Yearning guides Eugent Bushpepa’s official music video for “Mall”

His Albanian-language song “Mall” translates as “Yearning” — and Eugent Bushpepa has brought that feeling to life in his official music video.

Directed by Ajola Xoxa, who happens to be the wife of Tirana’s mayor, the video captures a sense of longing and nostalgia through black-and-white imagery.

Throughout the video two dancers — poised, elegant, striking — struggle to come together because of the sea of dancers that surround them.

At times there are major tussles, as interlopers block their outstretched hands. But ultimately love wins the day and our stars rise toward the sky, leaving the tangle of bodies behind them.

It’s an appropriately triumphant video for the anthemic song, which conjures feelings of hope amid the chaos.

It’s unclear whether the stage show will mirror the music video in any way, though Eugent has made it known that he will share the stage with his band and two female backing singers. He added that it’s still too early to decide 100% on the staging.

Planning the staging is just the latest step in a long journey for Eugent.

In December he became the very first Eurovision 2018 act to reveal his song. And earlier this month, more than three months after winning Albania’s selection, he finally released the cut-down version of the song.

The earlier version lasted for more than four minutes. In cutting it down to the required three minutes the Albanian star crated a more efficient, high-impact piece. It packs a punch more quickly and will manage to keep the attention of viewers whose minds may have strayed in the longer version.

With 90 seconds to lose, the Albanian team have removed a verse and rearranged things a bit. The guitar isn’t as loud, so Eugent’s vocals stand out more. The chorus now starts with a quieter half before kicking into the power notes.

During this cycle of Eurovision, Albania has enjoyed some of its most positive fan reviews ever, with many applauding the uplifting nature of the Albanian song and Eugent’s solid vocals. Despite being a rocker, he’s able to cut across genres and demographics.

Albania is currently 15th in our poll, “Who should win Eurovision 2018?”

Albania will compete in Semi-Final 1 — the so-called semi-final of death — on May 8. He performs in the first half of the semi, alongside the likes of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Iceland and Israel.

What do you think of the official video of “Mall”? Let us know in the comments box below.

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