Miriam Christine
Encyclopedia
Miriam Christine Borg is a Maltese pop
and rhythm and blues
singer best known for representing Malta
in the Eurovision Song Contest
1996.
, Brazil
but raised on the Mediterranean island of Gozo
, Miriam Christine was destined to hit the big time. At the age of 6, she was introduced to singing and piano lessons. She took to listening to soul music but was also disposed to listening to various other styles- from Beethoven, Mozart, and such jazz greats as Marian McPartland
, Oscar Peterson
, Fats Waller
and of course jazz singers like Billie Holliday and Nina Simone
. Stevie Wonder
, Marvin Gaye
and Diana Ross
were also big inspirations as were latter day talents like Mary J. Blige
, Toni Braxton
, and Alicia Keys
. She took all of those different genres of music and rolled them all into one, to create a style all her own.
The road to success wasn't an easy one. Raised in the small island of Gozo, she had an idyllic upbringing but then this was in total contrast to the rhythm and blues ambiance of New York or Detroit or even San Francisco. On the other hand, it helped Miriam Christine to project a different approach to rhythm and blues. She took to singing and took part in various festivals before eventually winning the Song for Europe Festival and representing Malta
in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with the song In A Woman’s Heart.
was held in Oslo
. Malta had high hopes on Miriam Christine. In fact, more than 100 Maltese fans were in the Spectrum Theater for the big night. The video clip of the song In a Woman's Heart, written by Paul Abela and Alfred Sant, was fresh and modern. On the night of the contest the young singer was also modern and fresh, wearing a Benetton
outfit and accompanied on stage by 3 backing vocalists-one of whom was Georgina Abela, the wife of the composer and actually a former contestant herself.
In the beginning of the voting Malta was among the top 5 with great chances of victory. However, the Maltese entry did not get so many points as the night went by, eventually ranking 9th place with 68 points.
In 2008 she made one of her biggest dreams come true, by forming The Gozo Children’s Choir. She also gave big concerts during the Malta
Gay Pride
and she was the winner of the popular television contest Malta Hit Song Contest, which is aired on OneTv. Her entry was entitled Alone Today and nowadays the singer along with her team is working on a video clip which will accompany the official release of the single to the local market.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer best known for representing Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
1996.
Early life
Born in GoiasGoiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
but raised on the Mediterranean island of Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, Miriam Christine was destined to hit the big time. At the age of 6, she was introduced to singing and piano lessons. She took to listening to soul music but was also disposed to listening to various other styles- from Beethoven, Mozart, and such jazz greats as Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
and of course jazz singers like Billie Holliday and Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
. Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
were also big inspirations as were latter day talents like Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, and Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
. She took all of those different genres of music and rolled them all into one, to create a style all her own.
The road to success wasn't an easy one. Raised in the small island of Gozo, she had an idyllic upbringing but then this was in total contrast to the rhythm and blues ambiance of New York or Detroit or even San Francisco. On the other hand, it helped Miriam Christine to project a different approach to rhythm and blues. She took to singing and took part in various festivals before eventually winning the Song for Europe Festival and representing Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with the song In A Woman’s Heart.
The Eurovision Success
In 1996 the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
was held in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Malta had high hopes on Miriam Christine. In fact, more than 100 Maltese fans were in the Spectrum Theater for the big night. The video clip of the song In a Woman's Heart, written by Paul Abela and Alfred Sant, was fresh and modern. On the night of the contest the young singer was also modern and fresh, wearing a Benetton
Benetton Group
Benetton Group S.p.A. is a global luxury fashion brand, based in Treviso, Italy. The name comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Benetton Group is listed in Milan....
outfit and accompanied on stage by 3 backing vocalists-one of whom was Georgina Abela, the wife of the composer and actually a former contestant herself.
In the beginning of the voting Malta was among the top 5 with great chances of victory. However, the Maltese entry did not get so many points as the night went by, eventually ranking 9th place with 68 points.
Recent Projects
In 1998 her debut album was in the stores. It was entitled Smile and Shine and it was full of rhythm and blues and African American influences. She also furthered her studies in music and found a job with Education 22, the state education channel. She continued to produce albums and she is considered to be Malta's one and only r'n'b singer. She is also the composer of most of her songs.In 2008 she made one of her biggest dreams come true, by forming The Gozo Children’s Choir. She also gave big concerts during the Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
Gay Pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
and she was the winner of the popular television contest Malta Hit Song Contest, which is aired on OneTv. Her entry was entitled Alone Today and nowadays the singer along with her team is working on a video clip which will accompany the official release of the single to the local market.
Singles
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | In a Woman's Heart In A Woman's Heart "In A Woman's Heart" was the Maltese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, performed in English by Miriam Christine.The song is a ballad, with Miriam singing about falling in love with a man whom she is unsure she should be falling for. She sings that, "In a woman's heart, a dream is for life... |
|
| 2002 | Reptile Lover | |
| 2003 | Hold On | |
| 2004 | What We Really Mean | |
| 2004 | Hush | |
| 2004 | Synchrnised | |
| 2004 | Mystery Mama |
ALBUMS
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smile and Shine | |
| 2002 | L'Emigrant | |
| 2004 | Little Zee |