Malta: Welcome back Chiara

As with her two previous attempts in the Eurovision Song Contest, Chiara is again completely alone on stage, with the only instrument being her powerful voice. The LED backdrop is an underwater scene. As expected, the vocals were very strong and competent and the rehearsals passed successfully without event. The overall performance is simplistic without any gimmicks or distractions, leaving Chiara herself to sell the song with her charm, charisma and vocal prowess.

Chiara opened her press conference by welcoming everyone and saying that she had missed them in the four years since her last participation in Kyiv in 2005. Chiara didn't rule out the possibility that even if she did win in Moscow, she still may come back again as she loves the competition so much.

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When asked about her first rehearsal, Chiara added "I was a bit afraid the first time I sang it today, the stage is very slippery, i'm always afraid I may fall on stage. It was good today, but I will still improve before the night". Another journalist asked Chiara about her victory in the Maltese national selection, and how emotional it was for her. Chiara said " As some of you may know, my father died a few months ago, and it's still very fresh in my mind. It was different in Malta as I was singing with all of my family ther, so the emotions were higher there than here now".

The team were asked about the staging for the song, and the graphics on the LED screens. Producer Munro Forbes took the question and said "We were surprised about the backdrop, we don't think it was suitable, an underwater sequence with an Atlantis style setting doesn't suit the lyrics of the song, so we had a long discussion afterwards and it will be changed and completely different the next time you see Chiara rehearse."

Chiara has in the past said that her favourite songwriter is Diane Warren, a journalist asked how she felt about the fact that she would be competing against a Diane Warren song written for the United Kingdom. Chiara added "Yes, it's true. It's an honour to be in the same competition. I have recorded a song of Diane's before, but we didn't get chance to meet so I hope that we will do so in Moscow."

Chiara rounded off the press conference by saying that she felt that What If We is the strongest of her three Eurovision Song Contest attempts to date.

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Back in 1998, a relatively unknown artist walked out onto the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Birmingham and sang The One That I Love which finished in third place. Chiara had become a star and between 1998 and 2003 she released three albums in Malta and won the Best Female Artist at the Malta Music Awards 1998. In 2000 and 2001, Chiara performed in concert with Leo Sayer and Boney M respectively. In 2005 she returned to the Maltese finals with Angel written by herself. With this, Chiara won the ticket to represent Malta in Kiev at the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest where she was one of the favourites to win the trophy and came close second. After this great result, Chiara has been working a lot around the island and abroad, especially in Greece and Cyprus.  This year, she convincingly won the national Maltese heats for the Eurovision Song Contest again and will represent her native country for the third time.