Gaia Cauchi M.Q.R. (born 19 November 2002) is a Maltese singer. She represented Malta at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 and won the contest with her song "The Start".[1]
Gaia Cauchi M.Q.R
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Cauchi in 2015
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| Background information | |
| Born | (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 (age 21) Mġarr, Malta |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Gaia's first "international gig" came in 2011 when she appeared on the popular Italian TV show, Ti Lascio Una Canzone. She took on Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" and left the audience shouting "bellissimo!" (superlative of beautiful in Italian). She won the prestigious Sanremo Junior Music Festival a year later in her category when she was just nine years old. There, she sang "One Night Only", from Dreamgirls.[2]
After a two-year break from the contest, PBS (Public Broadcasting Services) decided to return to the Junior Eurovision. PBS, Malta's national broadcaster went for an internal selection and chose Cauchi to represent the island nation.[3] Cauchi won the contest on 30 November with a 9-point lead over Ukraine.[4] Being the winner of the Junior Eurovision, she was given a trophy which was incidentally broken a few minutes after being awarded, when the contingent had a group hug.[5] She became the first singer from Malta to win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and the first person from the island nation to win an EBU produced competition.[4][6]
On 2 December 2013, the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that Cauchi would be awarded the order Xirka Ġieħ ir-Repubblika, the country's highest honour.[7] This move generated controversy,[8] and she and her team were given the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika instead on 13 December 2013.[9]
Cauchi made an appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 performing part of her winning song. At the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 contest, Cauchi performed during the interval act and delivered the "Kids' Jury" points. For the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016, which returned to Malta, Cauchi revealed the points from the adult Maltese jury and in 2022, for the occasion of the 20th edition of the event, she performed as part of the winners interval act in Yerevan.[10]
In 2018, Cauchi auditioned for the 15th series of The X-Factor. She was placed in the group "Sweet Sense". On 13 October 2018, Judge Robbie Williams sent Sweet Sense, including Gaia, home from the Judges' Houses round.[11]
In 2019, she released her single 'Why Should I?'. Cauchi has also been nominated for 3 awards at the Malta Music Awards.
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLT [12] | |||
| "Noti u Kliem" | 2012 | — | Non-album singles |
| "The Start" | 2013 | — | |
| "Floating on Air" | 2014 | — | |
| "#Together" | — | ||
| "Children of the Future" | — | ||
| "Hey Hello" | 2017 | — | |
| "Why Should I?"[13] | 2019 | — | |
| "Over You"[14] | 2020 | 2 | |
| "Message"[15] | 2021 | — | |
| "Eye for an Eye"[16] | 2022 | 7 | |
| "Kewkba Feġġeja"[17] | — | Mużika Mużika 2022 | |
| "Unlove Me"[18] | 4 | Non-album singles | |
| "11:11"[19] | — | ||
| "Why?"[20] | 2023 | 1 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLT [12] | |||
| "Lately"[21] (Sheldona featuring Gaia Cauchi and Kevin Paul Calleja) |
2018 | 9 | Non-album singles |
| "Skin Deep"[22] (Maxine Pace featuring Destiny, Gaia Cauchi, and Michela) |
2021 | — | |
| "Running"[23] (The Crowns featuring Gaia Cauchi) |
2022 | 3 | |
| "Flavor"[24] (Owen Leuellen featuring Gaia Cauchi) |
— | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLT [12] | |||
| "Taħt Ħarstek" | 2022 | 6 | Mużika Mużika 2022 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
Nicole Azzopardi |
Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 |
Succeeded by
Federica Falzon |
| Preceded by
|
Winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 |
Succeeded by |
