Members of the Euromix editorial team convened to vote for the competing songs in Festivali i Këngës 63. Who should represent Albania at Eurovision according to the editorial team?

The Albanian Eurovision national selection, “Festivali i Këngës”, is set to take place tonight at 22:00, featuring 18 contestants. The winner of this local competition will represent Albania at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. In anticipation of this event, Euromix editorial team members gathered to listen to the participating songs and select their favorites from the Albanian national selection.

Editorial Picks: Who Should Represent Albania?

Avi Zaikaner: First Place – Alis – “Mjegull”

The truth? Albania has a very high-quality Eurovision national selection with many songs that could reach the Eurovision final this year. I chose Alis’s song. I’m aware that this song won’t be the one to receive the most votes from the audience, but I hope there are judges who will save the situation! The singer’s vocal performance is excellent, the song is moving and different from the other songs participating in the Albanian national selection, and I could totally imagine him performing the song in English as a great pop ballad – although if he wins, he must perform it at Eurovision in Albanian! Everyone is talking about Elvana Gjata so I’ll address her too – it’s a very weak song that doesn’t innovate anything and we’ve heard hundreds like it on the Eurovision stage and beyond. I also don’t understand how such a song “represents” Albania’s musical style. It’s a shame that Elvana Gjata returned with such a song, although I still don’t rule out her chances of winning.

Ofek Jerassi: First Place – Orgesa Zaimi – “I parë“

Singer Orgesa Zaimi, a regular participant in the Albanian Eurovision national selection who usually doesn’t stand out too much, brings an authentic song that is particularly strong and impactful, managing to impress. Orgesa’s song is a refreshing breath of air among many ballads or less authentic dance songs, successfully conveying the Albanian language in a good way. I of course predict that Elvana Gjata will win the national selection, after the dramatic loss in 2020 she will capture the hearts of the audience and represent Albania at Eurovision 2025, but still, my heart’s desire is to see Orgesa and her authentic song on the competition stage.

Tal Dahan: First Place – Shkodra Elektronike – “Zjerm”

This year’s Albanian national selection is very strong, and it was not easy at all to choose my favorite song. I chose “Zjerm” by Shkodra Elektronike, which is neither too upbeat nor too quiet, has ethnic and dramatic elements, and is sung in Albanian of course (which is always welcome!). The singer performs the song with great precision in the live broadcast, the chorus is catchy and the song even sounds like a song that could have been sung in Hebrew a few decades ago, so it has an element of nostalgia along with innovation. I very much hope that the Albanian and international audience will connect with the song, although of course I won’t object to justice for Elvana Gjata who also has a wonderful song that can bring an excellent placement for Albania at Eurovision.

Ronnie Glik: First Place – Mal Retkoceri – “Antihero”

Mal Retkoceri is truly the best singer in Albania and outshines everyone there effortlessly. His song is one of the most amazing songs of the season and in general, he managed to bring something different and original to a selection with many songs in the same style, which will make him stand out among everyone. I connected very strongly with the song from the first second it was released and think it deserves to win this year as well, and represent Albania at Eurovision with this masterpiece.

Noy Yehoyada: First Place – Elvana Gjata – “Karnaval”

The song “Karnaval” opens dramatically and slowly for a few moments and creates anticipation for a show that is going to develop from moment to moment. The moment the song starts, I feel like I’ve entered the atmosphere of a carnival party and dancing that I want to stay in all day. In my opinion, the singer is capable of energizing and exciting all Eurovision fans, just as I feel I immediately want to get up, sing and dance to the song. This is a song that will reach the final in my eyes. Elvana incorporates Spanish counting (which is obviously my favorite language and perfect for singing) in the lyrics, and different music styles in the chorus section that can make people from all over Europe and fans of different music styles get swept into the song like me and listen to it on repeat.

Shahar Asido: First Place – Shkodra Elektronike – “Zjerm”

There’s no doubt that the Albanian selection has strengthened in recent years and this year it’s completely more modern and special than usual. The three songs in my top spots really stood out to me. Elvana’s “Karnaval” is very successful on streaming platforms but it seems to me that it’s very inauthentic and could represent any other country. Orgesa Zaimi’s song is very catchy and authentic but not special enough in my opinion to represent the country. For first place I chose “Zjerm” by Shkodra Elektronike because it’s very bizarre, interesting and most importantly has the potential to succeed among a wider audience in my opinion.

Guy Solo: First place – Ardit Çuni – “Amane”

Ardit Çuni and his song represent the perfect combination of powerful emotion, precise vocal performance and iconic stage presence! The song, which echoes between party hit and modern pop, manages to captivate the audience authentically with tremendous energy! The musical arrangement of the song is rich and dynamic, combining elements from Albanian culture with up-to-date production suitable for an international stage. Ardit himself brings natural charisma, a pleasant voice and a tremendous stage presence that manages to touch the hearts of viewers and listeners. His meticulous performance makes it clear that he is not just a singer, but a real artist. With potential to reach the grand final of Eurovision 2025, this is the song that would be the perfect choice in my eyes to represent Albania this year.

Aviad Berger: First Place – Elvana Gjata – “Karnaval”

What a selection! I usually don’t connect with the songs Albania offers, but this year the Balkan country came to explode and is aiming for the high places in the final! My first place belongs entirely to Elvana, but any of my top picks could easily find themselves in the Eurovision final. Elvana brings pop dance to Albania and proves that you can sing in Albanian and get the audience jumping. Good luck to Albania!

Hen Feder: First Place – Elvana Gjata – “Karnaval”

There’s no doubt that the Albanian selection this year is at least in my opinion very interesting and good. There are many songs that I really loved – of course in first place I chose the one and only that I was very excited to see returning to the festival this year. That said, I’ll be critical and say that her performance seems very tired and needs to inject much more energy and excitement, surely in terms of Eurovision this is the song that will represent Albania in the best way.

	Avi	Ofek	Tal	Ronnie	Noy	Shahar	Aviad	Guy	Hen	Result
Elvana Gjata	6	6	10	10	12	8	7	12	12	83
Orgesa Zaimi	10	12	7	7	7	10	8	8	7	76
Shkodra Elektronike	2	10	12	8	5	12	10	10	6	75
Mal Retkoceri	5	8	6	12	8	7		4		50
Ardit Cuni	3		8	1	10		12	3	8	45
Alis	12	4	1	3	4	6	1	6	2	39
Jet	7	3	3	5		2	6	7	1	34
Lorenc Hasrama	8	7	4		1	3	5	1	4	33
Vesa Smolica	1	5	5		6	1	4		5	27
Algert Sala	4	2		6		4	3	2		21
Nita Latifi		1		2	2	5			10	20
Kejsi Jazxhi				4	3		2	5	3	17
Djemte e Detit			2							2
Stine										0
Gjergj Kacinari										0