Federica Falzon has now settled back in her daily routine after winning Italian talent show Ti Lascio Una Canzone. Marc Calleja Bayliss talks with her about music, inspiration and future plans.

Federica Falzon

It is fair to say that opportunities to get the international limelight in music, where Malta is concerned, are scarce. Few artists have a proper managerial set-up or a record label. It falls upon vocal coaches to push their most promising protegees forward, in hope of recognition.

This is the story of Federica Falzon, the eleven-year-old mezzo-soprano who hit the headlines in the past weeks by winning, together with her co-singer, Italian television show Ti Lascio Una Canzone.

Federica’s ascent to fame was seen by thousands of viewers on Italian station Rai Uno. This was something, Federica tells me, that was made possible mostly thanks to initial contacts made by Gillian Attard, vocal director of La Voix Academy, where Federica receives her coaching.

“Miss Gillian asked me to submit a demo disc. Following that, I was asked to go to Italy for an audition along with two other soloists, who were both friends of mine,” the young singer says.

Federica made it through to the second phase and, eventually, also the final phase. This led to the string of performances on Ti Lascio Una Canzone.

This is the way Federica humbly recalls her beginnings on the show that was to make her a household name across Malta. When I meet up with her, it is evident that all the excitement and stress has taken its toll, with a series of press interviews both locally and internationally having left her with little time to get back on her feet since returning from Italy.

However, the whole experience remains vivid in her thoughts. The singer describes how upon arrival in Italy she was teamed up with another singer, Vincenzo.

“They wanted a duet featuring a tenor and a soprano and, to be honest, at first I found this quite scary. We were not sure that our voices blend well together, but thankfully they did and the public received our songs very well,” Federica says.

The singer adds that, once the initial nervousness wore off and they realised that the voices worked well together, the experience became a postive and fun one.

“We actually learnt quite a bit from each other.”

A immediate favourite after just the first week, Federica never dreamed that she would be in the contest for the long haul. Upon learning that she would be flying over to Italy every week, one of her first worries was the fact that she only knew “a handful of words in Italian”.

“At first, this made it difficult to communicate with Vincenzo. But as the weeks rolled on, the conversations grew longer.”

Despite her young age, Federica professes to have always wanted to sing, “whether in front of the mirror at home or in public”. Since she started voice training, her biggest challenge has been genre; initially, she sang country music, which she still enjoys occasionally, but for which she confesses she is “less suited”. She mentions her teachers Gillian Attard, Maestro John David Zammit, her parents and God, whom she thanks daily for blessing her with the chance to sing.

How much has her participation in Ti Lasico Una Canzone affected her daily life? As is to be expected, quite significantly, not least because the young singer had to miss out on school throughout the whole duration of the contest. She only managed to return to her normal schedule last week.

She admits that she finds this to be one of the biggest challenges, especially considering that in a couple of months’ time she will be sitting for the benchmark exams that all students go through before finishing primary school.

But even now, as she is back at St Benedict’s College, her mind is already drifting off to the summer months, where her dream of singing with Joseph Calleja will be coming true.

We actually learnt quite a bit from each other

“Having the opportunity to perform with Calleja is just exceptional. It has been my life-long wish and I cannot believe that it will be coming true in just a couple of months.”

The tenor made the announcement in a video message broadcast during the final episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone, an announcement that was greeted with excitement from the audience.

And if these two milestones were not enough for the singer, getting to perform in front of the Maltese audience during the upcoming Junior Eurovision Song Contest in November might just do the trick.

“It feels good to know that the event is taking place in Malta, because I need a break from travelling. I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of Gaia Cauchi and I hope to do Malta proud.”

The singer only got to know about being chosen to represent Malta upon her return from Italy, when she was asked by the media about her reaction to the news.

Before we close the interview, I ask her about her inspirations and the name Andrea Bocelli comes up.

“He has inspired my every performance. Classical is not an easy genre to perform, but he does it with soul and passion.”

A passion that Federica herself clearly reflects in her music.