Pioneering Country Music Star Has Died at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, a legend in Tejano and outlaw country music, has passed away at the age of 73, per recent reports.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Eurovision's Miriana Conte reflects on Malta song controversy after lyric change
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is being held in Basel and Miriana Conte - who is representing Malta with the song Serving, once known as Kant - is among the acts taking part
👉 Click Here to read in detail 👈
Miriana Conte has revealed how she now feels about the lyric change to her Eurovision Song Contest entry. The singer spoke about the decision in an exclusive interview with the Mirror ahead of representing Malta next week.
There was controversy earlier this year after Miriana, 24, was chosen to represent her country with the song Kant - which shared its title with a Maltese word for 'singing'. The track attracted much attention after she won Malta's national final in February, which included a jury and a public vote.
‌
The majority of the song - now called Serving - is performed in English, but the original chorus included the title. Miriana's pronounciation drew comparisons to the word "c***" and the lyric "serving kant" was perceived to be a reference to the phrase "serving c***," which can be used to represent someone expressing themselves in a bold or powerful way.
‌
She sang: "Why should we let other people decide when we could be having the time of our lives? Let down your walls come and dance to my vibe. I do it all the time, yeah, I do it all the time. Serving kant. Do, re, mi, fa, s-s-serving kant."
Although fans embraced the song, other listeners weren't impressed by the lyrics, which proved controversial. As reported at the time, Scott Mills suggested that he couldn't air the entry on his BBC Radio 2 show. He said at the time: "We definitely can't play a clip of it … ever, on the BBC."
Amid the controversy over Kant, Miriana told fans in March that she had been notified that the European Broadcasting Union - which organises Eurovision - had "decided against" the use of 'kant' in the song. The news came just days before the deadline for acts to formally submit their entries.
Article continues belowMiriana later unveiled the new version of the song, Serving, which no longer features 'kant' in the chorus. And despite speculation that she would replace the word with another, she instead opted to leave a space where it had once been.
Ahead of competing in the second semi-final next Thursday, Miriana recently opened up to us about the situation and preparations for this year's Eurovision. She also teased what to expect from her upcoming performance in the contest.
‌
During the interview, it was mentioned that she's now had time to process the lyric change and the controversy surrounding the song. Asked how she feels about it now and the end product of the change, Miriana told us: "Honestly, I quite love it! So I love both the versions [of the song]."
Miriana - who was a co-writer on the song - added: "If you had to tell me like to choose one from the other, I wouldn't because I love them both so much." She teased: "I mean, one leaves space for people to shout whatever they want to shout. The other, people are serving kant, they're singing."
She told us last week: "I didn't have time to process back then when I found out, however then when I actually sat down, like even during the tours and everything, and I saw people singing out loud to it, they know word by word which is crazy, I was like 'it had to happen'. And thank God it did!"
‌
Explaining why she feels that way, she said: "It got much more popularity and got much more people watching it. People were on the tips of their toes to find out what the word change was, when there wasn't [one]."
Miriana continued: "It was all very exciting." And then sharing that she wouldn't change how everything has unfolded, she said: "So if I had like relive the process and choose what to happen, I would still choose for this to happen."
Asked if she had considered replacing 'kant' in the chorus, she revealed: "I never wanted to replace the word because that is what made the song gain its popularity. It is what means so much to me, so the only way that the word could be replaced is without it being replaced basically."
‌
The singer-songwriter went on to share that she was not concerned about the message of the song being lost in the controversy. She said in our interview: "When it boils down to people listening to it, everyone got the gist that it is about being bold and unapologetically yourself. With or without the word, it will still be what it is. That is why it really does not affect me. I love both versions so much."
Miriana - who had competed four times before to represent Malta at Eurovision - also gave us an insight into the inspiration for the song. She said: "I'm such a bubbly ball of energy. I'm all over the place. I'm the clown of the group. I'm the loudest person in the room and I wanted to write exactly about that. How growing up I always felt like I needed to wind myself down to match other people's energies."
‌
In the interview - which was prior to Miriana arriving in Basel, Switzerland, for the contest - she said that rehearsals were in "full swing". She said: "Vocal lessons. We're trying it out in a big space. Trying out the outfits to see how everything is going to work. So yeah, preparations are at full swing."
And teasing what to expect from her performance, she told us last week: "It's gonna be shocking!" After some laughter, she went on to share: "It's gonna be exactly what I am like bold and loud and fun and beautiful. I love absolutely everything that's gonna be happening on stage."
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel opens with its first semi-final on Tuesday from 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The second semi-final will be on Thursday before the grand final is broadcast next Satuday.
Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
READ MORE:Weekend Wishlist: 9 beauty and fashion picks we're swooning over this week
