Fans of Thea Garrett, who will represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest, yesterday showed their enthusiasm for the singer during the filming of footage that should inspire her and shake off the jitters just before she sets foot on the Oslo stage.
A Norwegian cameraman was in Malta to shoot what is known as the postcard aired before each contestant interpret their song. He is visiting 14 countries in 18 days, said Peter Busuttil, Malta Eurosong coordinator.
Every country had the same brief: to identify an open space and gather a minimum of 30 fans. In Malta's case, a few more turned up and the chosen venue was the newly-refurbished St George's Square in Valletta, with the President's Palace in the background.
The crowd included young and old, frantically waving Maltese flags, holding home-made posters and blowing on horns. They patiently and enthusiastically repeated the same scene, running towards the camera and cheering for the 10-second postcard.
The singer herself did not feature in the filming but turned up to show her appreciation for the support and took the opportunity to sign autographs. She also sang the Maltese version of her song My Dream, by Sunny Aquilina and Jason Cassar, for the first time in public.
The crowd attracted foreign passersby and every opportunity was taken to promote Thea Garrett, even encouraging a Greek couple to vote for her.
The singer's best friend was chosen to wish her good luck in the postcard, the idea being to use those she is close to and who would, therefore, make her feel good and calm her down just before going on stage, Mr Busuttil said.
An extended family of Thea Garrett's friends was also chosen for a scene showing them cheering at the TV in the living room of their Marsascala home, which will be aired just after her performance as though it were happening live.
Mr Busuttil said the singer had a 5,000-strong fan base on Facebook, with a waiting list of another 5,000. Most of her promotion would, in fact, be focused on the internet and her tour, which kicks off next week, will include Slovenia, Holland and Belgium.
The semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled for May 25, and the final on May 29.