Malta's Eurovision ambassador Morena wants to lead by example and has turned down two generous sponsorship offers from international vodka companies.

The 24-year-old Gozitan told The Sunday Times she had been contacted by two companies who wanted her to pose in advertisements.

She said that although what they were offering was "substantial", she turned them down immediately because although her song is called Vodka, the song did not promote drinking.

"Their offers were substantial but I immediately refused because the last thing I want to do is promote alcohol. I do not drink. Instead I stick to my favourite beverages: water and peach Nestea," she said when contacted.

"My message throughout the song is that you can still enjoy yourself and have a good time without alcohol. And the same applies to drugs," she said.

Pressed for further information on what she had been offered, Morena did not divulge specific details, saying it was a mix of money, promotion and payment for the song's video.

Morena, who will be competing in the Eurovision Song Contest in Serbia later this month, said she did not need alcohol to enjoy herself.

This year all the 43 competing countries, with the exception of Serbia, last year's winner, and the Big Four - Germany, the UK, Spain and France - will start off on the same footing and will first have to make it through the semi-finals.

Due to changes introduced this year by the European Broadcasting Union, there will be two semi-finals.

Morena will be competing against 19 countries in 16th position, during the second semi-final on May 22. The final will then be held on May 24.

On the night, Morena will be accompanied by four male Swedish dancers who are expected to arrive in Malta this week to kickstart rehearsals.

She joked that during the rehearsals she might learn a few moves to surprise her viewers.

Unlike other years, Morena's promotional tour has only covered Ukraine, Latvia and London - the countries which invited her to participate in Eurovision-related events.

She said the feedback she had received in these three countries was "very good", but added this did not mean much because of the restricted audience.

"Good feedback in just these three countries is nothing to write home about. I plan to focus on my song and performance, go to Serbia and do my best for my country," she said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.