Malta’s Eurovision entry Miriana Conte comes out as queer

Miriana Conte, Malta’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025, has come out as queer during an Instagram Live session with Finnish Eurovision contestant Erika Vikman. She also revealed that she is in a relationship with a girlfriend.

During their discussion, the two singers delved into the dynamics of the forthcoming competition and shared their experiences navigating challenges with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Vikman expressed admiration for the queer community’s open-mindedness, stating, “The queer community is so open-minded. You can express yourselves wildly with no limits and it’s accepted. So, that’s the healthiest community in the world.” She further articulated her own identity by saying, “I feel I’m queer because I don’t know what I am, so I say always that I’m queer.”

In response, Conte reflected on her own experiences with identity and love, confirming, “Same, but… I do have a girlfriend. I resonate with you. I don’t know exactly what I am, I don’t like to put a label on myself. I just fall in love with people for who they are, so we’re very much the same on this as well.” She expressed gratitude to Vikman for discussing such personal topics, acknowledging, “Thank you for sharing, Erika, because I know sometimes it’s a bit difficult to talk about these things. The queer community is so free and open and you can be unapologetically yourself without explaining.”

Malta, the small Mediterranean island, has been recognised for its progressive stance on LGBTQ+ rights, ranking first on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index for nine consecutive years. The nation boasts a history of significant advances in civil rights, being one of only five countries to enshrine LGBTQ+ rights in its constitution. Notably, Malta became the first EU member state to outlaw conversion therapy in 2016 and was also the first in Europe to include gender identity as a protected characteristic within its constitutional framework.

In addition to her personal revelations, Conte has stirred attention in the music world due to recent controversy surrounding her Eurovision entry. Originally titled Kant, which is the Maltese word for singing, the song required a reworking after concerns were raised regarding its phonetic similarity to an English expletive. Following a complaint from the BBC, the EBU made the decision to reject the original title.

Conte addressed the situation on Instagram, stating, “We’ve just been notified that [the 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.” Subsequently, the track has been renamed Serving, with references to the controversial term removed from the lyrics.

The official music video, which has been released in conjunction with the updated track, embraces the light-heartedness of the situation, featuring a playful suggestion from BBC economics editor Faisal Islam to adjust the lyrics to “serving brunch maybe, I don’t know.”

Source: Noah Wire Services