Albania’s representatives for Eurovision 2025, Shkodra Elektronike, share in an interview with EuroMix at the Eurovision party in Thessaloniki about their unique culture, the artist they tried to collaborate with on the Eurovision stage, and the iconic voguing dance during their performance.
The Greek Eurovision website, Eurovisionfun, along with local radio stations (Zoo Radio and Tranzistor), hosted the annual pre-Eurovision party “Eurovision Party SKG” in Thessaloniki last Friday (March 14). The event featured Greek artists, past and present Eurovision participants, and contestants from the Greek national selection. Tal Dahan and Noy Yehoyada from the EuroMix team flew to cover the party and interview participating artists, including Albania’s representatives for Eurovision 2025, Shkodra Elektronike. Watch the full interview:
The song “Zjerm” chosen to represent Albania at Eurovision 2025 was written and performed by the duo Shkodra Elektronike – Beatriçe Gjergji and Lekë Gjeloshi. In an exclusive interview with EuroMix, the duo members shared insights about their formation and the song:
“It’s an unusual song. Usually, I (Lekë Gjeloshi) don’t sing, I just create music. I’m the producer and Beatriçe sings. But in this case, I thought maybe it’s better if I sing too.”
The duo members were born in the city of Shkodër in northern Albania and later moved to Italy. In the interview, they explained how their culture influenced their music:
“We were born in Shkodër. Shkodër is full of songs, music, and flowers. The only thing you learn at first is to sing lots of traditional songs. You can’t forget these songs. We started with traditional songs with the electronics of Shkodër and now we’re writing our own songs. But of course, the sound and type of music we learned as children are Shkodër songs. This is our life.”
The Albanian Eurovision selection, “Festivali i Këngës”, was particularly tense and surprising this year, as the big favorite to win, Elvana Gjata, who competed with the song “Karnaval”, came in second place, after Shkodra Elektronike, who were new artists in the festival. The duo members reveal that winning the national selection was a big surprise for them, and they didn’t expect it at all.
Beatriçe and Lekë continued to explain the meaning of the song “Zjerm“:
“The song is about kindness, the kindness we need in this world. We really need it now. It’s a simple message, but sometimes people forget and we’re just trying to tell as many people as possible – just be kind.”
An unforgettable moment in the performance is Beatriçe’s dance segment, in the voguing style (which developed from the African-American and LGBTQ+ ballroom scene in 1960s Harlem). The singer explains how the idea for the iconic dance came about:
“I love this kind of dance, and you can see it in every clip now. But in Albania I didn’t see it. So with my friend, the Italian choreographer Marta Bramezza, we talked about my movements. I just asked her to help me do something like voguing.”
A few months ago, the duo members revealed that they were in talks with another artist who was expected to join the performance, but ultimately decided not to add another artist. When asked about this in the interview, they revealed his identity:
“We thought about asking Redi Hasa, he’s a young cello player, an excellent musician we’ve already collaborated with. We have one song with him on our album that we haven’t released yet, and we thought if he was available, we could invite him. But he wasn’t available.”
The duo finishes the interview with a short and heartwarming message to EuroMix viewers: “Thank you, of course, and be kind.”
Shkodra Elektronike – Who Are You?
Shkodra Elektronike is an Albanian duo combining electropop with world music, formed in 2018 in the city of Shkodra located in northwestern Albania. The duo consists of Beatriçe Gjergji and Lekë Gjeloshi. The duo began gaining popularity in Albania in 2020 when they released songs like “Ku e gjeta vedin” and “Synin si Qershia”. They later began performing at international festivals. In 2022, they released their debut EP, and last year they released the song “Vaj Si Kenka Ba Dynjaja”.
Albania at Eurovision 2025
“Zjerm” (in English: “Fire”), is the song that will be performed by the duo Shkodra Elektronike, who will represent Albania at Eurovision 2025 to be held in Basel, Switzerland, on May 13th, 15th, and 17th. The song was written by the duo members – Beatriçe Gjergji and Lekë Gjeloshi. This is the first Eurovision entry for the contestants and composers, and it is performed in the Albanian language.
The song “Zjerm” is intended to convey a call for hope, peace, and spiritual renewal. It encourages listeners to imagine a better world, remember their roots, and strive for unity and light even in difficult times. The song combines elements of national pride with a universal vision of peace and brotherhood.
Currently, Albania is ranked 10th in the betting odds tables for Eurovision 2025.
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.”
