such developments Mr Bonnici has felt the need to clarify the situation, especially since Cap Sounds had signed up Malta's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest since 1996.

"I can only explain my experience with Cap Sounds. And though I was warned of the company's limitations when I took up the post as chairman, Cap Sounds had done a fantastic job with Fabrizio Faniello," he said.

"After Fabrizio did so well we had high hopes for Ira. In fact, prior to the Eurovision, Manfred and I had agreed in black and white that no matter what placing Ira would achieve, Cap Sounds would work to develop her career.

"We could not just decide to drop Cap Sounds there and then, especially after the glowing results Fabrizio had achieved abroad.

"Obviously we were not blind to the company's limitations and were hunting around for other opportunities, while at the same time making the best of what we had," he said.

However, after the Eurovision was over and Ira placed second, the organising committee was hopeful that opportunities would start cropping up.

"To be fair to Cap Sounds, it is true that things don't happen overnight, but we felt that the first few weeks after the Eurovision were crucial to Ira's career and, yet, nothing much happened," Mr Bonnici said.

"Ira was becoming increasingly disappointed with the situation and I too was starting to fail to see the enthusiasm from Cap Sounds.

"In the meantime, both Ira and myself were separately approached by two mega record companies. However, when they got to know Ira had an exclusive contract with another company they would shy away.

"Ira was starting to feel imprisoned and I decided that there was no alternative but for Cap Sounds to release Ira.

"At the moment we are still trying to determine the precise implications of the release.

"Obviously, though Ira placed second there was never any guarantee that she would become an international star, but she would have surely made great strides had things been done faster. I am not blaming Mr Holz, I am just stating the facts - we lost a lot of precious time," he said.

So what now?

Mr Bonnici said it was now too late for anything to happen with Ira's single 7th Wonder.

"However, Ira is now working with a Maltese professional team on producing new material, while at the same time exploring new opportunities with other record companies," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bonnici has submitted a proposal to Culture Minister Louis Galea calling for the creation of a new set-up to replace the committee. A decision is expected shortly.

At the moment there is a caretaker organising committee after its term expired on May 31.

"Dr Galea was very enthusiastic about the proposal and seeing that he has vision for the arts, I am confident that he will accept the new set-up," Mr Bonnici said.