Claudia: "My brother was in tears because he couldn't come"

Before Claudia came to the venue, she and her team already did rehearsals at the hotel with their backing vocals: "I was imagining myself on stage. Singing for me is life, so I can’t wait to hit the stage. That’s what I’m here for."

Two dresses

Malta’s representative brought two dresses to Kyiv and is wearing a white gown for her first rehearsal. The Maltese team wanted to try different outfits to see how they look on screen: "Everything is moulding into one today."

For the second rehearsal, Claudia's outfit and hair style will be a little different. She is keeping the look a surprise, but in general it will be a simpler version of what she wore during the first rehearsal.

Even though the Maltese singer wanted to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest several times before, she is grateful for the fact that she has more experience now: "I’m feeling very calm. I’m not letting the excitement take over and I can channel these two weeks in a positive way."

Close to the heart

Claudia is blissful about the Maltese public's support during the national selection: "Even though it is a huge honour to represent a country in the first place, it is even better when it’s a public vote. They know how much I have Eurovision close to my heart."

"You know — the Eurovision Song Contest is a family thing," she said to Eurovision.tv backstage. Her brother Fabrizio Faniello represented Malta in 2001 and 2006 and he told her that the Eurovision Song Contest is a huge experience. "Unfortunately, he can’t come to Kyiv. We are very close. He was in tears when I left Malta a couple of days ago."

Claudia Faniello will sing her song Breathlessly again at the second rehearsal on Friday, 5th of May. She will represent Malta during the second Semi-Final on Thursday, 11th of May.