'I did my best and that's what counts'

As many questioned what went wrong for Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest, Morena was refusing to let anything dampen her spirits yesterday.

"Of course it's disappointing not to qualify but I did my utmost and that's what matters. I would only be down if I had not given it my best shot," she said.

Having just woken up at 11 a.m., after a night of partying at the Euroclub in Belgrade with family, friends and fans, her voice resonated with the usual cheer as she got ready to make the most of her free time by going shopping and doing a spot of sightseeing.

Morena, together with backing vocalist Annabelle Debono and the four Swedish dancers, held the Maltese flag up high at the party, organised in the aftermath of the Eurovision's second semi-final.

Nobody was disheartened by the downpour outside as winners and losers danced through the early morning hours.

The party was organised by OGAE Serbia. DJ Charlò, from OGAE Malta, was among those who kept the crowds entertained. At one point, Morena even went up on stage to give a rendition of Vodka, composed by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg, to loud applause and cheers.

"People were coming up to me at the club saying they were surprised that we didn't make it. They didn't have to say anything and what matters is that our entry was different and we gave it our best shot," Morena said.

Would she ever consider trying her luck on the Eurovision stage again? "I never say never," she said with a laugh, thanking the Maltese and fans who backed her.

She encouraged the Maltese to still watch tonight's final: "I'm going to the show and I plan to have fun and party."

Now that Malta's entry is out of tonight's Eurovision final, the soul-searching begins as to what could have gone wrong for three years in a row.

Technically, nothing seems to have gone amiss. Overall, Morena gave a good performance and the choreography was clean and synchronised. However, several questions remain. Should Maltasong have done something different? Would a new board have more success? Was our entry good enough? Do we take the festival too seriously?

Maltasong chairman Robert Abela said the board had already tendered its resignation when new Culture Minister Dolores Cristina was appointed. However, it was asked to "continue with business as usual" and its term now ends in June.

"I'd like to know what went wrong because I cannot put my finger on one cause. The dancers were well rehearsed and Morena did her part," said Mr Abela, who is not seeking another term.

He believes Malta should continue competing in the Eurovision Song Contest because the festival provides a platform for Maltese artistes to learn and become more professional in their approach.

"It's a competition. There is no winning formula. Look at Finland, they kept competing and after 40 years of trying they won with Lordi," he added.

Thomas Benstem, Malta's choreographer who is extremely popular in his home country Sweden, doubts whether doing things differently would have mattered.

"We came up with a concept and we rehearsed every day to perfect our moves and keep it real. I don't think we could have done anything different," he said.

Mr Benstem, who has worked on international projects such as MTV European Music Awards and Top of the Pops, believes Malta should not stop taking part in the festival.

"This is a competition which so many people are committed to and no matter what the outcome is it brings people together. You can make it one year and win, then come up with a similar package the next year and lose," he said.

Mr Benstem said it was not just the Maltese who took the festival seriously. In Sweden the Eurovision Song Contest was "life or death" and his country was spending some €20,000 (Lm8,586) each time it used the laser for Charlotte Perrelli's show at this year's entry.

"Sweden really wants to win," he said with a smile.

Over breakfast a comparison emerged between Maltese football and the Eurovision Song Contest and whether Malta should pull out of competing on an international level in football despite the fact that it never won major cup finals.

Among the surprises from Thursday's semi-final was the fact that countries such as Albania, Croatia and Latvia qualified, while Switzerland and Hungary, like Malta, were left out in the cold.

If Italy were harbouring any thoughts of re-emerging to compete in the contest it may want to reconsider. San Marino, which took part for the first time this year, and Switzerland, which competed with Paolo Meneguzzi, a popular Italian-Swiss star, both failed to qualify.

Mr Vella, Vodka's composer, was very disappointed that Malta was eliminated and he could not put his finger on a specific reason.

"There were countries with an exceptional product and others that did not have one but still made it. I was definitely surprised Paolo Meneguzzi, who is a big star, did not qualify, while Turkey made it," he said. "I feel it is important to continue competing but let's change our attitude towards this festival and not take it so seriously."

Mr Vella felt there was no hard and fast rule to winning, though money, an exceptional song and exceptional artiste could guarantee a good placing.

Meanwhile, Norman Hamilton, former Maltasong chairman, was surprised that Morena had not unlocked the Eurovision code of making it to the finals. He questioned whether the time had come to ask the European Broadcasting Union for a two-year moratorium to ponder Malta's fate in the song contest.

"Would it make us any wiser? It can, because we can attend the festival without the pressure of competing and observe in depth what is happening," he said. "Otherwise, we can keep going on the way we are and hope we get it right one day, like Finland did. Certainly, the next committee will have to put on its thinking cap and go back to the drawing board."