Eurovision 2015: Malta: Iona Dalli: Could Have Been Me

Iona Dalli : Source TVM

Iona Dalli has been singing locally on Malta for a number of years now, deciding to participate in local competitions as well as performing internationally as a soloist and as a member of a choir. At 20-years-old, she now enters the race to represent Malta at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.

Could Have Been Me is written and composed by Philip Vella, the man behind the Ekklesia Sisters' Love and Let Go and one of the most prolifically successful composers on Malta. This is a very different composition to the one performed by the singing nuns, however.

Here, we have a high energy, guitar-driven pop/rock song delivered very proficiently by Iona. Her voice is appealing and confident, possessing enough power to carry the track. This assessment is based upon the playback in the video below. How she will cope with a live performance remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the instrumentation is rhythmically engaging and allows for a driving melody.

On the other hand, the lyrics are a little predictable and unwieldy. I'm sure the verses scan just fine but, to me, they sound a little awkward. Nowadays, it's not that often that you hear the word "smooch" repeated so much on a track.

It's a confident performance though, but I must admit that I'm not overly impressed with the song.

What do you think?

Iona performs in 2nd position out of 20 competitors in the semi-final on November 21.

+ Read more reviews here of the songs participating at the Maltese semi-final.