Following the success of her song Warda, which reached the top of the local iTunes charts and gained airplay on several local and international foreign stations, Maltese singer Janice Mangion is back with a brand new single, Xewqti.

Xewqti (meaning ‘my wish’ in Maltese), was written by Emil Calleja Bayliss and composed by Cyprain Cassar, the local songwriting duo responsible for the last entry to represent Malta at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The song speaks of an important social message, with the aim of raising awareness against the negative use of the internet, especially bullying or harassment.

“I’ve worked with Janice on a number of occasions and I know that she puts her heart and soul into it when the song’s message is close to heart,” begins the songwriting genius Emil. “She came up with the idea herself and I felt at ease writing these lyrics for the simple fact that the subject had been spinning around in my brain for quite some time.” Emil says that if anyone takes a quick glance on social media, whether commenting on a politician’s view, an artist’s performance, an article or even a simple status, most people are ready to pounce and launch an attack, sometimes forgetting there’s a human being in the mix.

“I do believe that criticism is great as long as it’s constructive and not intended to hurt the person in question – whatever the subject is, social bullying is never acceptable,” he says. Janice chimes in, talking about the current social media situation. “Lately, I’ve noticed certain types of comments on social media and I couldn’t ignore the fact that they’re not the exception but rather the rule. Hurting people shouldn’t be a regular occurrence and it shouldn’t be accepted in any way.”

“This kind of bullying is being thrown to a number of public figures; whatever their social background. I felt it, but it hit me even more when it affected me as well. That’s where and when Xewqti took form.”

The full music video will be out next week on Thursday 28^th February, shot by the talented Matthew Muscat-Drago.

Watch the teaser here:

You can listen to this beautiful song here ahead of next week’s video launch!