She comes from a sunny island in the Mediterranean. She is smart and beautiful, young, and above all – talented. She is Morena, and although her song, representing Malta at Eurovision this year is called Vodka, she does not promote drinking – rather, sobriety.

Watching the video to this-year’s Maltese entry, I felt like I were in a movie. An intense action video, where Morena plays the role of a top spy, a cat-like woman, who triumphs in the end. Very impressive, and perfectly combines with the rhythm of the song. You’ll be surprised, but no one drinks vodka in the video. Morena was very kind to spare some of her precious time and answer my queries. Enjoy and don’t forget to support Morena in May!

Dear Morena,

First of all, congratulations for your victory in Malta and let me wish you great success in Belgrade in a month and a half. Thanks for your time!

I’m interested to know if you like cooking.

Now that’s an interesting question! Let’s put it this way – I sing much better than I cook! I will let you draw your conclusions!

What do you think is the universal recipe for a successful Eurovision song?

I do not think there is a real recipe because the formula changes all the time! However, I think it should be a good song combined with a good voice, in the right year, with the right amount of luck!

What is the best meal that goes with Vodka? Or perhaps, the best company?

Hmmm… I really like your questions! I think it might be interesting to have Sushi and Vodka! As for the right company… Let me think! Okay – George Clooney , Svante Stockselius , Hilary Clinton, Madonna, and David Copperfield! I am sure it would get interesting to see what they have to say to each other after a few Vodkas!

How did it occur to you to perform a song about one of the most popular beverages in the world? Is this a wink to Russians, or to people who generally like drinking vodka and having fun?

Maybe you should ask the author that question! ? However, the song is not about the beverage – in this case VODKA is a code which I decipher as a spy! Perhaps it appeals to every country because everybody knows the word “ V O D K A” I think!

Malta is the epitome of Eurovision. Everything in your country seems to be related to the contest, and as your joke goes – when you vote for Eurovision, as if you’re voting for Parliament. How important is Eurovision in your career?

True! Here in Malta the Eurovision song contest is very popular and it’s taken very seriously, but not as seriously as sometimes people think! However, we love it, and I think it could benefit any artist from any country ‘cause it is a chance to show your talent to millions of people. So, I think it will be very good for my career, no matter what!

We miss two more national winners, but out of these picked so far, who has impressed you most. And who of this-year’s participants stands the greatest chances of success?

I have not had the time to watch or listen to most of the songs so I can’t really compare! But I have heard there is even a puppet this year!

And finally, Malta has few “neighbours” that are always loyal and traditionally support you. In this sense, how do you see the future of Eurovision having in mind neighbout voting?

Hmmm…. I’m trying to see who our neighbours are because Italy is our only neighbour and it does not take part. I’m not sure I can figure out any country that has “traditionally” supported Malta, and maybe if we did have such countries we might do a little bit better. Then again, I do believe that the top 3 songs are usually the best songs that are voted by every country and not just by the neighbours! I would not want to win by neighbourly voting, but by merit! If the neighbours had to help out that would be great, but I do not think we have that! So I guess it has to be exclusively whether the people like my VODKA or not! ? I hope they do! I think it was a good move this year to have two semi finals, so it looks positive for the future of the contest.

Thanks for answering. Wishing you good luck in Belgrade and all my best to Malta!

Hey! I really enjoyed this interview, and thanks for being so nice to make contact! Good luck and hope we can party, party, party, and Vodka, Vodka, Vodka together in Serbia! Na Zdarovye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warming up for the next Eurovision Song Contest, I decided to talk to the fans – the people who have turned the Contest into what it is today. Collectors’ items, merchandising products, promotional materials, small gifts… fans are always eager to get them, with their interest sometimes making completely unknown singers great music stars.

That’s why I called an eminent specialist in the sphere of Eurovision mania, who can be trusted to give a reliable, competent and well-informed opinion.

Chris Zavos is one of the first people in Greece to whom it occurred to draw to the idea others sharing the same love for the Contest.

1. How long have you been involved with the Eurovision idea?
   

   My first Eurovision Song Contest was in 1979 when I was still a little kid, and as the time passed on that night my parents decided that I could not watch the show until the end because I had to go to bed; the next day they told me that Israel had won (Hallelujah). For the following years of my life I was involved in classical music, and I rediscovered Eurovision in 1987 when Greece was represented by a boy band named Bang. After many obscure years, there was again hope in Greece that we would achieve a good result, which was eventually the 10th place. In those years we only had National television in our homes, so there was a lot of publicity given to the event. I still keep in my collection my first ever official National tv magazine featuring Bang in its cover. However, it was only in 1990 that I became a member of an organized Eurovision Society.

2. You are one of the greatest fans of Eurovision I know. I also know you as a person who likes classical music and jazz, and adores classic theatre – elite, high art as a whole. How would you explain this mixture of tastes, that some people would find unusual? What do you think it comes to say about the “Eurovision” art?
   

   Indeed, I love quality art, mainly because I was raised in a conservatoire ever since I was a little child, and I played the violin in a classical symphony orchestra. Still, I cannot explain even myself how I contracted the “Eurovision virus”. There have been times that I was embarrassed to admit in certain artistic cycles this side of me, because there is a general misconception that Eurovision is meant for certain people who lack good taste. This is absolutely not true. Throughout the years I have met many real professionals involved in the event and have become good friends with journalists, musicians, fans, singers, and tv people from around the world. It is exactly this idea of intercultural relations that fascinates me, the feeling that I belong in a wider world; Eurovision was originally conceived to serve these ideals. After all, I adore travelling and meeting with new mentalities and life styles. This is why people like me are the greatest supporters of the songs that keep their traditional National elements.

3. I know that you are one of the most important and influential people in the Greek OGAE. How would you comment the importance of fan clubs on people’s attitude to the Eurovision Song Contest? How important your work is for the promotion of the contest?
   

   Thank you for your kind words. Although I am currently the oldest active member in OGAE Greece, I have recently left the administrative board for professional reasons, because I had to move to Crete for a few years. However, I fully trust our new board in Greece, and I am always pleased to offer my views and suggestions whenever asked.

   Fan clubs are very important because they keep the Eurovision candles lit. They hold reunions and song contests throughout the whole year, not only during the Eurovision period. Moreover, every fan has their own archives of collector’s items, such as newspapers, magazines, books, records, videos, posters, autographs, stamps, photos, etc. OGAE international has a fanzine produced in Germany and distributed to all affiliated National clubs.

4. Do you tend to work in cooperation with ERT, the Greek public broadcaster, and in what respect do you work with them?
   

   When we organized the event in Athens in 2006, all the Greek fans put together their own pieces of the puzzle, and the result was a unique deluxe illustrated publication with information about the past Greek Eurovision entries, which was offered as a gift to all the fans that came from all the participating countries. We were also responsible for hosting the foreign fans by providing help with tickets, accommodation, and transportation through a hospitality initiative. I think this has saved a lot of effort, time and money to our National broadcaster. We are keen on participating in every aspect of the contest just for the honor of participating. During the live show, we create a unique atmosphere supporting our National entries, and it is not strange that the EBU trusts the front seats to the OGAE network.

5. The EBU decided to introduce a new format for the ESC – the two semifinals. Many countries protested against this decision with little effect. How would you comment this innovation and its influence on the interest to the show?
   

   I only know that this innovation will not have any impact on the ardent fans. We are of the opinion that “the more countries, the more fun, the more collector’s items”. It may sound crazy to someone who hasn’t got the Eurovision virus, but for those who have it and read these lines will certainly accord with them. Besides, it has been shown that the new participating countries are more interested in the contest that the traditional ones, thus I see no reason why anyone should be excluded from the show. Whenever a change happens, there are certainly many people who are ready to foresee a catastrophy. It is not bad to try new formats as long as you later recognize if they have worked or not and try something different the following year.

6. What are your expectations about this-year’s entries at the ESC? What kind of song do you think Europe wants to hear in order to grant the trophy to it?
   

   Eurovision is undoubtedly unpredictable. One year it’s ethnic, another it is hard rock, the third it is a ballad. It’s really risky to tell who is going to win. Personally, I truly wish quality songs and musicians could win the contest more often, although it seems that the show presented on the stage becomes more and more important than the songs and voices themselves. Even so, the contest is an excellent means for singers to present their work to an international audience, and the trophy itself seems less important than the exposure someone gets through this event.

7. I’m now playing advocate to the Devil… but I have to ask you this question: Do you think that the end of the ESC is close? That is, leaving the most ardent fans alone, do you think that people are fed up with Eurovision?
   

   I think that the end of the ESC is close for some of the Big4 countries and some of the traditional countries, and that in the future we will see a few of those countries opting not to submit an entry, like Italy did some years ago. But I see a lot of enthusiasm from the newcomers and this alone is encouraging that the end of Eurovision is yet to come. In Greece, ERT obtains a share of over 90% in the last 4 years, mainly because striking names have decided to participate. It’s amazing that so many people criticize the quality of the Contest, yet the share in Greece remains breathtakingly high.

What more can I say after these words! Let’s enjoy together the next Eurovision Song Contest.

Wondering where it all starts, and how one gets successful at Eurovision, I decided to try asking Maltese sisters Natasha and Charlene, a huuuge example of Eurovision spirit.. They were so kind to spend some time on my queries. Have a look at what they have to say on music, Eurovision, and…

1. You are one of the most successful duets in the history of Eurovision. You are among the most popular names in the music industry in Malta and across Europe. Is it only the family link between you two, and love for music that keeps you on top, or there is something else?
   

   Well, being sisters we think helps a lot because when working on new material we have no problem speaking our minds out or complaining to each other J nobody gets offended, and if we do, it will soon pass because we’re used to arguing and making friends again in no time! The other thing is that we’re always up for new ideas and always ready to experiment with new styles, and of course we are both very determined and find a lot for support from our family and that gives us the strength to get up again after each fall and be stronger for whatever is yet to come!

2. You come from a country where Eurovision is almost a cult. What are your latest projects released or to be released on the music market and are they related ONLY to Eurovision?
   

   As regards Eurovision this year, yes, we have been working on some very good new material! J and this summer we’ve also been busy creating something more which is due to be ready very soon!

3. You are absolutely successful on the TV, your faces are familiar to everyone in Malta. Where can international fans see you and listen to you these days, if they come to Malta?
   

   We are back on Net TV as from the first week of October, “Sas-Sitta” which is an afternoon entertainment program, live every Saturday from 2pm till 6pm. Then of course we have our private functions in various hotels and different localities around Malta. We will be taking part in various concerts these coming days and will be very busy throughout Christmas with a very big show which is also a production of Spiteri Lucas Entertainment. For more info visit www.charleneandnatasha.com

4. Last year, we saw you on the Bulgarian National Final as part of an international project with Swedish and Irish as well as Bulgarian participation. What can motivate you participate for a country which is not your native?
   

   First of all, we would like to say that our participation in Bulgaria last year was an experience we shall never forget! We were approached by Jonas Gladnikoff and later on also by Niall Mooney to work on the song Open your Eyes, as we listened to it the first time we immediately agreed it would’ve been a good song for the Eurovision. Bulgaria gave us the opportunity to enter our song in the competition and as we are always up for new opportunities we decided to try our luck in your festival as well J

5. How far do your plans go to international participation, no only related to the ESC?
   

   We have worked with different composers as we like to experiment new styles, and since music is something platonic the more ideas from different people of different backgrounds and from different countries, the better it gets. Presently we are working on more material with new artists and composers from different countries as well as from Malta.

6. This year you are taking part in the National selection of Malta. What are your expectations given the competition for the up-coming Eurovision season? Who are your most serious competitors?
   

   Every year is a very tough competition here in Malta, we have a lot of talented singers as well as composers, and everybody is very determined to win! There are a few popular names which have been in the scene for some years now and everybody is waiting for his time to come plus you never know about the new faces. I just hope the best song wins!

7. And finally, Open Your Eyes, the song performed in Sofia during the national Contest, carries a wonderful message. I cannot imagine it performed in any other language but English. This is not the case for Malta, but what do you think of artists performing in English, for whom English is not native.
   

   Well, I guess the most important thing in a song is that you are able to communicate your message, you want people to understand what your song is about, so they can relate to your feelings and make it their own song.. so it would really have to depend on who’s listening J

Wish you good luck in your future participation on Eurovision and hope to see you soon, maybe in Belgrade!