Eurovision: Many claim not to follow it, but everyone does

 His is definitely not a name we associate with the Malta Eurovision song contest. With artists like KISS, yes. With Eurowarblers like Dana International, no. So, is he trying to pull a Lordi on us here? Maybe...

“What can I say, I found a very good rock song on my plate and I decided to give it a shot. In fact the song is not typical Eurovision at all and that’s what I like about it!”

Gianni’s entry is called Petals on a Rose. Hmmm. Not very rock’n’roll, innit? But Gianni assures me that it is, indeed, a rock ballad with, erm, cojones. So should we expect any surprises, Gianni style, on stage?

“What, the fact that I’m taking part in the festival is not surprise enough for you? Well, we’re going to be six guys rocking out on stage. Anything can happen.”

Does this mean that all these years our favourite bad boy has been a closet Eurovision aficionado?

“Many people claim not to follow it, but everyone does! Yeah, I’m one of them! Though I should add that these past couple of years I was working, so I had to miss it. Of course I do have my theories about why we haven’t won the European contest yet, but they’re just theories. I do believe that the strength of the song is the main factor when it comes to winning a competition of this sort. Personally I’d go as far as to say that the performer and the performance come second. A close second, but second nonetheless. As for whether it’s just a matter of luck, I’d say it’s a fine mix of both. Of course you have to be talented and you have to be lucky as well. Then it’s just a matter of weighing out the two.”

But seriously, isn’t the Eurovision the butt of all the jokes from the rest of the “musical” world?

“Yep. My favourite criticism so far was the following. The Eurovision; where music goes to die. There have been some crap songs in the past, let’s admit it! I think that the festival (both locally and internationally) is a great platform for performers and musicians and some good songs have come out of it… however, to each his own.”

In my mind, Gianni is associated more with commercial rock than anything else. So are there any genres he doesn’t get? Rather surprisingly, the reply is no: “I respect and appreciate all kinds of music.”

So why should people vote for your song?

“They should vote for the song only if they like it!”

Given his happy-go-lucky personality, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised that Gianni is not hard-selling this. Should he happen to win, he tells me, he’d probably be more surprised than everyone else.

“I think my reaction would be a mix of joy and fear. Joy, because music has taken me to a new level and fear because, well, it’d be a case of ‘what happens now’."

The entertainer confirms that he’s already taken what he calls a “diva week off” before the weekend event, just so he can chill and relax. With the first hint of stress, he adds, his voice is the first thing that goes.

Is he scared at all?

“Scared? This is fun, not scary. I love performing so going on stage is going to be great– and I’m really looking forward to the backstage antics that we (the band) will get up to. They’d better start locking the ladies’ dressing rooms from now!”

With a bunch of macho men like these, does the question of “what’s the outfit for the night going to be” even arise?

“We’re a bunch of hairy rockers, so stylist Carina Camilleri had a bit of a hard time making us look decent! You could say that we’re going to look like a bunch of style-challenged guys going to a stylish funeral.”