A day after winning the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, Claudia Faniello is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she will be heading to Ukraine in May to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Her ninth attempt at winning the Malta competition, the seasoned 28-year-old singer told this newspaper that after more than 10 years trying, she had become accustomed to waking up the day after the contest not having made it to the top spot.
“People keep telling me it will soon sink in but after all this time trying to make it to the top, I’m used to not being the winner. Now, I feel as though I am in some dream,” Ms Faniello said.
I’m used to not being the winner. Now, I feel as though I am in some dream.
Returning to the contest after four years, a break she took to focus on her solo career, Ms Faniello said that she wanted to return with the right song, which she believed the winning number, Breathlessly, is.
The powerful ballad was composed by Philip Vella and Sean Vella and written by Gerard James Borg.
Many viewers who were glued to their television screens on Saturday commented on the singer’s emotional performance, with many questioning whether she had teared up while singing.
WATCH: Breathless Claudia Faniello heads for Eurovision Song Contest
“I was extremely overwhelmed not just because the song itself is very powerful and carries a personal meaning but also because of the audience’s reaction as I stepped on stage.
“The fact that I had been away for four years made the performance that more special and so, yes, I couldn’t hold back tears as I performed,” Ms Faniello said.
While the song will not be changed this year, as was the case with last year’s entry, Ms Faniello does not exclude that some minor changes to the song’s production would be made, a move that is the norm in these cases.
On plans for the song’s music video, Ms Faniello said she had not given this much thought yet but as was the case with the music videos for her other songs in the past, she hoped to give her input.
“I’ve always been 100 per cent involved in these things and I hope this will also be the case when it comes to the music video for Breathlessly,” Ms Faniello said.
Ms Faniello’s song won 4,966 votes, beating Janice Mangion’s Kewkba to second with 4,544 votes, while Kevin Borg, a former winner of Swedish Idol, placed third with the song Follow (2,502 votes).