Albania‘s broadcaster RTSH has confirmed that it will go ahead with the 59th edition of its long-running song contest Festivali i Këngës. As usual, the contest will also be used to select Albania’s entry for Eurovision 2021. This means that last year’s winner Arilena Ara will most likely not receive a free pass to Rotterdam.
Arilena Ara won the last edition of Albania’s national final and was expecting to head Rotterdam last May with her song “Fall From The Sky”. Unfortunately, Eurovision 2020 was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This meant that the X Factor Albania winner did not have the chance to realise her Eurovision dream in 2020.
Broadcaster RTSH has now confirmed that Festivali i Këngës 59 will take place this December. While the song festival predates Albania’s Eurovision participation, since 2003 the winner of FiK has always gone on to represent Albania at Eurovision the following year.
This strongly suggests that Arilena Ara will not be chosen internally to represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam. But it doesn’t rule out the possibility of Arilena returning to FiK 59 as a contestant to try her luck again for Eurovision 2021.
More details about Festivali i Këngës 59
Local news media Zëri reports that although there are still many uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that the Festivali i Këngës will take place no matter what.
Currently, all large public gatherings in Albania are indefinitely cancelled. It is not known if this restriction will remain in place in December and what effect, if any, COVID-19 precautions will have on Festivali i Këngës 59.
Festivali i Këngës has been held annually since 1962. In 2003, the festival began double duty as Albania’s national selection, with the FiK winner also representing Albania at Eurovision.
Today a meeting took place between the Deputy General Director of RTSH Martin Leka and people in the field like musicians and songwriters. Issues regarding the organization of FiK59 were discussed in this meeting. Among topics discussed were an evaluation commission for the song selection and criteria for participation.
The submissions for FiK 59 will be made to the selection committee this September. The official dates for Festivali i Këngës will be announced at a later time.
Are you excited about Festivali i Këngës 59? Do you think it’s fair that Arilena Ara will not be chosen automatically for Eurovision 2021? Let us know in the comment section down below!
Hear me out, guys. Arilena goes to ESC 2021 AND: Winner of Fik 59 and Fik 60 both compete in a superfinal after Fik 60 to determine the 2022 representative as a combination of giving the Fik 59 winner a chance to go to Eurovision and as a special for Festivali i Kenges’s 60th birthday maybe? And MAYBE allow the televoting to vote in the superfinal? It’s just an idea… Think about it.
I look very much foward to FIK 🙂 One of my favourite NFs. Why? No 3 minutes rule, live music, always some rock songs, songs in native tongue, and focus on music – not visual stuff. Regardless of what I might think of Arilena Arafor ESC 2020 or not. But to be honest, it’s good that some countries don’t go for the copy / paste option
Who wants Elhaida Dani or Elvana Gjata?
tbh albania should consider selecting internally… they have such a vibrant music industry, but fik’s dated taste will never allow their offer to truly shine
I completely disagree. FiK has had many great entries that are modern and current, although I will say that the jurors have a tendency to choose the outdated ones, especially in earlier years. But you can’t tell me that Botë, Mall, and especially Ktheju Tokës, are dated.
Yes, those songs are still not something that represents their current music industry
I think that a country should send good songs as a main goal, they can be modern, dated, pop, rock, ballads, etc… I don’t care about having modern or dated songs as soon as quality is provided. Since 2018, Albania brings only high-quality songs, especially Khteju Tokes and Mall.
However I would love to see Arilena being selected internally, maybe she should sing in Albanian and if her song is only half as good as Nentori, she will probably reach top 10 in ESC.
And starting to sending generic/forgettable cliche songs in a bad english like Russia ? So disrespectful, Albania like Russia have an excellent musical industry for do that. Russia would rather need to follow Kenges or San Remo. Why not a russian Slavianski Bazaar for select his songs ?
This is the punishment for having massacred “Shaj”, why singing in the ESC if its not in your native language ?
Ask it Sweden
Albania is not in Sweden. Geography please
That’s not Eurovision Fan’s point. Use logic, please
Was that confirmed though? Another website said they hadn’t made a decision about Arilena’s participation. You can’t assume because FiK is being held again that Arilena hasn’t been chosen as FiK exists outside of a Eurovision selection too.
If Arilena isn’t internally selected, the massive scandal that ensued would mean that we wouldn’t be seeing Elvana at Eurovision or Arilena anytime soon smh
It’s confirmed. They literally cited their sources.
I knew it! I knew it since the beginning that FIK will happen this year! But again, I’m kinda sad that all 2020 artists will not return next year especially for Arilena. Arilena, please sign up for FIK again so you can represent Albania with a much better song okay? Yes I would like Elvana Gjata to participate FIK again, but I just hope that Arilena will have a better song than Shaj or Fall From The Sky.
Didn’t you like Shaj/FFTS? I ?? it!
Obviously, I wanted Arilena to be internally-selected. She was probably this year’s best actual vocalist. However, FiK is my favourite NF so that’s a consolation and also, although I may be speculating, I don’t know how much Arilena was really *into* Eurovision. Out of all the non returns for next year, there’s the possibility that this one is one of the more mutual decisions.
I am sorry. I think that Arilena is an amazing singer and I really like Fall From the Sky. I think she could give us another great song. As a national selection, FiK is fascinating to watch, but also a tricky one. They have no length limit, restrict all songs to Albanian and have live music. I respect that artists from FdC and A-Dal still overwhelmingly choose their national languages, but they are given a choice. The odd thing with FiK and Beovizija is that they temporarily constrain songs into their formats, knowing they might be changed afterwards. It makes… Read more »
Well… like for every other broadcasters who took this decision, very disrespectful for the artist. I was sad when she won because I prefered Elvana but this is even sadder. I wish all the 2020 artists that won’t come back in 2021 To have a successful career.
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I’m sad that another Eurovision 2020 singer won’t be returning in 2021 but on the other hand, I’m glad that we’ll have another national final to look forward to next year. In terms of the other countries that haven’t announced what they’ll do for 2021, I think Germany, Russia, Serbia, Ireland, Moldova, and the UK will send their 2020 artists to 2021 while Italy unfortunately most likely won’t send Diodato to Eurovision 2021 simply because Sanremo unlike Melfest or other Eurovision national finals is not a competition that is focused on… Read more »
But then wouldn’t that mean that RAI WOULD send Diodato to Eurovision? Since Sanremo can function on its own without Eurovision, RAI can just internally select Diodato independent of Sanremo.
Just don’t translate winning song to english. If it has weird lyrics, I’d be happy if I didn’t know that.
To each their own, but I personally never resonated with that. I translate each song and if it has bad lyrics – it has bad lyrics. Sometimes I cringe when translating. I’d rather do that than praise some god-awful songwriting completely clueless. It goes double if the lyrics are not only cliche, but also problematic. Now, there is an issue of poor translations in which the English lyrics diminish or ruin the meaning the original ones had. That’s another point entirely.
Great news!
We have another NF selection
I agree! No more copy / paste of singers from 2020. But a real NF. FIK is a good NF I think, no 3 minute rule, live music and songs sung only in the native tongue. Maybe this year’s singer will return to their music festival though, we’ll see
It’s good we have another NF but I’m pretty sad about Arilena, not gonna lie.
I would love to see Elvana participating again, but it’s very unlikely to happen until they introduce televoting or only international juries. I’m sorry for Arilena.
It’s so hard not to break 🙁
Also, I suppose they want to keep the tradition of FiK as a start for a new Eurovision season. That’s why I think it’s more than likely that FiK will be used to select the entry for Eurovision 2021.
Are you kidding me?
Well she better join FIK again and win it again! I ain’t having it Albania, Arilena is a vocal queen!
Yup! She sure can deliver vocally and I have to say that I loved the revamp more than the original.
The article says though: “As usual, the contest will also be used to select Albania’s entry for Eurovision 2021.”
Not sure if it’s actually confirmed the FiK winner will go to ESC 2021, it could only be an assumption.
Edit: Forgot to press reply, but i’m replying to ani
We still want Elvana!
they never actually said the winner will go to esc
FiK did function for years as a show of its own like Sanremo, where going to Eurovision was the bonus if you won. So not an impossibility, I suppose.
She the first one I’m actually sad about I loved Fall from the sky ?
Sad as in you didn’t like it chosen, sad that it got revamped or sad about the fact that we won’t get to hear it at Eurovision?
FFTS was my #1 this year so I’m definitely in that third group.