Andreana Debattista never took singing lessons – she claims she learnt to sing on her own in the shower. The talented 39-year old is a biology teacher by day, a career she is committed to. At a young age, she was a dedicated Queen’s fan; today she is a jazz lover, following the likes of Amy Winehouse, Christina Perri and Michael Buble.
Now and Forever, written by Vinny Vella and Karl Spiteri, was one of the finalists of this year’s Malta Eurovision Song Contest. The original version of the song was slower, and jazzier.
After the festival, it was Vinny’s idea to release a pop version of the song along with a video; which so far got very good feedback. When I submitted the original version for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, I knew the track would not be appreciated by the mass majority; however I felt I should stick to the genre I love, and feel comfortable singing, to show off my capabilities.” Nine years ago, Andreana joined Vinnie Vella’s band, a decision she feels, was the best she took so far.
The lyrics of the song are written by Andreana’s ex-husband Karl. The two have managed to remained good friends even after their separation, even though Andreana has been in another relationship for the last six years, and today she is building her dream home with her partner. Back in 2002, Andreana contested the then called ‘ Malta Song for Europe’ with her ex-husband Karl with the song ‘ Theresa’. The following year, the couple participated again this time with Angels.
Andreana has other projects in the pipeline. She will be releasing new songs soon, and her hopes are to eventually compile a music album. “I want to pursue my career in singing, however I love teaching too, so I’d like to continue doing both.”
Andreana also had her shot at presenting. A few years ago, she was thrown in the deep end when she was asked to present the reality show L-Ispjun without having any presentation experience whatsoever. However, the experience proved otherwise. 2 years ago, she was asked to host the popular TV show Min Imissu. “I wasn’t expecting to enjoy hosting a programme so much; the best part of it was getting to sing with my band live on national television.”