Today, it was announced that Albania’s Eurovision selection event, Festivali i Këngës, will take place from December 19 to December 22, 2024.
The 63rd edition of Albania’s Eurovision national selection, Festivali i Këngës 63, will be held from December 19 to December 22. The dates chosen for this year’s festival mirror those of last year, although it remains unclear if the format will follow the same structure as the previous edition.
It is expected that the selection process will span four broadcasts, culminating in the grand final on December 22. During this final event, Albania’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, set to be held in Basel, Switzerland, will be chosen.
List of Competitors and Song Titles
- Algert Sala – Bosh
- Alis Kallacej – Mjegull
- Ardit Çuni – Amane
- Devis Xherahu – Ka Momente
- Djemtë e Detit – Larg
- Elvana Gjata – Karnaval
- Endrik Beba – Ishe Ti
- Epos Grup – Kurajo dhe Zjarr
- Erma Mici – Mbaje
- Frensi Revania – Rreziko
- Gjergj Kaçinari – Larg Jetës pa Ty
- Gresa Gjocera – E Vërteta
- Jet – Gjallë
- Kejsi Jazzhzi – Kur Bora Hesht
- Klea Dina – Dashuri Ndiej
- Kleansa Susaj – Ta Dija
- Laurjan Ejlli ft Adelina Corraj – A Thu
- Lorenc Hasrama – Frymë
- Luna Çausholli – Qiell Apo Ferr
- Mal Retkoceri – Aantihero
- Martina Serreqi – Nese Qai
- Mihallaq Andrea – Porositë e Babait
- Nita Latifi – Zemrës
- Orgesa Zaimi – I Parë
- Rea Nuhu – Sot
- Ronaldo Mesuli – N’zemër
- Santino De Bartolo – Kur Nata Vjen Si Bora
- Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm
- Stine – E Kishim Nis
- Vesa Smolica – Lutem
Among the contestants are several familiar names:
- Mal Retkoceri – Winner of the 2023 festival with the song “Çmendur“. In 2023, the winner was chosen by a panel of judges, while the Eurovision representative was selected by the audience, so he was not chosen to represent Albania at Eurovision.
- Elvana Gjata – A famous Albanian singer who has participated in previous editions of the festival. In 2004, Gjata participated with the song “Pranë teje” but failed to advance to the final. In 2020, she participated with the song “Me tana,” which made it to the final and finished second.
- Orgesa Zaimi – Was a backing vocalist for the song “Carry Me In Your Dreams” performed at Eurovision 2009 by Kejsi Tola, who finished 17th in the grand final. Zaimi participated in the Albanian national selection in 2018 (“Ngrije zërin“), 2019 (“Hije“), and 2021 (“Valixhja e kujtimeve“), advancing to the final in each of her appearances.
- Gjergj Kaçinari – Participated consecutively in the last three editions of the festival, advancing to the final in all of them. In 2021, he participated with his song “Më jep jetë“. In 2022, with “Në ëndërr mbete ti“. In 2023, with “Dje“. Additionally, in 2019, he was a backing vocalist for singer Lindita, who performed her song “World“, which failed to qualify for the grand final that year, finishing 14th out of 18 in the first semi-final.
- Martina Serreqi – Participated in the 2023 festival with the song “Vetëm ty“.
- Kleansa Susaj – Competed in the Junior Eurovision national selection in 2017 with the song “Melodi” and again in 2019 with “Kënga e ngjyrave“. In 2023, she competed in the Albanian Eurovision national selection with the song “Pikturë“, advancing to the final.
- Erma Mici – In 2023, she participated in the Eurovision national selection with her song “Kozmosi i dashurisë“, which advanced to the final, but voting results were not published except for the top two positions.
- Devis Xherahu – Participated in previous editions of the festival. In 2008, he advanced to the final with the song “Endacaku” but finished last. In 2020, he competed with “Bisedoj me serenatën” but did not advance to the final. In 2021, he competed with “Peng“, advancing to the final, but voting results were not published except for the top three positions.
- Santino De Bartolo – Competed in the Albanian Eurovision national selection in 2024 with the song “Dua të rri me ty” but did not advance to the final.
- Luna Çausholli – In 2023, she competed in the Albanian Eurovision national selection with the song “Jetën ta fal” but did not advance to the festival final.
- Shkodra Elektronike – A musical ensemble that wrote the song “E jemja nuse“, performed by singer Rezarta Smaja in the 2023 Eurovision national selection, reaching a respectable third place.
- Ardit Çuni – Was a backing vocalist for the song “Karma” performed at Eurovision 2021 by Anxhela Peristeri. The song reached 21st place in the Eurovision final.
Changes in Selecting Albania’s Eurovision Representative
Albania selected its Eurovision representatives from 2004 to 2022 through the long-standing “Festivali i Këngës“, where only a panel of judges chose the winner who would represent Albania at Eurovision. In recent years (2023–2024), festival organizers decided to continue selecting winners through a panel of judges while allowing public voting to select representatives for Eurovision. This resulted in a situation where festival winners did not represent Albania at Eurovision over these two years.
Submission Details and New Rules
The Albanian National Broadcaster previously revealed that this year’s Albanian national selection received submissions from 84 songs. A similar number of about 80 songs were submitted during each of the previous two years. However, last year saw submissions from creators across countries such as Kosovo, North Macedonia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, and even America; this year only Albanian creators or those holding Albanian citizenship were allowed to submit songs for consideration.
Celebrating 20 Years at Eurovision
To celebrate Albania’s 20th anniversary at Eurovision, RTSH announced back in May a special “nostalgia evening” as part of this year’s festival. Details regarding this event have yet to be released.
Festival History and Language Requirements
The Albanian festival has been held continuously since 1961; however, it became Albania’s national selection for Eurovision starting in 2003. All contestants are required to perform their entries in Albanian during this festival. The winner has an option to perform their song at Eurovision in English if they choose; this occurred this year when singer Besa Kokëdhima performed her entry “Titan” at Eurovision.
Albania in Eurovision 2024
“Titan” is the title of the song performed by singer Besa Kokëdhima, representing Albania in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 held in Malmö, Sweden. Albania failed to qualify for the final, finishing 15th in the second semi-final with 14 points received from Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and San Marino.
The last time Albania sent an English-language song and successfully qualified for the grand final was in 2015, with Elhaida Dani’s performance of “I’m Alive.” Since then, every time Albania has submitted an English-language entry, they have failed to advance to the final.
Source: eurovoix, Eurovision Albania.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Albania’s 21st participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Albania joined the competition in 2004 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2012 when singer Rona Nishliu reached fifth place with the song “Suus.”
