Eurovision viewers aghast after Malta's raunchy performance with spread legs
Eurovision is no stranger to a bit of controversy or some sensual choreography, of course. In fact, the contest's unpredictability is why it is so loved.
However, Malta took things to a whole new level tonight, to the point where their song lyrics have had to be altered due to their explicit nature.
Enter Miriana Conte, whose entry song is titled Serving but was originally known as Kant.
You can connect the dots, but in Maltese, the word with an explicit-sounding pronunciation translates to 'singing'.
But while her lyricism has been slightly stifled by the annual contest's rules, she certainly made up for it with some bold staging.
As she performed in Basel, Switzerland, for semi-final number 2, Miriana, 24, came out of a giant set of red lips.
Perhaps that sounds innocent, but when you factor in that a pair of wide-open legs was up on the screen behind her, well, not so much.
She proceeded to rip off her ruffled yellow dress, revealing a racy red leopard print jumpsuit underneath, complete with a black mesh top and feathered sleeves.
The flame-haired performer was joined by backing dancers, all of whom wore fishnets and showed plenty of skin.
As for the routine, Miriana went all out with sensual moves, while her dancers slid around on the floor, also opening their legs at one point and having the singer straddle them.
Towards the end of the number, she sat bouncing on a giant exercise ball, the whole spectacle a stark contrast to some of the more emotive, stripped-back performances we've seen this year.
Taking to X as they came to terms with what they'd just witnessed, Eurovision viewers were keen to throw their support behind Malta, even backing the country for the win.
'Oh she was definitely serving', wrote @Baeekie__.
'MIRINA CONTE JUST SERVED US A MASTERCLASS IN STAGE PRESENCE AND STYLE! OMG QUEEN BEHAVIOUR', wrote @eurovisionmiems.
'I'm sorry, but how can they ban the word KANT and approve that staging of the lips between the legs', joked @dan_thatdan.
'Ofcom complaints incoming', predicted @SJP74, with BBC commentator Rylan Clark warning viewers at home from the start that she would be 'pushing the boundaries'.
What she's done seems to have worked a treat, though, as Malta's semi-final performance saw them rocket up the odds to now become favourite to lift the Eurovision 2025 trophy in Saturday's Grand Final.
So far, Sweden have been the runaway faves thanks to their entry Bara Bada Bastu by KAJ, with bookies giving them a 41% chance of victory and following in Loreen's footsteps.
But it might not just be Ofcom complaints that are submitted after Malta's performance, as social media users are urging the entrant herself to hit back after the audience was muted while she sang.
In what fans reckon was an attempt to prevent any explicit language from being yelled inside the arena, the thousands-strong crowd was silenced during her chorus, while they've been encouraged to sing along at specific points to other tunes.
'#Malta needs to submit a complaint to the EBU. Muting the audience for the entire performance gave viewers the impression it wasn't popular. This could hurt Malta's result', wrote @Karl_Downey. More Trending
'The fact the EBU have muted the entire audience this year. I hate it. Let the people shout KANT', wrote @itsbbplus.
Muting audiences isn't a new thing, as it's believed organisers and Swiss networks were so concerned about loud booing this year that they've removed all audience feedback during the TV broadcast.
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The Eurovision 2025 final airs on Saturday on BBC.
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