Walter Micallef

A literal translation of a stanza taken from Xagħar Iswed, written in 1972, goes as: Black and wavy hair, beautiful lips, mellow smile, it's our love that I seek, I admire her and she knows all this.He has cited the Italian Giorgio Gaber, Gino Paoli and American Jim Croce and James Taylor as his major musical influences.

On 18 March 2004, he launched his Walter Micallef u l-Ħbieb band, including Etnika's double bassist Oliver DeGabriele, as Malta's representative in the UNESCO Suisse charity event One World Beat [1].

On 23 March 2007, he released his second album, Ħamsin (Fifty) [2] to a packed house at the Powerhouse Theatre [3], Valletta Waterfront in Floriana.

His modern folk sextet includes WOMAD performer Renzo Spiteri on percussion, Eric Wadge on bass, Pawlu Camilleri 'l-Bibi' on harmonica, Albert Garzia on accordion and piano, and Jes Psaila on acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric guitars.

Ħamsin includes twelve tracks, with thematic content ranging from romantic songs such as "Wara l-Ħajt" (Behind the Wall) and "Min Hi?"