Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Country Malta
National selection
Selection processJunior Eurosong 08
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
9 September 2008
11 September 2008
Final:
13 September 2008
Selected entrantDaniel Testa
Selected song"Junior Swing"
Finals performance
Final result4th, 100 points
Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
◄2007 2008 2009►

Malta selected their Junior Eurovision entry for 2008 through Junior Eurosong, a national final consisting of 16 songs. The winner was Daniel Testa, with the song "Junior Swing".[1]

Before Junior Eurovision

Junior Eurosong 08

Junior Eurosong 2008 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

Competing entries

Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 7 and 8 August 2008. Artists were able to submit up to two songs, however, they could only compete with one song in the national final. PBS received 74 entries, and 36 songs were selected to compete in the semi-finals.[2]

Semi-finals

Two semi-finals took place on 9 and 11 September 2008, each featuring eighteen entries. Sixteen entries qualified for the final on 13 September 2008. Six juries (consisting of four adults and two kids) evaluated the songs during the shows and each jury had an equal stake in the final result. A seventh set of votes were the results of the public televote, which had a weighing equal to the votes of a single jury. The six members of the jury that evaluated the entries during both the semi-finals consisted of:[2]

  • Jesmond Baldacchino
  • Simon Fenech
  • Mark Andrews
  • Annabelle Debono
  • Michaela Attard (Kids Jury)
  • Whitney Grech (Kids Jury)

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final took place on 9 September 2008 where eighteen songs competed for eight spots in the final.[2][3]

Draw Artist Song Result
1 Jade Cini "Do It for Me" Eliminated
2 Antonella Rapa "Cinderella" Eliminated
3 Francesca Zarb "Teenagers" Finalist[a]
4 Denise Spiteri "Eastern Breeze" Finalist
5 Angelica Portelli "A Dream" Finalist
6 Scarlet "Don't Hurt Us" Finalist
7 Marisa Galea "Sing" Finalist
8 Josmar Cassar "Id-dinja tiegħi" Eliminated
9 Natalia Gili "Magical Shoes" Eliminated
10 Claire Azzopardi "Rainbow Love" Eliminated
11 Jade Cini "Endless Voices" Finalist
12 Yazmin Helledie "Let's Have Some Fun" Eliminated
13 Jodie "The Zoo" Finalist
14 Daniel Testa "Holiday Express" Eliminated
15 Ana "Shout" Eliminated
16 Marie-Claire "In My Heart" Finalist
17 Ylenia Vella "I Can't Live Without You" Finalist
18 Whitney & Jody "Believe In You" Eliminated

Semi-final 2

The second semi-final took place on 11 September 2008 where eighteen songs competed for eight spots in the final.[2][4]

Draw Artist Song Result
1 Danica Muscat "Touch of Joy" Eliminated
2 Mariah Mifsud Bonnici "Music of Your Heart" Eliminated
3 Norbert Bondin "Young and Free" Eliminated
4 Naomi Marie Bugeja "Mr. DJ" Eliminated
5 Francesca Sciberras "Fulfill My Dream" Finalist
6 Shieradye Micallef "Singing in the Street" Finalist
7 Daphne Xuereb "Summer Fun" Eliminated
8 Francesca Zarb "I Dream Awake" Eliminated[a]
9 Daniel Testa "Junior Swing" Finalist
10 Danica Muscat "Trust and Believe" Finalist
11 Nicole Azzopardi "Good Times" Finalist
12 Bernice Ann Mercieca "Pray" Eliminated
13 Denise Spiteri "City of Angels" Eliminated
14 Joseph Refalo "Tonight" Eliminated
15 Yazmin Helledie "Fly" Finalist
16 Antonella Abela "The Land of Make Believe" Finalist
17 Christian Muscat & Maria Cuschieri "Sing Your Life" Eliminated
18 Nicole Azzopardi "Once Upon a Time" Eliminated

Final

The final took place on 13 September 2008. The votes of an eight-member jury panel (8/9) and the results of public televoting (1/9) determined the winner. Eight juries (consisting of four adults and four kids) evaluated the songs during the shows and each jury had an equal stake in the final result. A seventh set of votes were the results of the public televote, which had a weighing equal to the votes of a single jury.[5] The eight members of the jury that evaluated the entries during the final consisted of:[2]

  • Sigmund Mifsud
  • Moyra Felice
  • Debbie Scerri
  • J. Anvil
  • Yorika Attard (Kids Jury)
  • Jake Cortis (Kids Jury)
  • Deborah Faye Mercieca (Kids Jury)
  • Darren Deneo (Kids Jury)
Draw Artist Song Points Place
1 Shieradye Micallef "Singing in the Street" 73 7
2 Francesca Zarb "Teenagers" 63 11
3 Angelica Portelli "A Dream" 35 16
4 Denise Spiteri "Eastern Breeze" 73 7
5 Francesca Sciberras "Fulfill My Dream" 64 10
6 Ylenia Vella "I Can't Live Without You" 111 4
7 Marisa Galea "Sing" 106 5
8 Jodie "The Zoo" 119 2
9 Yazmin Helledie "Fly" 118 3
10 Jade Cini "Endless Voices" 42 14
11 Antonella Abela "The Land of Make Believe" 61 12
12 Danica Muscat "Trust and Believe" 85 6
13 Daniel Testa "Junior Swing" 140 1
14 Marie-Claire "In My Heart" 39 15
15 Nicole Azzopardi "Good Times" 68 9
16 Scarlet "Don't Hurt Us" 54 13

At Eurovision

On 14 October 2008 the running order for Junior Eurovision took place, and the Maltese song was given the spot to perform in the tenth position; the same as in the 2007 contest. Daniel Testa reached to end up in the fourth place, the best position for Malta in this contest. This was also the best European result for Malta since Chiara's second position placing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.[6]

Voting

Points awarded to Malta[7]
Score Country
12 points[b]
10 points  Ukraine
8 points  Bulgaria
7 points
6 points
5 points  Russia
4 points  Belarus
3 points
2 points
1 point  Serbia
Points awarded by Malta[7]
Score Country
12 points  Ukraine
10 points  Lithuania
8 points  Georgia
7 points  Belarus
6 points  Russia
5 points  Macedonia
4 points  Cyprus
3 points  Romania
2 points  Belgium
1 point  Netherlands

Notes

  1. ^ a b It is unclear why "Teenager" qualified instead of "I Dream Awake", meaning nine entries qualified from the first semi-final and seven qualified from the second semi-final, despite eight entries were supposed to qualify from each.
  2. ^ All countries received one set of 12 points to ensure no country finished with nul points.

References

  1. ^ "Tonight Junior national selection". Oikotimes. 2008-09-13. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Malta 2008".
  3. ^ "Eurovision-fr.net - Finale nationale - Eurovision - Junior Malte 2008".
  4. ^ "Eurovision-fr.net - Finale nationale - Eurovision - Junior Malte 2008".
  5. ^ "Eurovision-fr.net - Finale nationale - Eurovision - Junior Malte 2008".
  6. ^ "Final of Lemesos 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Results of the Final of Lemesos 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.