Image Credit: Kris Micallef
After a strong result in 2021 with ‘Je Me Casse’ by former JESC winner Destiny, Malta has decided to send one of their biggest artists – Emma Muscat.
After MESC & then a switch of song, Emma now will head to Turin with ‘I Am What I Am’. Discover more about her and her potential in this years Eurovision Song Contest below…
Who Is Emma Muscat?
Emma Muscat was born on the 27th of November 1999 in St. Julian’s, Malta. She is a classically trained piano player and has been interested in music since childhood. She began her career in 2016 with her debut single ‘Alone’.
She participated in the Italian TV talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi in 2018, and following her success on the show she signed with Warner Music Italy. Her EP ‘Moments’ reached #3 on the Italian charts, and since then her fame has only grown not only in Italy but also in her home nation.
MESC 2022
Malta returned to a national final format in 2022, and after the song reveal two things were clear: the quality of songs was poor, and Emma Muscat was winning. Emma’s biggest and somewhat only challenger was the Eurovision fan’s favourite Aidan with the Maltese-language pop song ‘Ritmu’, which eventually came second to her. He has been on the entire Pre-Party press tour (aside from Israel Calling), so he has been able to have a taste of the ESC experience even if he won’t perform in Turin.
Emma may have won MESC, but it wasn’t with ‘I Am What I Am’. In fact, her original song was ‘Out Of Sight’, and like her new song, it wasn’t necessarily the ‘wow’ moment people expected from such a big star like herself. It’s not the first time Malta has switched songs, as they also did it in 2016 with Ira Losco changing ‘Chameleon’ to ‘Walk On Water’ for the Stockholm contest. The song change wasn’t well-received either, with some thinking the new song wasn’t an improvement, that ‘Out Of Sight’ could’ve just undergone a revamp & that it was unfair for her to win a contest like MESC with a different song to only change it a few weeks later, especially when the new song was a rumoured Melodifestivalen reject.
Emma herself has explained why she changed the song, and she’s still remaining positive. She told Eurovision World:
When I first listened to it (‘I Am What I Am’), I immediately connected with the lyrics of the song. It was completely different from the original track I was presented. I personalised it, made it my own, adjusted the lyrics and included the piano.
There’s definitely more of an Emma touch to “Out of Sight”. It is more within the lines of what I’d write. It is also an autobiographical song, but for Eurovision people do want something catchier and I do agree that “Out of Sight” wasn’t that catchy. You have to listen to it a couple of times.
Emma Muscat, Eurovision World
How Well Will ‘I Am What I Am’ Do At ESC 2022?
If the viewer is looking for an empowering, cliché song then ‘I Am What I Am’ will tick all the right boxes. Lyrically, it’s all about how it’s ok that sometimes you don’t fit in & that you can stand up for yourself. A sweet message, but one many fans are tired of hearing in Eurovision songs. She’ll also miss the Italian televote here – they vote in Semi-Final 1, and she’s in Semi-Final 2.
Every time I fall down
As soon as I hit the ground
Remind me who I am, yeah
And I’ll get back up again
Gettin’ up, gettin’ up, yeahThis is my masterplan, I’m gonna take a stand
Take it or leave it
I am what I am
I believe that I can, I’m gonna take command
Take it or leave it
I am what I am (x3)Bending backwards trying to fit in
Lyrics to the first verse & chorus of ‘I Am What I Am’
I’ll make them understand, yeah
Take it or leave it
I am what I am
‘I Am What I Am’ does have a good place in the running order – it may be on 6th, but it follows ‘Lock Me In’ from Georgia. Going from one of the potentially least accessible songs to one of the most could really push the televote in Malta’s direction. With the 5 preceding songs being so different from each other (‘Jezebel’, ‘I.M’, ‘In Corpore Sano’, ‘Fade To Black’ and ‘Lock Me In’) Emma may be a welcome addition to viewers wanting to have a song they can just relax with and enjoy listening to. She comes before San Marino’s Achille Lauro who is sure to put on a show, especially in his home country, so we could be seeing a battle between the two famous artists in Italy for the final qualification spot. Right now, it’s too hard to call, but it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if we don’t get to see Malta in the Grand Final.
Listen to Malta’s ESC 2022 entry below!
What do you think of ‘I Am What I Am’? Will it be in the final on May 14th? Let us know in the comments!
