Last month, the 26 finalists of Festivali i Këngës 59 were released, along with their entries. Due to the pandemic, the contest is being held outside near the Italia Square in Tirana. Now, following two pre-recorded nights in which all 25 acts performed, the line-up for tomorrow night’s live final have been confirmed.
On ‘Night One’ (recorded on Wednesday 16th December), all 25 acts performed their entries with full production and staging, and tonight (‘Night Two’, recorded on Friday 18th December), the acts will perform stripped-back renditions of their entries.
But before the final on Wednesday (23rd December), 25 have become 18. RTSH have confirmed the 18 qualifiers, following the recording of the final performances last night. Only the results portion of the festival will be broadcast tomorrow night.
The following entries have qualified to the final (in alphabetical order):
- Anxhela Peristeri – Karma
- Devis Xherahu – Peng
- Era Rusi – Zjarri im
- Evi Reçi – Tjerr
- Festina Mejzini – Kush je ti dashuri
- Florent Abrashi – Vajzë
- Giliola Haveriku – E lirë
- Gjergj Kaçinari – Më jep jetë
- Inis Neziri – Pendesë
- Kamela Islamaj – Kujtimet s’kanë formë
- Kastro Zizo – Vallja e jetës
- Mirud – Nëse vdes
- Orgesa Zaimi – Valixhja e kujtimeve
- Rosela Gjylbegu – Vashëzo
- Sardi Strugaj – Kam me t’ba me kajt
- Viktor Tahiraj – Nënë
- Wendi Mancaku – Si ajo
- Xhesika Polo – Më mbron
This means the following entries were eliminated:
- Agim Poshka – Vendi im
- Enxhi Nasufi – Njësoj
- Erikson Lloshi – Jo
- Fatos Shabani – Ty
- Franc Koruni – E morën botën
- Klinti Çollaku – Do t’ja dal
- Stefan Marena – Meteor
Vote in Eurovision Prediction
This week, ROUND ONE of Eurovision Prediction 2021 opened. In one week, the final of Festivali i Këngës 59 will take place and it’s time for you to predict who will be the winner!
For those of you who have never played Eurovision Prediction before, it is a game where Eurovision fans from all over the world battle it out to become the champion! All players need to do is predict which entry will win each national final that takes place during the 2021 Eurovision season.
You can predict the winner of Festivali i Këngës here!
Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest
Albania debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2004 and has participated every year since. Anjeza Shahini was the first to fly the country’s flag at the contest with her song ‘The Image of You‘. She finished in 7th place with 106 points.
Over the years, Albania qualified for the final on 8 occasions. So far, their best result is Rona Nishliu’s 5th place achieved in Baku in 2012 with her iconic ballad ‘Suus‘.
In 2020, Albania was due to be represented by Arilena Ara, with her song ‘Fall From the Sky‘. She had controversially won Festivali i Kenges 58 with “Shaj” the previous December, which had been translated for the contest. It was set to participate in the second semi-final of the 2020 contest prior to the contest’s cancellation.
What do you think of the qualifiers? Who would you like to represent Albania at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the news in the upcoming months.
