Updated (1a.m.)

Chiara qualified from the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest tonight and told a press conference afterwards that she felt honoured to take Malta back to the final: "The pressure has eased and I'm used to what's coming next. I was not used to the semi-final."

Beaming from ear to ear, Chiara told the packed press room that returning to the Eurovision scene was not a matter of promotion, but merely stubbornness for her to complete what she started.

"I came close to winning twice (third in 1998 and second in 2005) and I came back this year to try and finish what I started," she enthused.

The 10 countries that qualified also drew a number from the pot for the position they will perform in during Saturday's final - Chiara drew number 14. There will be 24 countries vying for the coveted title on the day.

Chiara qualification for Saturday’s final of the Eurovision Song Contest breaks a spell of three consecutive disappointing placings.

Her voice filled the Olympyisky Arena and despite a shaky start, she gave a strong rendition of her song What If We.

The qualifying countries were announced by the show’s presenters Natalia Vodyanova and Andrey Malakhov who 'opened' 10 virtual envelopes.

Silence preceded each announcement followed by the euphoria of the country that qualified.

The 10 finalists that qualified, in the order they were announced, were: Turkey, Sweden, Israel, Portugal, Malta, Finland, Bosnia Herzegovina, Romania, Armenia, and Iceland.

The first nine countries were chosen through televoting in the 18 countries, while the 10th spot, the wild card, went to the song that placed the highest in the juries' voting, but did not qualify through televoting.

The scoreboard featuring the final results of the two semi-finals will not be revealed until after Saturday’s final so as not to prejudice the public vote on the night.