A milestone in a musical journey

With six weeks to go till the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga, Latvia, Malta Song for Europe Festival winner Lynn Chircop tells Alexander Muscat Azzopardi about her future plans and the realisation of her dreams

A newcomer to the Eurovision scene, but definitely not to music. Twenty-two years old, Lynn Chircop has displayed an affinity for music for over 14 years.

She was six years old when she started studying the piano, and she started singing earlier still. Festivals and contests were to follow, including some wins.

She was still studying the piano when, at the age of 14, she obtained her ATCL diploma. She had cut down on singing, but at 15 picked up song-writing, Purple memory being one of her first songs.

Lynn then started performing at various hotels and at weddings, at times singing, generally on the piano and also as part of a classical trio.

She then travelled to Germany for a year studying classical music, and furthered her studies at the local Institute of Tourism Studies where she took a course in guiding.

Throughout her education, though, she always had her mind set on her own style of music. Having won Talentissimi 2000 through her rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, Lynn started performing and singing live.

Lynn has always had a vast range of interests, including tourism - she obtained a Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification, and worked in a travel agency. She would have liked to study law, a dream she failed to pursue as it is such a long course. In her free time she persevered with song-writing and eventually chose it as a full-time career more as a matter of course.

Lynn is also interested in rock music, with her career involving a band, Blend 7, with whom she is a vocalist. The band have written seven songs and should be recording soon. She also finds time for the occasional jazz session.

According to Lynn, audiences "should appreciate the effort musicians put into their work to do their best, and accept musicians as they are, not what you want them to be."

"I never had a fixation on anything," she said, "but I think you have to, to achieve in life."

However the Eurovision contest did not yet form part of her plans and she was quite hesitant to participate in the Malta Song for Europe Festival, intending to strengthen her public image.

However, when she heard To dream again, composed by Alfred Zammit, with lyrics by Cynthia Sammut, she decided to give it a shot, never expecting to win.

To a certain extent, "Eurovision is the ultimate goal" for local artists because promotion within these islands, and consequently overseas, is very hard to obtain. Lynn believes that "the Eurovision is a showcase for (participating) artists" who are "starting on the right foot" in the international music scene.

Even before Lynn's Eurovision performance, Bridge Productions managed to sign a contract with the German label ZYX.

She has already recorded three versions of To dream again - the version she will sing in Riga on May 24 which is just under three minutes long; a radio version which is half a minute longer and a club mix, stretched to almost five-and-a-half minutes. An album will be released within two years.

Lynn admits that she is hard-headed in most aspects of her life, but especially where music is concerned. "But in a positive way," she quickly adds. She is extremely self-critical, and is also surrounded by constructive criticism through her conductor brother, Alan, four years her senior.

The siblings have similar ideas, but tackle situations very differently. He is more reserved, as well as more disciplined and serious, which leads to diverse opinions and a better overall performance.

The Chircop family is very supportive of Lynn's work. She also has a hard-working team of stylists and sponsors who are indispensable to her overall image.

Lynn has already started her promotional tour, having recently visited Cyprus, and she will visit Spain, Austria, London, Poland, and possibly Ireland and Latvia before the actual contest.

Web surfers can log on to www.lynnchircop.com or e-mail info@lynnchircop.com. Fans can also send text messages to 507-5555 (her performance will be fifth in the running order). Alternatively they can send mail to PO Box 80, Marsa GPO 01.