Sixteen acts took to the stage in Junior Fest 2017 last night, but only one could walk away with the ticket to represent Albania in this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. At the end of the night, it was Ana Kodra who took the title with the song “Mos ma prekni pemën” (“Do Not Touch the Tree”). Given the power of her voice, we will happily obey…

Standing centre stage in a white dress, Ana sang her heart out and showed off some impressive vocal talent. “Mos ma prekni pemën” starts off as a piano ballad, but the chorus adds a much more worldly feel, bringing more traditional and often African-sounding instruments (this is the country that gave us “Dambaje” after all).

Ana Kodra – “Mos ma prekni pemëm”

https://youtu.be/-QjwAfOpn5o

A three-member jury — Fatma Methasani, Andi Bajgora and Lum Veseli — decided the outcome of the show. They ultimately chose Ana and her song, written and composed by Kristi Popa and Jorgo Papingji.

Despite often using the Festivali i Këngës për Fëmijë to choose their recent Junior Eurovision entries, this year Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) moved away from the long-running festival and created a new contest specifically for selecting its JESC 2017 act.

Interestingly, when Festivali i Këngës për Fëmijë 55 took place earlier this year, it was none other than Ana Kodra who took away the first-place trophy, again with the song “Mos ma prekni pemën”. Ana is obviously on a winning streak — will it continue this November at Junior Eurovision?

Ana Kodra "rremben"dy cmimet me te rendesishme ne Festival,cmimin e pare si kengetarja me e mire dhe kenga qe ajo interpretoi"Mos ma prekni pemen"shpallet kenga fituese e ketij edicioni.

Posted by Festivali Mbarekombetar i Kenges per Femije – Shkoder, Albania on Saturday, June 3, 2017

Junior Fest 2017 Participants

  1. Ajla Buzi – DJ Pom
  2. Alina Jani – Yjet (Stardom)
  3. Amela Agastra – Dance Up
  4. Ana Kodra – Mos ma prekni pemën (Do Not Touch the Tree) [1st Place]
  5. Argisa Sako – Ola
  6. Auron Ismaili – Shkolla e vjetër (Old School)
  7. Diana Tahiri – Një sekret (A Secret)
  8. Jana Shala – Si një melodi (Like a Melody)
  9. Klaudia & Eliza Thartori – Garderoba (Wardrobe)
  10. Kleanca Susaj – Melodi (Melody) [3rd Place]
  11. Kristiana Veshaj – Profesioni (Profession)
  12. Sara Bajraktari – Flas me ëndrrën (I Speak with Dreams) [2nd Place]
  13. Uendi Goga – Të japim ty një shpresë (Let’s give you hope)
  14. Valeria Cara – Kohën pas ta kthej (Time to return)
  15. Vivian Biaggioni – Si në përrallë (In the Fairytale)
  16. Vivian Kokeri – Historia që nuk flet (History Does not Speak)

Ana will follow in the footsteps of Klesta Qehaja, who represented Albania at Junior Eurovision in Malta last year, ultimately placing 13th. Klesta also reprised her JESC entry “Besoj” at Junior Fest in a short medley, which also included Albania’s 2012 and 2015 JESC representatives Igzidora Gjeta and Mishela Rapo.

So, what do you think of “Mos ma prekni pemën”? How well will Ana do at Junior Eurovision 2017? Let us know in the comments below!

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Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

Klesta Qehaja deserved more last year, such a strong and beautiful voice in a little cute child!

About this one… I don’t like it. In fact, I don’t really like most of the songs already revealed. They sound dated or are just bland and boring. Most of the songs don’t fit for a child contest. If they keep going this way, the Junior Contest is set to dissapear.

Belarus, Russia and FYROM have good songs, the one from The Netherlands isn’t bad neither.

nananana
nananana
6 years ago

Dance Up should have won

Elmar
Elmar
6 years ago

The song is beautiful. But damn.. I just wanted to see the names of other participants and the first song title scared the hell out of me. It looked like something else.. Am I dirty minded? 🙁

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Elmar

Do you mean “DJ Pom?” Because I don’t know what else that could look like? :S

Zolipop
Zolipop
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

I mistake ‘rn’s and ‘m’s a lot, but not now. Although, the singer’s name, Buzi is an offensive, rude way of saying someone is gay in my language (We have way too much swear words :s )

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
6 years ago

Back When it won that other contest, Some people thought that it was already going to JESC, Well look at it Now. She is an amazing singer, but Some things She does aren’t as good, like that voice in the chorus (like Australia in 2015) and also those background vocals during the second verse are bad.

jp
jp
6 years ago

Those background vocals NEED to be changed, it sounds really cheap and homemade (which it probably is). Plus the messy part with na-na-nah needs to go. Hopefully they will revamp the song big time, the melody has potential as does the singer but they can’t send it like this to Georgia.

beccaboo1212
6 years ago
Reply to  jp

And hopefully once the revamped is recorded she’ll film a music video as well. Something needs to top the live performance! 🙂