A Malta Eurovision Song Contest “virgin”, many of you will be familiar with Nadine Bartolo’s roots in music: as the daughter of the late Sammy Bartolo, it had to happen! She describes her entry, Can’t Get Away, as a pop song with a little bit of soul “that will make you move and feel the beat”. The song, Nadine says, talks about a woman who is deeply in love and whose feeling is not requited.
“But she will not give up and she cannot get away.”
The humble singer (when asked why she believes she deserves to win, she replies that it’s up to the judges to decide) is inspired by Beyoncé’s and Adele’s music. Nadine’s days usually kick off at seven with a brisk dog-walk, followed by a fast clean-up at home before leaving for work.
“I have to make sure everything is in order before I leave the house as I'm a neatness freak. I hate being late too, so after that it’s a mad rush to work. My evenings are pretty chilled with dinner and downtime with my partner in front of the TV.”
She describes the run-up to the Malta Eurovision Song Contest as uber-hectic but fun, with rehearsals taking up a great deal of time and effort. Her biggest fear – and I’m sure she’s not the only one here – is that she’ll blank out and forget the lyrics on the night!
“But I am looking forward to the actual performance. I plan to wear a simple outfit to match the song. ”
The singer has her feet firmly planted on the ground, however. Upon pointing out that Eurovision entries receive truckloads of criticism from music-lovers, her reply is pragmatic: “when you're in the public eye people have the right to criticise. I like constructive criticism, because this too helps me to improve.”
As regards that thorniest of questions - why Malta has not yet made it as winner in the international contest – the reply is the one that seems to have become a stock response. Certain countries give their votes to their neighbours and others countries probably have more money to market the song. Hmmm. So is it a question of luck or talent to make it to Azerbaijan AND to be crowned queen on the night?
“Both. You need an equal measure of both.”
Getting to know Nadine
Can’t stand: House music and hard rock .
On her MP3 player: Anything that’s pop, soul, R&B or “slow”.
Stage superstition: No purple allowed.
Favourite gadget: The tablet.
Web addict? No, but keeps in touch on Facebook on a daily basis.
Favourite food: Chinese.
Favourite time of year: summer, for the sun and the beaching.
Pets: A dog, a cat and a parrot.
Wants to visit: Vegas and Australia.
Drives: A Mazda 2.
Favourite movies: Grease and Dirty Dancing.
Last book read: Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.