Malta’s controversial Eurovision entry will be changed – because it sound too much like a very rude word in English.
Miriana Conte was ordered to remove the word ‘kant’ from their catchy hit ‘Kant’ in order to qualify for the competition. The demand was issued just days before the entry deadline today, and reportedly came off the back of a complaint made by BBC broadcaster Scott Mills that it was too inappropriate to air ahead of the song contest in May.
Maltese singer Miriana went viral on TikTok for the performance of the provocative song, which contains a clever double entendre by using the Maltese word ‘kant’ – which means singing – as a substitute for ‘c–t’. The phrase ‘serving c–t’ is widely used in LGBTQ+ circles to refer to someone who is displaying femininity in a powerful way.
Miriana was said to be unhappy at the demand but now the act has relented, and the word will be changed to ‘Conte’ – the surname of the singer. Scott expressed doubts over whether the song would be allowed to air given its crude reference. He said: “We can’t talk about Malta’s one at all; we definitely can’t play a clip of it, ever, on the BBC.”
The singer has released a statement to reassure fans: “We’ve just been notified that European Broadcasting Union – EBU has decided against using the Maltese word ‘Kant’ in our entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. 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.”
But this may not be the end of the issue. Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said PBS, which broadcasts the Eurovision Song Contest in Malta, is “actively exploring legal avenues to challenge this decision in the Swiss courts”. Bonnici said the ban “impinges on freedom of expression and the right to non-discrimination – in this case concerning us Maltese and the right to utilise a word which in our language is positive and beautiful”.
In response, fans have taken to the Internet to express their outrage. Welsh pop artist Greta Tude went onto X to slam the decision: “EBU what you playing at? Kant was chosen nearly a month ago. And now you give Malta a week to change it when the revamp is probably done and the music video is being filmed. I am RAGING.”
“Censoring ‘Kant’, our Maltese word for ‘singing’ is a direct assault on our culture and identity. Your fear-driven censorship isn’t protecting anyone; it’s erasing our language and heritage. Malta deserves respect,” another wrote. It’s not the first time officials have been forced to step in.
Back in 2022, Latvia’s song Eat Your Salad was censored for their use of the word ‘p—y’ in the line: “Instead of meat, I eat veggies and p—y, I like them both fresh, like them both juicy.” Similarly, in 2018, the Czech artist Mikolas Josef had to change a line in his song Lie to Me from “Plenty motherf——s wanna eat my spaghetti” to “Plenty of these greedies wanna eat my spaghetti”
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