She's the Maltese sensation that has gotten everyone talking this national final season - but would Miriana Conte's much-talked-about song Kant be permitted to be performed on the Eurovision stage in its current form?
In this article, we delve into the controversy around the song Kant, and consider whether the EBU would allow its lyrics to be performed in Basel if the song wins MESC this weekend.
Who is Miriana Conte, and why has her song gone viral?
Miriana Conte is a Maltese singer and performer who has competed in the Maltese national final, MESC, on no less than five occasions, in 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Often praised for her huge vocals and stage presence, Miriana had nonetheless not broken through the crowd with her previous entries - until this year, when her song Kant immediately caused a stir online.
The word "kant" in Maltese translates to "singing", similar as in other neighbouring languages such as Italian ("canto"), French ("chant") and Spanish ("cantando").
However, with Miriana repeatedly singing about "serving kant" in her song, eagle-eyed fans have suggested that the song may have a deeper meaning than simply do-re-mi-fa-so.
Unrelatedly, here is a picture of an Australian tourism campaign for the Northern Territory from some years ago:
What is the EBU's position on curse words at Eurovision?
While there is no specific rule against curse words being included in Eurovision songs, the EBU has historically tended on the side of censorship in similar cases in the past.
This is likely due to the content standards applicable to its member broadcasters - for example, the United Kingdom has a 9pm "watershed" before which content standards are much more limited. While some broadcasters are more liberal than others, the EBU is understandably cautious to meet the editorial standards of as many members as possible.
The newly-introduced Eurovision Code of Conduct also contains a number of prohibitions on "offensive language", which may further limit the capacity for swear words to make it to the Eurovision stage.
While there a number of songs which could be discussed as examples of how the EBU has treated similar acts (from Czechia's Mikolas Josef in 2018 to Germany's Isaak in 2024), we have considered a few examples below to get a sense of how Kant might fare.
1. Citi Zeni, Eat Your Salad (Latvia 2022)
In perhaps the most memorable example from recent years, Latvia's 2022 act Citi Zeni opened their hymn to environmental responsibility and healthy eating with the immortal line, "Instead of meat, I eat veggies and p*ssy".
Or at least, they did in the Latvian national final that year, Supernova.
While the EBU never expressly issued an announcement banning the use of the final word, by the time the song made its way to Eurovision in Turin, the lead singer of the band was deliberately leaving the final word out in his live performances.
Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, from the EBU's perspective), an audience full of Eurovision fans was more than happy to yell the offending lyric so loudly that it can clearly be heard on the semi-final performance!
2. Sylvia Night, Congratulations (Iceland 2006)
An older example comes from Iceland, when pop icon and the most hated woman at Eurovision 2006 Sylvia Night was force to censor a lyric in her song "Congratulations".
During the song, which is an extended reflection on how the very talented Sylvia Night will win Eurovision, she declares at one point, "I'll f*cking win!". While she sung the original version during rehearsals, Sylvia would eventually switch to "I'll freaking win" during the semi-final performance of the song.
Tragically, Sylvia Night did not win Eurovision 2006. However, she did go down in Eurovision history after giving one of the most memorable press conferences of all time - and for fans of curse words, this interview is full of them!
3. Robin Bengtsson, I Can't Go On (Sweden 2017)
Sweden's 2017 artist Robin Bengtsson was also required to censor his Melodifestivalen-winning track I Can't Go On, the chorus of which included the line "I can't go on when you look so f*cking beautiful".
As with Sylvia Night, this became a more demure "I can't go on when you look so freaking beautiful" by the time Contest in Kyiv rolled around.
Curse words at Melodifestivalen were something of a trend in 2017, with Lisa Ajax's entry I Don't Give A also resting on the hook "I don't give a f*ck what the others say".
One can imagine that she might have given a f*ck if the EBU censor had something to do with it!
4. The Busker, Dance (Our Own Party) (Malta 2023)
In a more encouraging example for Miriana Conte, her fellow Maltese countrymen The Busker cunningly managed to sneak an f-bomb into their song Dance (Our Own Party) in 2023.
Well, sort of - the subtitles say that frontman Dav Jr is singing that he's "fogged up" during the opening verse of this catchy dance track.
But if you listen closely, and with Dav Jr's Maltese accent changing the pronunciation somewhat - let's just say that we all know what he's really singing.
This fairly transparent attempt at self-censorship made it past the EBU in 2023, with the song being presented in Liverpool with no cuts.
5. Maneskin, Zitti e Buoni (Italy 2021)
The Eurovision 2021 winners Maneskin also experienced the pointy end of the EBU's red pen when it came to their rock song Zitti e Buoni.
The official version of Zitti e Buoni includes the Italian words "coglioni" ("arsehole" or "douchebag" in English) and "cazzo" (which translates to an f-bomb). However, it appears that Maneskin was required to adjust their lyrics for a Eurovision audience, with the lyrics being switched to more family-friendly alternatives in Rotterdam.
This example is interesting because it shows that the EBU's censorship tends to go beyond censorship of English curse words to include curse words in other languages as well.
6. Nebulossa, Zorra (Spain 2024)
A counter-example to Zitti e Buoni is last year's Spanish entry, Zorra, where the titular word raised some discussion early in the Eurovision season.
The word "zorra", which translates literally to "fox" in English, has certain connotations when used to describe women, with the suggested translation being akin to the word "vixen". In their Eurovision song, Nebulossa seeks to reclaim and subvert these connotations, with the lead singer proudly declaring herself to be a "zorra".
While there was some doubt upon Zorra winning Benidorm Fest 2024 as to whether the song would need to be censored for Eurovision, the EBU was quick to announce that the song would be permitted to compete in its full, unamended form.
7. Nina Morato, Je Suis Un Vrai Garçon (France 1994)
Finally, we have an example where an f-bomb was allowed in at Eurovision - albeit one from the mid-90s which wasn't in English.
France's 1994 act, Nina Morato, dropped a "putain" towards the end of her song Je suis un vrai garçon ("I'm a real boy"). The word appears in the official lyrics and in the studio track, so it appears that the EBU had an opportunity to censor this ahead of time, but elected not to in this case.
The inclusion of a curse word doesn't appear to have harmed Nina's chances, with France coming in a respectable seventh in the 1994 contest.
Conclusions
In general, the EBU has moved towards more restrictive censorship of curse words and other similar elements in recent editions of the Eurovision Song Contest. Whereas Nina Morato might have gotten away with a "putain" in 1994, everyone from Maneskin to Citi Zeni has been required to change their lyrics in recent years.
Where Miriana Conte's case might differ is that the word "kant" is not a swear word in her native Maltese - unlike "cazzo" or "coglioni" in Italian, which Maneskin were forced to censor in 2021. Miriana's case will likely rest on this fact - and given that this would be the first time Malta has sung in their native language in many years, there is some understandable pull to this argument.
However, given that the word "kant" is the only word in Maltese in the entire song, which is otherwise in English, we still think Miriana might have some difficulties in convincing the EBU that she's really singing about singing.
Miriana Conte's song will debut in the second semifinal of MESC this evening (tomorrow morning Australian time). If she makes it out of the semifinal, she will proceed to the grand final this weekend where she will have the opportunity to compete for the Maltese ticket to Eurovision 2025 in Basel.
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