This year marks the 38th edition of the L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival, which was first staged back in 1973.

Interestingly, the festival was not originally intended to be a competitive event but a musical get-together by a group of youths looking to entertain themselves and write new songs in Maltese.

The response to the local event, despite the fact that back then Malta already had an established national festival of songs in Maltese, was so encouraging that the Youth Travel Circle (YTC), which is behind the festival, decided to take the event to the next level. Since 1986, it has been held at a national level.

The shift also brought a competitive edge to the fore, but despite the obvious rivalry that drives artists, writers and composers to rise to the challenge, the festival stands for friendship above all else. Its charm is steadfastly rooted in the friendly atmosphere that pervades the entire event.

That said, there is no shortage in the number of bands and artists seeking to win the coveted first place.

Since the event was re-launched as a competitive festival, the list of winners has featured some well-known names, among them veterans like The Greenfields, Enzo Gusman and Philip Vella, as well as more recent household names such as Julie Zahra, Ludwig Galea, Janvil, Glen Vella and Eleanor Cassar, Walter Micallef and Corazon.

In recent years, the festival has seen an increase in the participation of artists whose music seeks to transcend the traditional aspect of the kanzunetta Maltija; artists whose musical inventiveness grasps more contemporary elements and weaves them into a fresh hybrid that, in time, will most likely be a driving force behind the evolution of the Maltese song.

The presence of such bands and artists, among them Brikkuni and Kultural (both have won the festival), Plato’s Dream Machine, Mistura, Banda Briganti and Kantilena, for example, has also helped to attract new audiences to the L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival.

I, for one, certainly hope that there will be more of this infiltration in future editions.

This year’s edition will feature 16 entries, all of which will be performed live.

The final 16 were picked from a total of 71 entries by a panel of judges composed of Joe Grech, Tony Micallef, Justin Galea, Joyce Grech and Martin Degabriele.

The festival will feature 16 entries, all of which will be performed live

Charles Schembri, from the festival’s organising committee, said the judges were very positive about the general level of the songs that were entered for the festival this year.

“Apart from pointing out the high level of the songs, the five judges also remarked that the songs explored different styles, while lyrically they presented topics that the public would surely find appealing.”

Above all, the judges’ comments also underlined the sterling work that the YTC is doing in promoting the use of the Maltese language in song and in presenting it in such a way as to make it appealing to the masses.

Apart from trophies, those placing first, second and third at this year’s L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival will also receive cash prizes of €1,000, €600 and €400 respectively.  The act that wins the Best Singer-Songwriter award will receive €500.

L-Għanja tal-Poplu will be held on Saturday at the University of Malta’s Sir Temi Zammit Hall, Msida. The festival is being organised with the collaboration of Studio 7 and with support from the Malta Arts Fund, and will be broadcast live on One TV and radio. Tickets cost €10 and €8 and are available online.

www.ghanjafest.com

www.ticketline.com.mt

L-Għanja Tal-Poplu 2014 finalists