Albania has its song for Basel! Shkodra Elektronike will perform ‘Zjerm’, the country’s entry to the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

The exciting conclusion of the 63rd edition of Festivali i Këngës took place in Albania on the evening of Sunday, 22 December. After three nights of performances, the fourth and last night of the esteemed song contest saw 15 finalists compete for the top Festivali i Këngës prize.

After a jury vote and a public vote were counted, we had ourselves a winner!

In a closely fought competition, Zjerm triumphed with a score of 143 points, ahead of runner-up Karnaval (performed by Elvana Gjata) with 135 points. In third place was Mjegull by Alis Kallaçi on 59 points.

Shkodra Elektronike

Shkodra Elektronike is the music project of two Albanian immigrants who grew up in Italy after leaving their native Shkodër. The duo consists of songwriter-producer Kolë Laca and singer-songwriter Beatriçe Gjergji. At the heart of the project is the pair’s passion for reinterpreting traditional songs of Shkodra in a contemporary electronic style.

The duo had this to say about their winning song, Zjerm:

“This song festival represents the opportunity to bring our music closer to the public and to become part of them.

Our song, ‘Zjerm’ (Fire), was created after a long research period, which opened us up to a more pop and direct composition. The melody and the lyrics had to carry the same power and delicacy like the first morning light dispelling the shadows of the night.

The text was born out of a desire to profoundly address human subjects such as pain and timeless emotions, words that retain an archaic and evocative tension, as a call that connects the past with the present.

Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest

Albania joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, with Anjeza Shahini performing The Image of You in Istanbul.

She, and every Albanian participant since, has been found using broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar’s (RTSH) long-running and prestigious Festivali i Këngës (FiK) – an annual music competition established in Tirana in 1962.

As FiK is usually one of the first televised national selections of the season and takes place around December, fans sometimes refer to the occasion as ‘FiKmas’.

As of 2024, Albania’s most successful entry is the folklore-inspired ballad Suus (2012), which Rona Nishliu took to fifth place in Baku.

At the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Albania was represented by Festivali i Këngës 2023 winner BESA and her song TITAN.

Source: Shkodra Elektronike win ‘Festivali i Këngës’ and will represent Albania at Eurovision