Malta could be up against it in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with mixed responses from bookmakers and commentators, though the feeling in Amber Bondin’s camp remains positive ahead of Thursday’s semi-final.
Warrior, written by Matt Mercieca and Elton Zarb, goes into the competition in Vienna a distant 125/1 to emerge as outright winner, the odds placing it fifth from bottom among 40 participating countries, according to Irish bookmakers Paddypower.
Amber is also viewed as a rank outsider to finish in the top 10 or top five but appears to have a reasonable chance of at least making it to Saturday’s final, with odds of 4/6 placing her 12th out of 17 countries in the second semi-final.
Ten countries will qualify from Thursday’s semi-final, joining 10 from the first semi-final tomorrow and the “big five the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Last year’s winners, Austria, round off the line-up, alongside new boys Australia, participating as a special one-off to mark the competition’s 60th anniversary.
Speaking to Times of Malta from Vienna, Mr Mercieca said the team was keeping its feet on the ground but hoping for the best.
“Amber’s in top form. She’s very confident as a person and as a singer and she’s really working as hard as she can,” he said. “There are little things we still want to work on and things we’ve had to adapt since getting here but, generally, our ideas have remained intact. The atmosphere and the arena are amazing and we’re all doing our utmost to do Malta proud.”
We’re all doing our utmost to do Malta proud
Amber held her second rehearsal on the Vienna stage last Saturday to generally positive reactions from Eurovision commentators.
“Despite being alone on stage, the Maltese diva has an impressive presence,” wrote Oikotimes, a Eurovision review site.
“The staging is just astounding, with a clever use of the LED screens, clearly inspired by Conchita’s wing of fire last year... The lady is ready to conquer semi-final two and maybe more.”
Wiwibloggs, which ranks all Eurovision entries every year, had Malta at 21st place in its full rankings, aggregating the reviews of a 29-person jury.
While some reviewers criticised Amber’s inability to hit higher notes and the song’s similarity to other “strength ballads” in this year’s line-up, the majority praised the song’s “sex appeal” and the symphonic notes added in its revamp, tipping Warrior to sneak into the final.
“The feeling is that we’re in the more difficult semi-final but the order has worked in our favour,” said Marc Calleja Bayliss, editor of ESC Flash Malta.
“We’re on just before the break, so, hopefully, the song will stick in people’s minds. My opinion is that, last year, we had a weaker song and we got through to the final, so we’re in a good position to do the same this year.”
Elsewhere, Russia and Sweden appear to be the songs to look out for, and Mr Calleja Bayliss believes Maltese listeners will “adore” Italy’s entry Grande Amore, a big bel canto number sung by a young operatic pop trio.