Updated - A huge crowd turned up tonight for the Isle of the MTV concert on the granaries in Floriana, filling the huge square as early as 8 pm.

Organisers said the crowd was bigger than the six previous editions, when some 50,000 mostly young people attended.

Electro-dance singer and songwriter Eva Simons got the party started with her unique blend of high energy dance-pop. Belting out tracks including the explosive “I Don’t Like You” while sporting a custom made reflective vest and her trademark fiery hair.

Nelly Furtado (Picture Matthew Mirabelli)

Canadian superstar Nelly Furtado then took to the stage, wowing the screaming fans with a phenomenal performance including her smash hit “Maneater”, followed by “Big Hoops”, the debut single from her forthcoming album The Spirit Indestructible. Furtado was backed by a full rock band and joined by numerous guests throughout her set.

Hot on her heels with an unexpectedly wild set of his own, Flo Rida, whose high octane, energy-filled performance included smash hits “In the Ayer” and “Low”, had the crowd going crazy and screaming for more.

Flo Rida

Singing into a bling-encrusted, winged microphone, Flo Rida literally took off into the crowd – first to hand out roses to the ladies during smash hit “Wild Ones”, then to high five as many people as possible, running almost all the way to the back of the square past thousands of screaming fans and performing the remainder of the chart-topping “Good Feeling” from atop a fence. Security officers had a tough job just holding the fences back. Also performing “Whistle”, “Club Can’t Handle Me”, Flo Rida was clearly thrilled to be in Malta again.

Also making a return, having performed here in 2009 as part of the group that shot him to international super-stardom, Black Eyed Peas, producer, performer, philanthropist and TV personality will.i.am returned to the Isle of MTV stage,  as a chart-topping solo artists, to bring this year’s show to a close.

Surrounded by dancers wearing 3D iPad helmets with moving images of his face, will.i.am opened with smash hit “T.H.E (Hardest Ever)”, before serenading the crowd with dance ballad “This is Love featuring Eva Simons”, for which she returned to the stage.  The electrifying duo was surrounded by circus performers, on-stage pyrotechnics and dozens of popping dancers. Moving his talents to the decks, will.i.am continued with an unforgettable DJ set providing the ultimate summer soundtrack to crown what many viewed as being the best Isle of MTV Malta Special to date.

The show was a collaboration between  MTV, the Ministry of Tourism and the  Malta Tourism Authority.

It will be broadcast throughout Europe, India, Brazil and Mexico across MTV’s international channel network on 23 July.