Gianluca Bezzina

Gianluca Bezzina
Gianluca during a Eurovision 2013 press conference
Background information
Born	(1989-11-09) 9 November 1989 (age 27) Qrendi, Malta
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Doctor, Singer
Associated acts	Funk Initiative

Gianluca Bezzina (born 9 November 1989) is a Maltese medical doctor and part-time singer who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.

Gianluca Bezzina was born in 1989 in Qrendi, Malta. He is the third of seven siblings. He comes from a very musical family. His sister Dorothy was also a participant in the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest "Starting From The End". She is a very popular singer at weddings in Malta. Members of his family sang the song "Tomorrow" on TVM (Malta). In 1989, his maternal aunt, Mary Anne Zammit, started publishing several audio cassettes of local songs in Maltese with themes dedicated to children and the family. These songs were very popular. Gianluca's maternal grandfather, the late Gaetano Buttigieg of Marsa, Malta, better known as Gaetano Kanta, was also a very well-known figure in Malta. He was one of the pioneers in the use of the Maltese Language in pop music. In the fifties, sixties and seventies Gaetano published Maltese lyrics adapted to international pop songs.

Bezzina started his musical career by studying the piano accordion at the age of seven, while simultaneously developing his singing skills with the Malta Children's Choir. His grandfather Gaetano, always encouraged Gianluca in his singing career,. Gianluca was also deeply influenced by Roman Catholic youth organizations which he still frequents on a regular basis, especially the Youth Fellowship, where religious musical activities and celebrations are held.

Bezzina was the front man of Funk Initiative, and has released three singles, including "The Liberators," and "Paris," which have been played on local radio stations and have even topped the local charts. On 19 June 2014 Funk Initiative were declared the winners of Isle Of MTV Battle Of The Bands Competition and they opened the Isle of MTV concert held on the Granaries in Floriana on 25 July 2014. They will be performing their track. Gianluca is one of the three doctors forming part of this band. The other members are two engineers and an accounts teacher.