To date, Chiara Siracusa remains the only contestant to have represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest three times. She tells Andrea Faye Christians about when she came close to winning the Eurovision.
It remains one of our biggest Eurovision heartbreaks ever. It was 16 years ago that Chiara Siracusa took to the stage at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK. At the time just 21 years old, she gave a stupendous performance and, as the voting started, all Malta stood on the edge of the proverbial seat. Chiara was climbing up positions, her song The One That I Love holding on first position in a joint lead with Israel’s Dana International.
The heartbreak came right in the end. Macedonia gave Malta no points at all, pushing Chiara into third position behind Dana International and the UK’s entry, Imaani.
Seven years later, Chiara gave it a second shot with Angel, a ballad which she had written and composed herself. Following another great performance in Kiev, Ukraine, once again Chiara came very close to winning the elusive Eurovision crown, placing second with 192 points, behind Greece. The only consolation was that by virtue of those 192 points, to date, Angel remains the most successful Maltese Eurovision entry of all time.
Our wishful thinking was that, after third place in 1998 and second place in 2005, Chiara would win the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Sadly, she finished 22nd in the final vote with her song What If We. Yet again, there was some consolation because, with her three entries accumulating a grand total of 388 points, Chiara became the third most successful Eurovision artist in terms of total points earned in her performances.
For Chiara, her 2005 Eurovision participation remains a high point in her career.
“That year was an amazing one for me,” she recalls. “The Eurovision finals were my chance to share a song I had composed, Angel, with the rest of the world. Even today, every time I sing Angel, I feel the warmth of my fans and all the emotions I felt when I wrote it come out.
“I knew it was a good song and when I went on stage, I gave everything I had. My father, who was with me in Kiev, was convinced that we had a good change to win. In fact, we came really close. It was an unforgettable evening and a memorable performance and I still get goosebumps whenever I watch it, even after all these years.
I’m a great believer in giving my all in every performance – that way people can see where the music is coming from
“That night, the feeling of support I got from the audience was incredible. I remember very clearly that when I went on stage and was waiting for my song to start, there was this amazing round of applause. It lasted throughout the whole song. It gave me an incredible adrenalin rush that I still feel today whenever I think about it.”
Chiara’s Eurovision participations have had a positive impact on her career.
“Ever since my first Eurovision participation in 1998, I’ve had the honour to travel around the world. So far I have sung in over 40 countries. There are some places which I can never forget and the welcome I received is amazing. There are other places like Greece where I get the same attention that I do in Malta. That is quite incredible when you consider that it was actually Greece that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005.
“It was the Eurovision that launched me internationally and I’m still going places thanks to it. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Since her first participation in 1998, Chiara’s music has definitely changed.
“In these years, I have tried different styles of music. I like experimenting and it’s interesting to see how my fans react to my new styles. I do a lot of shows all over Europe and also further afield sometimes. I’m a great believer in giving my all in every performance – that way people can see where the music is coming from. I think that is really important and is something that will never change.
“My plan is to keep evolving, learning and sharing my experiences through my music,” Chiara says. “It’s what I love to do and it’s also my way of giving something back to all those people who have supported me throughout the years.”
The question that comes to mind is obvious: would Chiara consider having another go at representing Malta at the Eurovision?
“Only time can tell what will happen in the future but I don’t think I could ever say no to representing my country anywhere in the world. It would be my fourth time representing Malta at the Eurovision – I would use all the experience and do my utmost to do well in a festival which Malta loves so much.”