Serving can’t: EBU prohibits Miriana Conte from using ‘kant’ in official entry

Miriana Conte cannot use the Maltese word ‘kant’ in her entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, as decided by the European Broadcasting Union.

Conte announced the news on Instagram, saying she was disappointed by the decision, with less than a week to go to submit the official song for the festival.

“While I’m shocked and disappointed, especially since we have less than a week to submit the song, I promise you this: the show will go on – Diva NOT down,” she wrote.

Conte said she was filming the official ‘Kant’ music video and “literally living my best life” when she received the news.

Conte won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest on 9 February on the strength of the televoting public’s choice.

The song immediately went viral among Eurovision fans for its cheeky wordplay with the phrase ‘serving kant’.

While ‘kant’ means ‘singing’ or ‘chant’ in Maltese, to an English-speaking audience it sounds like an offensive word for the female anatomy, although in some communities it means bold and extravagant.