So, after all that; we didn’t win… again. But perhaps this time, we might have proved to ourselves that the other times when we didn’t do well was not because we don’t have friends in Europe, or that people dislike Malta when it comes to Eurovision time. It is simply because the songs were not that good at all. Quite awful in fact.

But on Saturday night, Gianluca did Malta proud. With his merry band of hipsters, he smiled and showed the audience that he was a friendly, charming and patriotic doctor, who enjoyed singing his cheesy, catchy little song. And it was a good song for the Eurovision. Music is music. But the Eurovision is something entirely different, you need a catchy tune, a likeable performer and a ‘happy’ vibe to it. You could tell that Malta was going to do quite well as soon as the audience could be heard in the background singing along to Tomorrow, especially the “Oh, oh” part.

In the end, it was the favourite that won, and that does have something to do with the lobbying, marketing and overall package – a pretty singer. But Gianluca did well, and he certainly enjoyed it. It was good to see that for the first time in a long time, we had a singer taking part that threw his all into it, did it with a smile on his face, and had absolutely no expectations. Of course, as we have mentioned, Eurovision songs are not the same as their chart or underground contemporaries. It is a cheese-fest. But that doesn’t mean that we cannot take part and enjoy it. From Malta’s point of view, it was one of the most enjoyable Eurovisions in a long time, because it was all at face value. The song was good, the singer was likeable and we got a good return in the voting, putting us in eighth place. It seems, though, that we still have not learned. Because our sporting prowess is quite feeble (for all the reasons that there are), we tend to try and overcompensate in other areas where we feel we can, often with a sense of self-entitlement. We do not subscribe to the adage that you take part for the sake of competition and enjoyment, and not to win.

Perhaps Gianluca has taught us a lesson here. We cannot go into things and expect to win them outright. And sometimes, when you just let loose and enjoy an event, you actually perform better and endear yourself to others. That’s certainly what Gianluca did and he was a good advert and ambassador for Malta. He never stopped smiling once throughout the whole evening.

And so, after all the preparations, it is time to go back to the drawing board. Let us hope that the organizing committee has learned from this experience. No more power ballads… no more washed up singers having their fifth attempt at glory… Go for a catchy tune, with a good video and a good performance. But above all, go for a likeable performer, it works wonders. And it’s not exactly rocket science either.