L-Għanja tal-Poplu 2012
The 36th Edition of L-Għanja tal-Poplu was held on Saturday 21 April 2012 at the University of Malta's Sir Temi Zammit Hall in Tal-Qroqq.
Tickets at €10 and €8 were available from the Y.T.C. 227 Merchants' Street, Valletta and online.
The hosts of this edition were singer Corazon Mizzi and presenter Alfred Zammit.
Songs
Local musicians and bands had up to 18 February 2012 to submit songs. As in the last previous editions, finalist songs had to be performed live on stage during the final night. Though there were no restrictions on the choice of theme, songs addressing social issues were encouraged. In fact, as in other editions, a special prize for the song with the best social theme was awarded.
Again, in this edition, no monetary prizes were given, but the winning teams were offered opportunities to expand their experience in the musical field.
15 songs were chosen to perform in the final night:
| Song | Performers | Lyricist | Composer |
| Baħħar | Kantilena | Drinu Camilleri | Drinu Camilleri |
| Kwadru Jew Tond | Rita Pace | Rita Pace | Rita Pace |
| Blokk Appartamenti | Tale Kwali | Antonio Olivari | Antonio Olivari |
| Ħsad Qabel Iż-Żmien | Jeffrey Scicluna | Paul Callus | John David Zammit |
| Ittra Ta’ Omm | Blackjack | Mark Agius | Mark Agius |
| Mhux Illum | Maria Debono Scicluna | Rita Pace | Mark Laurence Zammit |
| Il-Kappar | Christabelle Curmi | Alfred E.Baldacchino | Renato Briffa |
| Umani | Clive Muscat | Paul Attard | Anthony Camilleri |
| Irrid Ngħix | Janice Mangion | Deo Grech | Heathcliff Balzan |
| Faċli | Charles Dalli u l-Ħbieb | Charles Dalli | Charles Dalli |
| Kemm Aħna Kbar! | Maria Carabott | Paul Callus | Conrad Briffa |
| Tal-Komma Twila | Grecia Bezzina | Emil Calleja Bayliss | Dario Bezzina |
| Malta Tiegħi | KulTural | KulTural | KulTural |
| Barnuża Bajda | Corinne Caruana | Rita Pace | Rita Pace |
| Isma’ Bilfors | Mistura | Antonio Olivari | Antonio Olivari |
Judges
Profs Manwel Mifsud, Mro Paul Abela, Immanuel Mifsud, Joan Haber, Daniela Attard Bezzina, Joe Tanti, Joe S. Grech, Lina Brockdorff and Sean Buhagiar. Notary to the jury was Dr Paul Callus.
Organizing Committee
- Organizer: Maurice Mifsud Fr.
- Chairperson:Carmelo Schembri
- Secretary: Alexia Cutajar Conti
- Member:Mark Grech
- Co-ordinator: Noel D'Amato
- PRO: Josephine Ebejer Grech
Special guests
During the interval, 2008's edition winners Brikkuni played some songs from their new album Trabokk. Other guest singers were Corazon, Basaliao Momako and English songwriter Sarah Glass.
Winners
| Placing | Song | Performer | Lyricist | Composer |
| 01 | Malta Tiegħi | KulTural | KulTural | KulTural |
| 02 | Tal-Komma Twila | Grecia Bezzina | Emil Calleja Bayliss | Dario Bezzina |
| 03 | Baħħar | Kantilena | Drinu Camilleri | Drinu Camilleri |
The trophies were presented by Mr Robert Cefai, Mr Charles Schembri and Mr Adrian Mamo.
Prizes are sponsored by the L-Għanja tal-Poplu committee and the World Association of Festivals and Artists. The festival was supported by the Malta Arts Fund in collaboration with Wafa chairman Norman Hamilton.
Other Winners
- Best Young Talent: Mistura - Isma’ Bilfors written and composed by Antonio Olivari
- Best Interpretation: Maria Debono Scicluna Mhux Illum
- Best Singer-Songwriter: Drinu Camilleri for Baħħar
- Best Social Theme: Rita Pace for Kwadru Jew Tond
External links
L-Għanja tal-Poplu Festival Editions * 1970s: 01 (1973) - 02 (1974) - 03 (1975) - 04 (1976) - 05 (1977) - 06 (1978) - 07 (1979) * 1980s: 08 (1980) - 09 (1981) - 10 (1982) - 11 (1983) - 12 (1984) - 13 (1985) - 14 (1986) - 15 (1987) * 1990s: 16 (1990) - 17 (1992) - 18 (1993) - 19 (1994) - 20 (1995) - 21 (1996) - 22 (1997) - 23 (1998) - 24 (1999) * 2000s: 25 (2000) - 26 (2001) - 27 (2002) - 28 (2003) - 29 (2004) - 30 (2005) - 31 (2006) - 32 (2007) - 33 (2008) - 34 (2009) * 2010s: 35 (2010) - 36 (2012) - 37 (2013) - 38 (2014) - 39 (2015) - 40 (2016) - 41 (2017) - 42 (2018) - 43 (2019) * 2020s: 44 (2020) - 45 (2021) - 46 (2022) - 47 (2023)