Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa has undergone a major facelift: the venue that embodies roughness has for this weekend been glammed up into an industrial chic arena.

Architects and welders have renovated and transformed the three enormous shipping sheds into a glitzy venue for Junior Eurovision 2014, which is being held in Malta for the first time. The main shed will house the stage and audience of 4,000.

Federica Falzon, 11, who will be representing Malta on Saturday with her song Diamonds, looks almost miniscule in the setting.

But she is not in the least overwhelmed and is looking forward to performing in front of her largest audience ever.

Federica is used to having the spotlight on her: this year her mesmerising voice wowed the audiences of Rai Uno’s programme Ti Lascio una Canzone. In April, with the singing voice of a 30-year-old mezzo soprano, she won the final contest of the programme.

Right after the Rai Uno experience, she was chosen to represent Malta at the Junior Eurovision, which last year was won by Gaia Cauchi, and has been training for her performance with her voice coach, Gillian Attard, ever since.

“My parents and my four-year-old brother Ferdinand can now sing along by heart with me,” she says.

My parents and my four-year-old brother Ferdinand can now sing along by heart with me

Federica says her parents are more excited than she is. “I try to stay relaxed and then we’ll see.”

It helps, she adds, that at school no one asks her to sing Diamonds or anything else.

“It’s all very normal at school,” she says with a shrug.

However, outside school, she has a lot of fans – mostly children her age or a year older – who contact her via Facebook or stop her in the street.

She thinks that nerves will kick in on Friday for the jury night. On Saturday, when the public votes and the event is broadcast live in 16 countries, she will wear a gold dress especially made for her by designers Charles and Ron.

There is no sense of competition with the other 15 contestants from different countries, she observes. Every evening they all meet up for a post-rehearsal party.

“The other night, we had a cushion fight – it was great fun. We’re all good friends now.”

Her best friends will also be in the audience, something she is particularly happy about.

“It helps that people that I know will be watching in the audience – it makes me less anxious.”

Head of the Maltese delegation Daniel d’Anastasi said there will be at least 800 schoolchildren in the arena from 16 Maltese schools.

“Each school has been twinned with a singer taking part in the contest, so that will be quite a bit of enthusiasm on the night.”

The Saturday night show is fully booked, and there are just a few seats left for the Friday show.

On her way out of the interview, Federica bumps into her parents, Iris and David Falzon.

They joke and laugh about how excited they are, then they turn to us and quip: “Pray for us on Saturday... so we won’t have a heart attack while she is performing.”

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