Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Vertigo" written by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The song was performed by Olivia Lewis. The Maltese entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland was selected through the national final Malta Song for Europe 2007, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition consisted of a semi-final round and a final, held on 1 and 3 February 2007, respectively, where "Vertigo" performed by Olivia Lewis eventually emerged as the winning entry after gaining 56% of the public televote. Malta competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2007. Performing during the show in position 20, "Vertigo" was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final on 12 May. This marked the first time that Malta failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest from a semi-final since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. It was later revealed that Malta placed twenty-fifth out of the 28 participating countries in the semi-final with 15 points. Background Prior to the 2007 Contest, Malta had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nineteen times since its first entry in 1971. Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years. The country had, to this point, competed in every contest since returning in 1991. Malta's best placing in the contest thus far was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco and in the 2005 contest with the song "Angel" performed by Chiara. In the 2006 edition, Malta automatically qualified to the final and placed 24th (last) with the song "I Do" performed by Fabrizio Faniello. For the 2007 Contest, the Maltese national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), broadcast the event within Malta and organised the selection process for the nation's entry. PBS confirmed their intentions to participate at it on 4 September 2006. Malta selected their entry consistently through a national final procedure, a method that was continued for their 2007 participation. Before Eurovision Malta Song for Europe 2007 Malta Song for Europe 2007 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The competition consisted of a semi-final and