He is undoubtedly one of Malta’s prime pop exports to date and a sure-fire favourite with the ladies, but for Fabrizio Faniello, celebrity life has brought with it a fair share of ups and downs. Not that you’d know it from the lengthy schedule of musical engagements listed on his official website. In fact, despite his dismal placing in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, his career, contrary to what many critics had hastily predicted, did not quite go down the drain, though it did encounter the odd hiccup.

Fabrizio’s management was smart enough to assess that particular situation, shifting their focus far beyond the European market, with a particular accent on Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and China, the latter being untapped markets largely unaffected by the “EV bug” and, conveniently, fertile ground for a budding pop singer to establish a fresh audience.

His online schedule stops at February 2007 with the Indonesia Tour, and the most recent posting from Fabrizio highlights the international release of a new single, Love Me Or Leave Me and the Hits & Clips CD+DVD package a few months back.

After that, it all seems to have gone pretty quiet in the Faniello camp – or has it? Not really, because it now turns out that Fabrizio was in fact gearing up for his upcoming gig before Smokie at the Blues & Wine Festival. An odd pairing some might say, and if only Fabrizio’s pop repertoire was being taken into consideration, they’d probably be quite right. This particular performance, however, has nothing to do with either the wide-eyed “festival Fabrizio” or the “pin-up pop star” that he has grown to be in various foreign markets. This is a new phase in his career.

The adage “be in when you’re out” doesn’t quite apply as far as Fabrizio’s mobile phone is concerned. After trying – unsuccessfully – to call him several times, I finally reverted to that unsung wonder of the online world – that’s MySpace by the way – to try and reach him. The quickest way was to message an old friend of mine, Wayne, who is an outstanding guitarist with a strong rock inclination. I’d recently learnt that Wayne is one of the two guitarists (the other is Philip) currently playing in Fabrizio’s band, which of course made me all the more curious about Fabrizio’s latest musical endeavours. A pop singer hooking up with a rock line-up is a sure sign of change, but it isn’t entirely unfamiliar territory to Fabrizio. After all, he had occasionally dabbled with the notion on the TV novelty show RED, and the song I Do itself was, in fact, written with Lord Adder guitarist Aldo Spiteri.

Nevertheless, I finally did get a call from Fabrizio, in which he apologised for being so difficult to reach and explained his tight schedule. His life these days, it seems, is a tough balance between stringent music and TV (he is currently co-presenting TVM’s Pjazza) commitments and the additional pressure of running his bar and restaurant, Famo Tre, in Bugibba which, incidentally, is where we’re meeting for this interview.

Q. The inevitable question. Being a high-profile artist, did I Do’s disappointing result have any major effect on your career?

Yes, to a certain extent – at least as far as Europe was concerned. The plan was to use the song’s Eurovision exposure to promote the album, but obviously with that result it all went pear-shaped. Instead we shifted to the Asian market, and things there are looking very rosy for me, I’m happy to say. Locally, it didn’t affect me that much, as the majority of people still supported me. Let‘s just say that the bad experience showed me who my true friends are.

Q. Was the release of your Best Of compilation intended to mark the end of a chapter and the start of a new one in your career?

Not really. It had been on the cards for some time, but we wanted it to coincide with the release of Love Me Or Leave Me. Following the countless requests for my videos by fans, we then decided to also include the DVD. The compilation is kind of a marker – not the end of a chapter as such, more of a diversion.

Q. You’re best known as a teen pop idol. How do you feel your fans and the general public will react to this new musical direction?

Well, for sure the fans will find some of it familiar, as I will be including reworked versions of some of my older songs, such as Love on the Radio and I Believe, as well as the soon-to-be released single I Need To Know. The challenge of crossing over into more guitar-orientated music is something I am looking forward to, and I am sure it will appeal to a new audience who were perhaps not so keen on my pop music before. Naturally, I will still be performing the pop repertoire, depending on the gig I am performing at.

Q. I first got to know you before you won the 2001 Malta Song Contest. How different do you feel you’ve grown from the fresh-faced Fabrizio back then?

Yes, that’s right! You gave me my very first interview in the local media. It seems like ages ago, doesn’t it? I have certainly grown a lot in many ways from back then. I definitely feel I am more mature as a person, more aware of the business, and after the I Do experience, I certainly learnt a lot. How to handle defeat, how to overcome such situations and take something positive from them instead of feeling sorry for myself.

Q. You’ve probably spent more time abroad than in Malta over the past six years without much of a break. What has this experience been like?

In simple terms it has been great. Thanks to the Eurovision, I got my break to do something on an international level, which led to my deals with Sony Columbia, Warner Brothers Sweden, Roton in Romania and Avex in Asia. It gave me a career so, no matter what anyone says about it, I can’t say a bad thing about the event. Being abroad a lot is fulfilling from an artist’s perspective. I find I get a lot more respect from the industry abroad than I do here in Malta, but as the Italian saying goes, “Nessuno e’ un santo nel suo paese”.

Q. I’m told you’re pretty nifty with a football. Would you have preferred to be a pro football player instead of a singer?

This was a big dilemma when my singing career took off. I love playing football, in fact I still do when I find the time. I think I am a bit heavier now, probably because of the time I spend at the restaurant, but I still enjoy a good “kickabout”.

Q. One last question! What are your plans from here on?

The plan is to immerse myself in this new phase in my career. I have always wanted to have a band around me, and the decision to try this new direction has given me the opportunity to finally do it. I am very enthusiastic and excited about it and I am looking forward to presenting it to the public.

Fabrizio Faniello will perform at the International Blues & Wine Festival on Tuesday, 17 July. For more information, visit www.fabriziofaniello.de or www.bluesfestivalmalta.com