Firelight
Firelight is a relatively new Maltese country folk pop band formed in June 2013. The driving force of Firelight is Richard Edwards. He’s the lead singer, author and composer.Richard is 31. Music is in his blood. His father is a well-known singer in Malta and just about all his family are entertainers. Richard plays the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, acoustic guitar, and percussion. He is joined in Firelight by his sister, Michelle Mifsud, on the piano, and brothers Wayne William, as backing vocalist, and Daniel Micallef on the acoustic guitar. Additional band members are Tony Polidano, on the upright bass, and Leslie Decesare on the drums and harmonica.
In 2005, Richard took a step away from home to venture in the UK music industry. While in the UK he got the chance to perform alongside Leona Lewis, Ray Quinn and other X Factor contestants. He got the thumbs up from the legendary Simon Cowell on the judge’s panel and made it to the final 80. Later Richard joined a British rock band called Cast Away. His role in the band was playing the bass and vocals. He spent time touring many places across the south east of England.
Richard returned to Malta in 2009. He has co-produced a number of singles with his brother, Wayne William. His music made it to the local charts hitting the top spot for a number of weeks. Richard entered the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 and 2005 as part of the group The Mics. Since 2010, Richard took part as Richard Edwards and came as close as the runner up in 2011 with the song Finally.
Poignant song
Firelight’s song Coming Home is a mix of pop, rock and folk rolled into one. Richard believes people will be able to relate to Coming Home in many different situations and thinks it should be especially poignant for the thousands of emigrants who travel across Europe for work, spending months away from their families.
The new album by Firelight is also called Coming Home. The album contains nine new songs. All the songs on the album are a collective effort, representing band members’ inspirations and ideas.