RTSH, the Albanian broadcaster, has revealed the 20 songs that will participate in Festivali i Këngës 58. That means that Albania will be the very first country to reveal its Eurovision 2020 song. Because the final of Festivali i Këngës is less than two weeks away, we’re ready to ask you a very important question: Who should win Festivali i Këngës?
This year’s Albanian selection is a sea of queens and kings all gunning for the chance to sing in Rotterdam. They’re already getting fans excited. Star-studded with names like Elvana Gjata and Arilena Ara, this year’s contest has lots of fresh and familiar faces and, as usual, plenty of rock singers and divas.
The Festivali i Këngës shows will take place December 19, 20 and 22. So it’s time to name your favourites.
Festivali i Këngës 58 — competing acts
Click on the song titles to watch the video. Alternatively, open this link to the RTSH YouTube channel where you can click on the video of your choice.
- Albërie Hadërgjonaj – “Ku ta gjej dikë ta dua” (Where to Find Someone to Love)
- Aldo Bardhi – “Melodi”
- Arilena Ara – “Shaj” (Curse)
- Bojken Lako – “Malaseen” (She Left Me Unseen)
- Devis Xherahu – “Bisedoj me serenatën” (Talking with Serenade)
- Eli Fara & Stresi – “Bohem” (Boheme)
- Elvana Gjata – “Me tana” (With All)
- Era Rusi – “Eja Merre” (Come and Get It)
- Gena – “Shqiponja e lirë” (Free Eagle)
- Kamela Islamaj – “Më ngjyros” (Colour Me)
- Kanita – “Ankth” (Anxiety)
- Kastro Zizo (Kleviz Bega) – “Asaj” (Her)
- Nadia & Genc Tukiçi – “Ju flet Tirana” (Tirana Calling)
- Olta Boka – “Shkrime në mur” (Writing’s on the Wall)
- Renis Gjoka – “Loja” (The Game)
- Robert Berisha – “Ajo nuk është unë” (She Is Not Me)
- Sara Bajraktari – “Ajër” (Air)
- Tiri Gjoci – “Me gotën bosh” (With an Empty Glass)
- Valon Shehu – “Kutia e Pandorës” (Pandora’s Box)
- Wendi Mancaku – “Ende” (Still)
This poll is closed. Results coming soon!
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i like me tana, but the drop sounds a little messy. if it were up to me, i would ctrl-c the drop from gena’s song and ctrl-v into elvana’s. thattttt would be a banger
Hello Albanian Helena Paparizou.
Me tana has more than 1 million views, its already trending in many (!) countries, if they dont send her they should just withraw. The girl is gorgeous, has a great voice and writes and produces her own songs! Thats called talent
Yeah! It’s already treniding in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Greece! Som umm… Yeah! i love this song!!!
North Macedonia also.
Italy too!
What scandals are you talking about? FiK has always made justice to choosing the best song. The only reason they don’t use televoting is because people don’t care enough to vote. Kenga Magjike introduced televoting this year and less than 5000 people voted. This number is so small to be taken into account, also can be easily manipulated. But I don’t remember a single year that they didn’t choose fans favorite. Just check out previous wiwi polls before chosing Elhaida, Eugent or Jonida.
That poll result is absolutely clear but please don’t forget that the public doesn’t have much to say in Albania unfortunately. However I also like Elvanas song very much and I wonder how the orchestra will reproduce its sound!
Here no one says one thing about that the albanian songs are generic haha. Songs can be that to when its in a native language or am i wrong? Then when we present our songs in the 5 nordic ones. THE RAGE BEGINS. For me many of the albanian girl ballads sounds exactly the same so i dont think the fans here treat us equal. I like equality 🙂
That’s an interesting notion, Rasmus. What we perceive as “generic” depends on what music we are usually exposed to the most. I guess it speaks good of Swedish industry that your music has a lot of platform in the whole Europe, so one can be exposed to it a lot. It doesn’t inherently make it any less creative than the other genres, it just means people perceive it as more common, because it’s widely popular. The definition of generic is typical for it’s genre. In that sense, some Albanian, Croatian or Serbian song can be seen as interesting and ethnic… Read more »
That’s an interesting notion. ”Generic” is defined as typical for it’s genre or style. What people perceive as ”generic” mostly depends on what music they have been mostly exposed to. I guess this only indicates that the Swedish music industry has a bigger platform outside of it’s country than the Albanian one does. But in fact, you aren’t wrong – song of any language or genre can be described as ”generic” if it replicates the form of others without adding much innovation.
I guess and i dont like it. For me a generic song was UK 2019 and they come last. Thats generic for me. A song that not stand out at all and just being there and could be changed for anything
Me tana forever honey, i‘ve been waiting for too long for this, i really can‘t wait for Eurovision ….. we all agree its the best time of the year.
Aren’t we all jumping a bit too far ahead here? The juries have the largest say in who wins and are they really going to get behind Me Tana? I’m really not so sure they will so I think Elvana has far from got this in the bag.
Elvana is very popular in Albania, she has by far the most views in Youtube and she is trending in countries with albanian diaspora. If jurors have an agenda to send again a ballad then they should change the voting system cause the public cant have a say in the outcome.
You don’t know how things work in Albania, do you? XD
P.S. I’m Albanian myself, not hating my country, just stating facts.
If the *international* jurors are deciding, then they can do things differently. One thing I dislike about the international jury is how they usually snub songs in native languages. But since every song in FiK is in Albanian (with Melodi having sprinkled just a tiny bit of English), it ain’t going to be an issue here.
But they will go for the mainstream pop in the first place.
I agree. This can be whoever who wins. Some years the song i thought was the worst was first with the jury and the best in my mind was last 😉
Serious question to any Albanian who might know about this: why is it that even in 2019, the organizers still won’t give a significant amount of voting power to the public? I’ve been reading up on the history of FiK and it’s truly fascinating and the scandals are often hilarious. But with the Hoxha era far gone, why still be so shady? Albania has to provide televotes in Eurovision, too, right? Or is it like a sham San Marino televote?
As an Albanian, I can tell you the reason: People don’t vote! In Kenga Magjike there were in total 5,000 votes. Not only that number is not significant, but it can be easily manipulated. It has nothing to do with censorship / dictatorship lol.
I don’t really have a definitive answer but let me try. First of all, the Albanian people don’t really tend to vote much for TV shows, let alone for FiK, who doesn’t get much/any attention from the general public, so why bother? They tried in 2016 an online voting, but I guess online voting it’s harder to consider because it can get manipulated and such, so it got dropped. Regarding Eurovision, I think the voting must be legit, otherwise EBU would have stated that it’s the same situation as San Marino. Although, I think there was at least a year… Read more »
that‘s a really good question but there are no official statements about that issue
No offence to Albania but of all the selections i have always felt that Albania have been one of the most corrupt ones with Belarus,Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. Always some scandal evey year.
We don’t like it either but corruption is an integral part of our society. *sigh*
None of the participants ever speak out against this corrupt system?
They have a few times during the years, nothing happens and it gets forgotten or simply just accepted as a normal thing.
And who is running and profiting from it? Are they linked to the government?
They don’t use televoting because people don’t care enough to vote. This year Kenga Magjike introduced televoting and less than 5000 votes were casted. They’re not enough to decide a winner and can be manipulated. Regarding scandals, what are you talking about? They usually choose the right song, at least since Eurovision. Just check wiwi polls before FiK, they always predicted the winner, meaning no surprises.
Very few people vote, as we saw with this year’s Kenga Magjike where voting was actually free without the usual fees. You would not be getting the opinion of hundreds of thousands of voters, it would just be two or three thousand.
This ^ This is the real reason televoting is not applied.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L5NCg68rvU
The voice of the people has spoken: Elvana, by far! That being said, Elvana for the win! Finally, after 9 damn years (when it looked like Albania has been cursesd) it will participate with a real song… What’s with all that melancholy?!? No more crying ballads, who likes them, anyway?!?!? Time to party, not to mourne in the audience, hello!?!? Malta understood the catch, Ireland too: No more boring, depressing ballads if you want to pass the semifinal!
Ballads have won Eurovision 3 times in the last 4 years. So nothing wrong with them.
Also Albania qualified this year with a “sad” ballad. So what’s your point here?
So true. Especially since Albania got its by far best ever result and only top 5 place yet with the upbeat dance banger ‘Suus’. I couldn’t stop twerking to it.
Don’t forget the obvious Fuego ripoff Ktheju tokës
In fact, only few ballads have represented Albania since 2004. World, Mall, Ktheju tokë, ballads ?
World and Ktheju Tokes are definitively power ballads.
yessssss honey, we want to party.
Do you think any of the albanian international jury will understand even a single word in albanian? Its really a waste of time in Albania if they only vote on the best music sounds haha. You must know the lyrics
Pretty sure they will be provided the translated lyrics of each song.
thats nice:) they do that in Sweden 🙂
The question is not who will win, but how the stage perfomance of Me tana will be. Just saw some videos of concerts of Elvana and the girl is amazing. They only need to hire a good stage director
Stage performances on FIK doesn’t really matter. Vocals come first.
in Eurovision, it does. They should consider that.
If Elvana doesn’t let RTSH interfere, she will be fine. She has the resources to do a great stage performance.
true, but still Albania isn’t Macedonia’s delegation who had messed up many times for their entries with bad stagings
Elvana’s live is very very good, i feel like few who can come close to her are Valon, Gena, Alberie since they got good music too as well as good instrumentals
I dont mean to be rude or anything, but whats the point of having a poll when you already know who is gonna win it? It just makes it even more depressing when you support some of the other songs and everyone just demands this wins outright.
haha they have a jury. the jury can hate ALL we like so you know 🙂
Maybe because the vast majority still isn’t everyone and this still isn’t a dictatorship and the FIK voting system makes sure nothing is ever certain.
And 99% of the voters don’t understand a single word in albanian. Juries will vote for the whole package : song, lyrics, vocals. That’s why we had some incomprehensible results for us in the past like Genc Salihu coming second a few years ago. But this year with 3 international juries I’m just wondering if all hasn’t already been rigged to get the wanted result and I would be not surprised for a turnover result after the international jury vote. Bojken Lako who traditionally does honorable results may be doomed this year and if the international juries also vote in… Read more »
You say 99% of the voters dont understand albanian. The contest is in Albania so i hope the albanian people know albanian ;). Its usually they who vote
My current top 5 are: 1. Ende – Well constructed and dynamic ballad. 2. Me goten bosh – Very underrated here, has potential to bring goosebumps on stage. 3. Shaj – This is the kind of ”screaming diva ballad” I love to hear on ESC. 4. Melodi – Very groovy! Great energy and would feel fresh and different. 5. Ankth – I feel this is really dark and I enjoy it. Based on the fan response, Me tana is a runaway winner. Congrats to Elvana on achieving that effect. I do like the song, but I like some others better.… Read more »
100% sure that those voting in this poll are Elvana’s fans and it doesn’t refelct the taste of Albania in general. Plus FiK is jury decided so I have great faith in them to not chose her. As an Albanian myself I dislike Me Tana, because is the genere of songs that in Albania is very common, because good for Albanian and Kosovo clubs and weddings.
This year has some great musical compostions, your no.3 and no.5 are my favs!
What are Shaj and Ankth about? Are the lyrics good? Thanks in advance!
Shaj (swear/curse) is about a relationship gone bad and she can’t make up her mind what to do about this. She can’t decide because she wants to break up and share the guilt but on the other hand it hurts (sth like that)
Ankth (anxiety) is about a bad situation (not necessarily love story). She is telling through the song how to pass this situation how to defeat it. It’s quite optimistic actually in contrast with Shaj. This could be a very good song for people who suffer from anxiety or depression.
Yes, the lyrics of both this songs are so high quality! Shaj (Curse) talks about a feeling (beautiful and sad) that has hit her hard, that she wants to let go, but it dosn’t leave her. That is changing her. She wants to curse and kill it, because she can’t hold the burden of it, because she can’t share what she’s feeling and the guilt she feels for these feeling. I think talks about the burden of a cursed love, loving someone who she shouldn’t love. Ankth (Anxiety) talks about an internal strugle of anxiety and depression, how she wants… Read more »
@EscT, @LittleS – Thank you very much for providing some context to these lovely songs. 🙂
I mean I’d never heard of Elvana Gjata until Me Tana so..
If you’re not Albanian, then that’s not really a surprise. Check her other songs, you might like them.
Yeah I’m Australian. But I’ve checked out A M’don and Njesoj, and I love them! Honestly, this is why I love Eurovision, cos I can discover people I’d never heard of in countries all around the world and hear their music, as well as broadening my musical horizons! 🙂
i heard of her via a fan contest, and she had a little collab with David Guetta, won albanian dancing with the stars season 3, also won multiple music awards there, as well as one edition of top fest she won and dedicated that win to a music friend who died before that show in a car accident
oh and she’s also a very proud albanian
You can dislike Me Tana for sure, art and taste are subjective. But don’t deny Elvana’s popularity with the Albanians in general. 1.1 million views on YouTube so far, which would NEVER happen, and it will probably never again with a FiK song. And those views are from Albanians, the vast majority of them, and we love songs like that, it’s inevitable.
I am curious how Eurovision fans have received Me Tana. The song is already a massive hit in Albania. It might as well be the fastest trending song in our music history. It is also trending in most of the countries with Albanian immigrants (Greece, Switzerland, Germany). Can’t wait for the music video.
Fastest trending song is probably era istrefi with bon bon.
in eurovision and fik its the first time that a song is trending before the actual festival
It’s difficult to say if those streams are real…Albanian commercial singers like Elvana very often buy streams.
Highly doubt it she needs to buy them. Plus the video it’s on RTSH’s channel, not hers.
Some rumors are that they will separate 1st price from eurovision selection. This means we might have one FiK winner and another Eurovision representative.
Wikipedia still states that the winner will represent Albania on ESC. Maybe if the winner declines, the runner-up goes and so on (like in Sanremo)? In any case, the story we have only a week before the competition is that these are the candidates for the win and that the winner will be seen in Rotterdam in May.
I am curious how Me Tana is received by Eurovision fans. In Albania, it is already a hit. It might as well be the fastest trending song in our music history. It is trending in all countries where there are Albanians (Greece, Switzerland, Germany, etc.) Can’t wait for the music video.
Well, not too bad, but nothing special to be honest. These are the songs that has pull a string on me somehow: 1. Wendi Mancaku – Ende (6.75). Emotional and intimate. At first it kind of reminded me of those typical ballads send to the JESC that end mid-table or below. But I think that was because those ballads are too adult (Albania this year for example). This is my fav from this bunch though I’m afraid it wouldn’t qualify. 2. Era Rusi – Eja Merre (6.5) Similar in style to “Me tana”. But I personally prefer this one. It… Read more »
For me Sara to ESC 2020
Eugent Bushpepa delivered the best Eurosong entry in the last decade in 2018 (and then to lose out to that Netta-tosh – unbelievable!) Let’s have another entry from Mr Bushpepa!
I still don’t understand why the winner will be chosen by only 3 people and they are not even Albanian. It doesn’t make any sense. This should be made for Albanians.
I love festivals like FIK because they used to care about identity, culture or traidion which is something we are losing in Eurovision. I wish Albanians could have a say
Eli Fara & Stresi, Genc & Nadia Tukiçi, Era Rusi
She will cut the song by 35 seconds anyways and will dance
Only Era Rusi or Gena! I need some ethnic vibes from Albania!
Elvana Gjata should win!
5. Malaseen
4. Ajër
3. Eja Merre
2. Melodi
1. Me Tana
Elvana, Era, Arilena, and Wendi are my biggest contenders for FiK 58. I really like “Me Tana”, i’m curious how Elvana going to cut it down to 3 minute and deliver the energy on the stage
There will be no cut at the FIK, they can even make it longer with a re-orchestrated part. If she wins then unfortunately the song will have to be cut and I fear that the intro part which is astonishing will get the first cut down and worse with english lyrics on this revamp.
Us fans definitely have to ask her not to translate the lyrics into English. People asked Jonida last year too and she listened.
I also hope the first part does not get cut.
Lidia Lufi finished second last year and she had a minute long instrumental break.
“Shaj” by Arilena Ara 🙂
Although there are many great entries in my opinion, I really hope Elvana will win. I love her song and I think it could really do well at Eurovision.
Arilena or Sara have the the songs that I like the most but they have to pick Elvana, don’t they? I mean, how often does FiK produce a song that would have such broad appeal?
Hard to tell…so many good songs. Right now I think Wendi or Arilena, but my opinion might change at any moment.
Elvana. Period.
Btw, over the years, I have come to notice that if Adrian Hila has a song in FiK, it’s pretty much always my favorite (except that I really didn’t like Frederik Ndoci’s lamenting in 2007, but so many other Hila songs that got stuck in FiK). If there are any Albanians here who can answer this: is Adrian Hila a famous guy in Albania? What does he do besides FiK? He seems to be the Albanian Ralph Siegel, except that I really like Adrian’s songs.
Yes, he is famous in Albania.
I seem to be the only vocal supporter of Ajër here, but I don’t mind. Btw: This is the second time a song called Ajër should win. Besa not winning with her Ajër remains a tragedy of the often intransparent and pretty much always dubious voting system.
It’s in my top three.
Don’t think it would have the automatic success at Eurovision that Elvana would but I think it might be a better song.
Yes, and my greatest sorrow there is that I’ve never been able to download a decent quality version of that song, only live ones.
Ask Kontopoulos and the other two non-Albanian juries about that. I’m just gonna sit cutely for the results.
I mean, I’m not gonna lie, hearing that the jury panel will only consist of three international people made me unsure on who’s going to win.
If it’s all up to a small number of experts, then throw any expectations out of the window, cause the game is on. See what happened in Romania last year. I just hope that these jury members can understand Albanian, cause the lyrics are important if you want to take sole responsibility in picking the song. The other thing I hope is that the jury members, especially if there’s only three of them, aren’t close friends with any of the singers, songwriters or managers. That would compromise the neutrality.
Melodi is so good! The best Albanian ESC song I’ve heard since ‘All About You’ – groovy, fun and memorable, would be such a breath of fresh air for Albania! Miles above Elvana’s overrated, generic and predictable number which people had decided they’d support before the song even came out. We NEED Aldo at Eurovision, I have a feeling he will surprise everyone with a great live performance and stage show but maybe I’m just being too optimistic lol.
finally someone acknowledging melodi! issa great song that sounds fresh as opposed to many other dated pop options
LMAO Elvana’s song is generic but Melodi isn’t? I have to laugh, especially when he finishes somewhere between 15th-20th.
Yes, Elvana’s song is much more generic! It follows all the same codes (structure, tune, instrumental) as the hundreds of similar electronic pop numbers that currently flood the charts with little to no originality or creativity. Sure, Melodi isn’t revolutionary either, but it’s structurally and melodically a lot more interesting (the chorus and pre-chorus are both really catchy and could work on their own, unlike Me Tana which relies solely on the drop and build-up thereto), and offers an instrumental section that’s quite original and different to what we hear all the time atm, something more funky with a bit… Read more »
Melodi is literally albanian uptown funk lol
Ok so if Melodi were to win, it would need an AMAZING stage show in Rotterdam, and RTSH would not pay for it. And I doubt that Aldo himself has the resources to pay and hire someone like Baptiste or whoever.
Also remember Sweden 2018. Not exactly the same, but still both young guys with a pop song. The juries saved Benjamin, highly doubt it they would do the same with Aldo.
If Aldo doesn’t advance his music career anytime soon, he should definitely try again next year, cause I doubt a big star will participate again in FiK.
Arilena Ara is the best choice!
Era is my winner.. Hope to see her in Rotterdam
Elvana would definitely get them to the final in my opinion
Probably, but I’d rather that they (and every country) send a good song, not worrying too much how it will go down with the audiences. My choice is Kamila Islamaj (provided that she’s good live, of course).
She is GREAT live.
Well, then, good luck to her, as far as I’m concerned!
I’m sure she’d appreciate your good thoughts.