A contestant in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest has made adjustments to her entry due to concerns over the interpretation of a word in her song’s lyrics that resembled an English swearword. Miriana Conte, representing Malta, originally titled her song “Kant,” which translates to “singing” in Maltese. However, after receiving a complaint, she was required to revise the track just days before the deadline.

Following this feedback, Eurovision released the official music video for Conte’s updated song, now renamed “Serving,” which retains similar lyrics but omits the controversial word. The new music video opens in a documentary-style format, featuring various commentators discussing both Conte and her song. Notably, Faisal Islam, the economics editor for the BBC, contributes his voice, having previously interviewed Conte on the programme Newsnight, where he suggested alternatives for the lyrics, commenting, “Serving brunch, maybe, I don’t know.”

In her interview with Newsnight, Conte expressed her intention not to offend anyone, explaining that the word meant different things across cultures and in her context signified “I’m serving singing.” On Instagram, she communicated her disappointment, stating that she had been informed via notification from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that they decided against using the term “Kant” in her entry for Eurovision. She shared her surprise at the situation, noting the tight timeline, “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.”

Reports from Maltese news sources indicated that the complaint was lodged by the BBC with the EBU. Faisal Islam reacted to the incorporation of his voice into Conte’s official music video on the platform X by posting a laughing emoji alongside a comment of “well, well, well.” The updated video was featured during the end credits of the recent episode of Newsnight.

As Eurovision prepares for the forthcoming contest, the UK will be represented by the all-female trio Remember Monday with their song “What the Hell Just Happened?” The grand final of Eurovision is scheduled to occur in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May, following the semi-finals on the 13th and 15th of May.

The EBU has previously faced significant scrutiny over artistic representation, particularly noted during the last competition when Eden Golan from Israel was required to rework her song “Rain” amidst the ongoing Gaza war, eventually performing under the title “Hurricane.” Following these incidents, Eurovision announced an internal review and a new code of conduct aimed at safeguarding the wellbeing of participating artists in future contests.

Source: Noah Wire Services