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I have been following the great achievements that Chiara has achieved ever since she nearly brought Eurovision to Malta in 1998. Chiara’s performance in Kiev was yet another milestone in cementing Chiara’s status as a great Maltese singer.
As a woman, it feels great to have Chiara making a name for herself and our country on an international level, aided and assisted by a fellow woman chairperson of the Malta Song Board. At this stage, one must note that in 1998, even though Chiara placed third, it was only the Macedonian vote – the very last vote – that denied Malta from being declared as winner of the Song Contest.
Let us sincerely hope that this time around, Chiara’s record label, albeit a Malta-based one, ensures a suitable and prestigious contract for this proven star. In 1998, Chiara’s career was put into jeopardy due to her being irrevocably bound to a German record label contract which simply failed to produce results whatsoever. This same saga was constant to all the Maltese participants to the Eurovision, including Ira Losco, another local female star who was a casualty of such uncalled for contracts with supposedly professional foreign labels.
This is not to say that Chiara was hibernating from 1998 till this year. Assisted by a management consultancy firm with a proven track record both locally and overseas, Chiara released three hit albums in this period, a considerable feat in itself. Several unique events were organized for her, with extensive tours throughout the UK, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Central and Eastern Europe and a unique two-year presence at the annual Stratford Showcall Showcase. It is very obvious that all these events greatly assisted in maintaining a high profile all over Europe which resulted in securing well deserved points from a lot of voting countries this year at the ESC.
The moral of the story? Never give up! From a great singer severely paralysed by a non-functioning German recording contract in 1998, Chiara rose to the challenge and faced Eurovision for yet another time. Let us sincerely hope that in the next six to eight weeks, the people surrounding Chiara at the moment, apart from basking in well-deserved glory, manage to secure a proper signing up with a serious international label in order to ensure that Chiara properly takes off on an international career.
If this is not done now, then Chiara will receive the fate of all of Malta’s Eurovision ambassadors to date: popular in Malta but with all doors closed abroad. Good luck, Chiara.
Elaine Tonna
Rabat
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