Ignatius Farrugia has watched the Eurovision Song Contest live 14 times since his first experience in 1992, when Mary Spiteri placed third.
"Whenever I'm not able to make it I feel like I've lost a year of my life," he says, describing the contest as a great way of sharing cultures, meeting people and having fun, all in the name of music.
The former mayor of Żurrieq was among the Maltese fans who travelled to Oslo to support Thea Garrett and was extremely disappointed by Tuesday's semi-final results because he was convinced she would qualify with "maximum points".
"But this is not the end of the world and we should continue taking part in this contest. We just need to focus on better marketing and communication. Other countries put so much effort into this," he says.
His favourite moment each year in the whole Eurovision experience is the few seconds before the Maltese contestant goes on stage. "I'll be about to explode with excitement... I get shivers just thinking of that moment," he admits.
Unlike the rest of the Maltese watching the show on their television screens, Mr Farrugia gets to witness the singers' excitement backstage as he sees them prepare from his front row seat.
He says the Eurovision changes a bit each year but the biggest change he saw was when Israel won in 1998 with transsexual Dana International.
"Before she won, the atmosphere surrounding the Eurovision was very different. We would have to wear suits to enter the arena. Now it's like an MTV party. Dana attracted many gay people to the Eurovision, so everything became more colourful and fun... more of a party."
Mr Farrugia's all-time favourite Maltese entry was Debbie Scerri's Let Me Fly but his best memories were when the Eurovision was held in Greece and Turkey: in Greece because he made loads of friends who treated him like family and in Turkey because he got on so well with Maltese duo Julie and Ludwig.
"The only person who competes with them in terms of friendliness is Thea. She impressed me because as soon as we arrived she invited us to her hotel room to welcome us."
In stark contrast, he said he did not have a great relationship with Chiara last year, adding he would never forget the time she refused to have a picture taken with him.
Mr Farrugia does not think the notorious political voting between neighbouring countries is what hampers Malta's chances. "I don't believe anyone has ever won because of the political voting. However, yes, we do need better direction, more lobbying, contact making and more consultation with people who understand how the Eurovision works."
So what does he think about the €400,000 budget allocated this year?
"This is the largest platform a Maltese artist can have. If it were up to me we would have spent even more, if necessary, because I think it's important to produce a good video too, something that didn't happen this year."
After spending the semi-final waving his Maltese flag, Mr Farrugia is now rooting for Azerbaijan to win, firstly because he loves their song, Drip-Drop, but also because he will get to visit a new country next year. If that does not work, his next favourite is Greece.
"I'd gladly return to Greece any year," he says with a big smile on his face.