Family

Albina Kelmendi

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameAlbina Kelmendi Born27 January 1998 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongDuje (2023) Biography Albina Kelmendi is an Albanian singer and songwriter from Kosovo. She was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top Fest, where she presented the song “Nuk ka ma mirle”. In June 2022, Albina Kelmendi released her debut album, “Nana loke”. In December of the same year, she participated in the 61st Song Festival, where she presented the song “Duje”, during the performance of which she was accompanied by five members of her family named the Familja Kelmendi. Despite being ranked second in the final night, the result of which was decided by a jury, the public vote chose her as the Albanian representative at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, United Kingdom. They reached the final and became 22nd there. Entries Duje Country🇦🇱 Albania Year2023 LanguageAlbanian LyricsEriona Rushiti MusicEnis Mullaj BackingsBujar KelmendiAlbana KelmendiAlbin KelmendiVesa KelmendiSidorela Gashi – Kelmendi Results Semi Points: 83Position: 9Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 76Position: 22Running order: 10 https://youtu.be/TI9rSDhXwyc

Firelight

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts MembersMichelle MifsudRichard Edwards MicallefTony PolidanoDaniel MicallefWayne William MicallefLeslie Decesare Founded2013 Nationality🇲🇹 Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongComing Home (2014) Biography Firelight is a Maltese folk-pop band. Formed in 2013, Firelight consists of siblings Richard Edwards Micallef, Michelle Micallef, and Wayne Micallef, along with their friends Tony Polidano and Daniel Micallef. Richard, Michelle, and Wayne are all accomplished singers and musicians in their own right. The band’s music is a blend of pop, rock, and folk, featuring catchy melodies, rich harmonies, and a variety of instruments, including the guitar, piano, and harmonica. Richard Edwards Micallef, the lead singer and songwriter of the band, has a strong musical pedigree. His father, Paul Micallef, was a well-known Maltese singer in the 1970s and 1980s. Richard himself has a distinguished career in music; he had previously participated in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and 2013 as a solo artist. Their song “Coming Home”, an acoustic ballad that they performed at Eurovision 2014, was written by Richard and is about a soldier returning home from war. The song placed ninth in the semi-final and 23rd in the final. The follow up single was called “Talk dirty”, which reached the #1 spot in the Maltese charts. Their debut album “Backdrop life” was released in September, followed by a tour in Germany and Austria. In December they released a new single, “Christmas Day”. In February 2015, the band donated the appalachian dulcimer used at the Eurovision performance for charity. It was sold for €2250,-. The money went to children’s cancer support group Puttinu Care. A new single, “Backdrop of Life”, was released in March 2015. Wayne William and Richard Edwards went on with their solo carreers while the band continued performing. In July 2017, a new song “Victor The Hungarian Man” was released. After this, the band did not release any new music, but they continued performing on festivals throughout Malta. Entries Coming Home Country🇲🇹 Malta Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsRichard Edwards Micallef MusicRichard Edwards Micallef Backings– Results Semi Points: 63Position: 9Running order: 1 Results Finals Points: 32Position: 23Running order: 22 https://youtu.be/E_hT08vzHt8

Claudia Faniello

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameClaudia Faniello Born25 February 1988 Nationality🇲🇹 Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2017Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2013Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012Malta Eurosong 2011GO Malta Eurosong 2010GO Malta Eurosong 2009Malta Song For Europe 2008Malta Song For Europe 2007 In Eurovision2017 Kyiv SongBreathlessly (2017) Biography Claudia Faniello is a Maltese singer. Together with her siblings Fabrizio and Miriana, Claudia was born and raised in the Maltese town of Qawra. Her dad is from Italy. When she was twelve years old, Claudia started appearing on a variety of television programs. She also took part in numerous festivals and won the first place. In 2001, she took first place in the Talentissimi Juniors competition held at the Phoenicia Hotel in Malta. She performed live with Malta’s National Orchestra a year later at the University of Malta to raise money for underprivileged kids. Claudia performed in concert with her brother Fabrizio Faniello at the Mediterranean Conference Festival in 2003, and a year later she performed once more with the National Orchestra alongside Philippa, Nadine Axisa, and Fabrizio. She placed fourth on the 2005 season of the Net TV program Hotspot. With the song “High Alert!” written by Ray Agius, she began her involvement in the Malta Music For Europe Festival in the year 2006. She took up the prize for best newcomer in the same competition. Claudia won the 2006 Festival Kanzunetta Indipendenza with Ray Agius’ song “Ma Nafx,”. She sang “L-Imabba Gamja” (Love is Blind), which earned her a spot in the Malta Song for Europe 2007 Semi-Final. It was the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She didn’t make it to the final round. In the summer of 2007, Claudia recorded the song “Wild Flower. With the songs “Caravaggio” and “Sunrise,” she qualified for the Go Malta Song for Europe in 2008. Both tracks made it into the top eight. “Caravaggio,” placed second, while with the song “Sunrise,” she became third. She returned for a third time to the Maltese Eurovision final the following year, but she was still excluded from the final three songs competing for a spot in Moscow 2009. With her song “Blue Sonata,” which Ray Agius wrote and arranged, she reached the 4th place. With the song “Samsara,” written by Gerard James Borg and arranged by Philip Vella, she advanced to the Go Malta Eurosong 2010 final. She reached the 8th place. In August 2010, she issued her debut album, “Convincingly Better”. Faniello’s song “Cinema in my Thoughts” placed 9th in the Malta Eurosong 2011 final. With her song “Pure,” Faniello finished second in the Malta Eurosong 2012 competition. A year later, the song “When it’s time” reached the 7th place. Faniello won the national final for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Breathlessly,” represented Malta. Unfortunately she didn’t manage to reach the final with her song. After the contest, she performed at the Eurovision Weekend in Berlin and at the Amsterdam Pride. She became the brand ambassador for NIVEA. She also hosted Miss Malta 2017. In 2019 Claudia sang in the Faces of Friends Festival in Moldova, which Malta won. On 30 August of that year Claudia release a new song called “Fallin”. The song reached the Swedish I-Tunes pop chart. In the Malta Top10 she reached the 6th place. Claudia released another song titled “Say” in June 2020. She dropped a brand-new track titled “When is it” on 1 October 2021. In 2022 she took part in the festival Muzika Muzika with a song in Maltese, “Ġmielek”. Entries Breathlessly Country🇲🇹 Malta Year2017 LanguageEnglish LyricsGerard James Borg MusicPhilip VellaSean VellaGerard James Borg BackingsChantal HartmannJeannette MarchewkaHanna KöpfJanina Krömer Results Semi Points: 55Position: 16Running order: 4 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXn-Ettr7yk