Tomorrow’s Style on Sunday magazine features popular Maltese music producer Howard Keith Debono on the front cover!

As one of Malta’s best-known names in the music industry, Howard was further projected into the limelight recently as one of the judges on X Factor Malta, but before all that, his life was always synonymous with music. In the cover interview with Jo Caruana, he recalls how his parents were also into music, though he wouldn’t refer to them as a musical family as such.

Jo delves into the star’s journey since then, from forming his first band at 12 years old to making the decision to dedicate his life to music, aged just 17. “I watched my dad take his last breath in hospital and knew I didn’t want to be on my own death bed not having done what I wanted to in life,” he tells Jo.

A whirlwind career in the industry was to follow, eventually leading him to co-found a production company in 2003 that also develops and manages artists, including local stars such as Ira Losco.

“I knew the sector through the eye of an artist by then, both locally and internationally. So, it was a natural progression for me to take things to another level, whether as an artist, performer, producer, a manager, organiser and, most recently, as a judge on X Factor Malta,” he explains.

Ah, X Factor, the show that captured the Maltese public’s hearts (and dominated Howard’s recent months). “I didn’t plan to be an X Factor judge,” he says, in an unexpected revelation. Why? Well, you’ll have to read the full interview to find out…

Howard’s thoughts about the X Factor and more are on Style on Sunday, out tomorrow with The Sunday Times.

Photography by Matthew B Spiteri; Styling by Sarah Micallef; Clothes by Bortex; Watches and Accessories by Sunlab; Shot on location at Hugo’s Hotel, Paceville