It’s officially on! After teasing us earlier with preview clips, broadcaster RTSH have released full-length versions of each of the 22 entries in this year’s Festivali i Këngës. The first national final of the season, the contest enters its 57th year later this month and makes a welcome return to our screens.
With less than two weeks to wait before we have our first song for Eurovision 2019, it’s time for you to have your say on who is your favourite Albanian act in our FiK57 Wiwi Poll!
The line-up includes familiar faces from the Albanian song contest scene, as well as newcomers making their FiK debut. And while the typical Albanian guitar solo features again in many of the songs, we definitely can hear — dare we say it — a more modern sound in many of the entries. We might just be able to bypass the dreaded ‘Albanian revamp’ that has so often not worked in the past — phew!
At the end of October the broadcaster announced some big changes to the way this year’s contest will run. In the first show on December 20th, songs will be performed with the traditional FiK orchestra. The second programme a day later, however, will see the songs performed in a Eurovision-style arrangement and will make use of staging techniques. In the final on December 22, we can expect a more traditional FiK experience.
With that said — which songs are your favourites? Listen to the tracks below and vote for your favourites. You can vote for as many songs as you like, but you can only vote once — so make your vote count!
Festivali i Këngës 57 — competing acts
Click on the song titles to watch the video.
- Alar Band – “Dashuria nuk mjafton” (Love is not enough)
- Artemisa Mithi & Febi Shkurti – “Dua ta besoj” (I want to believe it)
- Aurel Thëllimi – “Të dua ty” (I love you)
- Bojken Lako – “Jeto jetën” (Live life)
- Bruno Pollogati – “Nuk ka stop” (There is no stop)
- Dilan Reka – “Karma” (Karma)
- Eliza Hoxha – “Peng” (The regret)
- Elona Islamaj – “Në këtë botë kalimtare” (In this transitional world)
- Elton Deda – “Qetësisht” (Calmly)
- Eranda Libohova – “100 pyetje” (100 questions)
- Gjergj Leka – “Një ditë tjetër” (Another day)
- Jonida Maliqi – “Ktheju tokës” (Return to the land)
- Kelly – “A më ndjen” (Do you feel me?)
- Klint Çollaku – “Me jetë” (With life)
- Klodiana Vata – “Mbrëmje e pafund” (Endless evening)
- Kujtim Prodani – “Babela” (Babela)
- Lidia Lufi – “Rrëfehem” (I confess)
- Lorela Sejdini – “Vetmi” (Loneliness)
- Marko Strazimiri & Imbro – “Leyla” (Leyla)
- Mirud – “Nënë” (Mother)
- Orgesa Zaimi – “Hije” (Shadow)
- Soni Malaj – “Më e fortë” (Louder)
What are your favourite songs in Albania’s Festivali i Këngës 57?
[polldaddy poll=10187241]What do you think? Which songs are your favourites? Who would you like to see represent Albania in Tel Aviv? Tell us what you think below!
Mirud will give Albania one of the best results in the history 😀
Great selection this year indeed. I am surprised by Albania – so many contemporary songs 🙂 My top 5: 1: Mirud – Nënë 9/10 (contemporary ballad, extremely beautiful, amazing voice) 2: Jonida Maliqi – Ktheju tokës 8/10 (a very very interesting ethnich song) 3: Lidia Lufi – Rrëfehem 8/10 (another very interesting song, electro power pop) 4: Klinti Collaku – Me jetë 8/10 (another contemporary ballad, piano this time, very very lovely) 5: Bojken Lako – Jeto jetën 8/10 (alternativ elektro popballad, interesting) Of all these 22 songs I rate Lorelas song second last/3/10) – it is NOT a good… Read more »
My favorite is Jonida Maliqi,
and I also love Lidia Lufi.
I’m not a huge fan of traditional music but Jonida Maliqi would be my choice to represent Albania. Anyway, she can sing, the production is traditional and quite modern and the song is past near 3 minutes in which the trimming of the song to “3:00” isn’t a huge impact to the power of song. My other favourites to represent Albania are Mirud, Artemisa & Febi, Lorela Sejdini (surprisingly ranked high in the poll yet I do quite like the song) and Soni.
Woooooow now Lorela is in the top?? GREAT!
Her song is the worst of the entire selection.
I’m happy that people still don’t get this.
Mirud nene???
Mirud is the greatest of all time, no if, ands, or buts.
Just get it over with. Everybody here in Albania already know it’s gonna be Jonida.
Start considering Ktheju Tokes as the Albanian entry already.
For those who down-voted me, I invite you to re-visit my comment on the 22nd of December near midnight. 😉
Wait how did Lorena jump so high overnight? ?
Yeah she definitely had around 40 votes this morning and now well over 1,000. It’s a fine song, but weird that it would jump so high in just a few hours ….
It’s called vote scam.
Her song is the worst, 3 minutes of screaming over an overproduced mess of an instrumental. No way she’s coming any close to victory. I hope she isn’t involved in this blatant scam, because it’s not a good look for her at all!
Thankfully, it’s not Wiwi poll which decides the winner. Lorela’s song is pleasant enough, but honestly, I forget it so easily. Not even in top 10 of FiK entries.
She asked her followers on insta for votes on the poll
How did she ask her followers to vote for her when she had 2900 hundred YouTube views on her song and she had 2200 votes in a matter of 23 from 40 votes. I’ve lost respect for her as an artist and as you can see here all of us did. ! ?How can all those people vote for her when they haven’t heard her song? SCAM!!!!! We all know she’s a scam at this point so there’s no need to try and defend her cause it’s not gonna work. It’s clear who the top 3 are. Jonida, Soni and… Read more »
the Mirud will be the number one
I want MIRUD for the win.
loving all about MIRUD and Jonida!!
Albania has three amazing choices for ESC: Mirud, Jonida and Artemisa & Febi. Any of them could easily finish top 10 in Tel Aviv. Both Mirud and Jonida have very emotional and marvelously composed songs which leave big impact. Artemisa & Febi have a really memorable and unique song unlike anything ever sent from Albania. I really hope it’s one of them who wins this. Aside from them, I very much appreciate Orgesa’s song, as it’s so fresh and original. Out of more traditional ballads, Aurel and Eliza have quite nice songs too.
Damn MIRUD those vocals honeyyyyyyyyyyy……
After a first listen, I enjoyed Të dua ty, Khteju tokës, Mbrëmje e pafund and Nënë (KT and Nënë being the obvious choices for Eurovision). Miles ahead the Latvian and Estonian selections, I didn’t get bored once, even during the songs I didn’t like. Great job, Albania! Although, where is Elton Deda’s song?
I’m probably alone in this but my fav is Babela. Wish there were more songs like that in ESC
ktheju tokës has a lot of potential, I would love to know what the lyrics mean… would be a very cool, edgy entry from a country that hasn’t experimented much since suus
It’s a song about immigration and leaving home behind.
You sing and cry
You collect tears in your hands
You hold them
One day you live
One day you die
So much yearning, so little hope
Alone, without identity.
R:
Return to your land
You who left your heart behind
Return to your land
You know a heart awaits you
One day you live
One day you die
So much yearning, so little hope
Alone, without identity.
wow! love it even more now
Omg these are amazing!!! So different, special, emotional and not just flat ballads. My favorites are: Mirud (starting crying inexplicably, even though I don’t understand a word), Aurel Thellimi, Jonida and Lidia. But Mirud for the win! My heart would burst!
Mirud and Jonida, no doubt! If it’s either one of these, then Albania will be one of my favorites again this year. Well done!
Don’t mess it up Albania, it was to be Mirud!
Did nobody talked about Lidia Lufi? Fine, then.
Even if Soni has all the fanbase she needs, I think it leans more to Jonida vs Mirud, yet Mirud has to try harder so that it won’t be approached as Schulte 2.0, but I still have high hopes for “Nënë”.
Again (like every year), a very “FIK-ish” line-up… a lot of electric guitars, long instrumentals, screaming divas, aged male singers and, of course, drama! Yeah, there are some songs with more modern sounds, but they are the less. I see an outstanding entry: “Nënë” by Mirud. I can’t imagine the rest at all in Eurovision, qualifying or winning. I would say FIK 57 is weaker than last year edition. Dilan Reka’s effort with an old-fashioned europop song is almost a crime. My top 5: 1. Mirud – Nënë (7.5/10). I hope it doesn’t turn into Belgium 2014, cringe. 2. Jonida… Read more »
Quite a good selection from Albania. My first impressions:
BEST – Mirud, Artemisa & Febi, Jonida, Aurel
GOOD – Orgesa, Eliza, Marko & Imbro, Bruno, Klinti
Any of them could work with a good performance.
I think we can safely ignore the top result, some massive vote spamming has been going on there.
I don’t know, I really love his song. I loved it from the first time I heard a short snippet, so…
Yes, but that doesn’t explain the massive vote gap. Especially when you look at the youtube views.
I agree. I already said that I’m surprised about my own results. That might mean nothing of course, but that huge gap is very suspicious indeed.
I love this song, my favourite : Jonida Maliqi, Ktheju tokës. My favourite NF songs so far of the 4 countries we have. I’m very pleased. Good luck Albania and to her too.
I have 3 favorites:
Mirud
Aurel Thëllimi
Marko Strazimiri & Imbro
I am surprised of my own results… my clear favorite is Dua ta besoj and I thought it could have big chances in Tel Aviv. Notable is the English line in the lyrics which I haven’t noticed before in the FiK.
Mirud is good but i’m not that impressed. I would prefer Jonida to win!
Based on the comments, there is already quite a consensus when it comes to what are the best songs in this selection.
Personally, I’m going with Lorela…even if I’m alone!
Mirud “Nënë” (Mother) FOR THE WIN!!
I expect a very powerful performance from Mirud. That probably is the most interesting ballad I’ve heard in years. I like how it just draws you in. Like you want to hear more. And those high notes… wow
Jonida and Orgesa’s songs are also very good. It’s really sad that some songs will be left out. Good job tho Albania.
As expected, it’s a Soni vs. Jonida situation, and also expectedly unpredictable. Both of these women own their genres, Soni is known for her uptempos, and nobody really does dramatic songs like Jonida. In terms of message, Soni has a universal message about women power while Jonida is singing about a local problem such as migration. They both can win. Jonida might have the governmental advantage though, since the government wants people to return to Albania, and this is a state tv, but maybe the jury will not be corrupt enough to take the win away from Soni. I guess… Read more »
Great selection! As I expected by the snippet, Jonida’s song is my favorite. It sounds so grandiose, I hope it keeps all this power when performed live. But Klint and Mirud both also have very good songs and beautiful voices, Albania couldn’t go wrong with any of them either. If they want to go with something fresh and bold, Orgesa is there again, even if her song last year was better. Let’s wait and see how things will work during the live shows, but at first I would be happy if one of these 4 artists wins FiK.
1. Nene – Mirud
2. Ktheju Tokes – Jonida Maliqi
3. Rrefehem – Lidia Lufi
4. Më e fortë – Soni Malaj
5. Hije – Orgesa Zaimi
Jonida’s song is breathtaking and has the potential to be the best Albanian entry ever. This is top five material, please send her to Tel Aviv!!!!!
Top 10 for Albania in Tel Aviv if they pick Jonida.
1. Aurel
2. Artemisa
3.Soni
4.Orgesa
Jonida’s song is a BOP. Albania please, if you don’t send her…
Just joking, the Eranda and Mirud are good as well, but omg Jonida could slay in Tel Aviv!!!
It HAS to be Jonida
The acts for Eurovision: Klinti Çollaku – Me jetë Strong, powerful. Not that typical jury bait delivered as a male ballad. The R&B sound makes it even better. And he can keep it in Albanian! Jonida Maliqi – Ktheju tokës Very experimental, Jamala-ish. I like it a lot. Orgesa Zaimi – Hije Probably the favourite among Eurofans. It’s kind of Evanescence meet Peppa Pig. It’s not as strong as her past entry and I’m not sure if everybody will get it. Marko Strazimiri & Imbro – Leyla Classical. Should I call this a Balkan Ballad? It gets kind of messy… Read more »
All those songs I mentioned above can be kept in Albanian, they don’t need to be translated to English!!!!
I love the song it is simply amazing !!! I’m really speechless . I hear all the songs but this one is something special . I wish with all my heart this song to win . I love the ethnic part of the song . Please Albania please vote this song , vote these two artists !!! It’s my first time that I cry for song !!! ???
Sorry my fault . I thought I wrote it but no. I’m talking about Marko strazimiri and Imbro and their song is Leyla !
I mean… Soni’s song is not my favourite out of these either, but I actually don’t hear the similarities with Fuego AT ALL? I genuinly can’t see what you’re all on about.
(Besides that, I actually think it’s better than Fuego oops, don’t come at me)
I can actually see Mirud in Top 5 of ESC 2019, ofc if the live performance won’t be disappointing (I hope it won’t). That song is really interesting and beautiful. He’s got a beautiful voice, too. Plus the man’s got the looks. 😀 Jonida could do well too.
Just keep Soni away from Tel Aviv, please. That legit sounds like a song that would be hyped by Eurofans and then flop in May.
I agree, Mirud’s entry is very strong.
Can we just agree that Fik has improved so much? Way to go Albania, would love to see them win one day
Indeed, they have at least two or three songs that can qualify with ease in Tel-Aviv.
I haven’t been following FiK before 2016 but I think it’s one of their strongest selections.
Albania is growing as an ESC nation and their improvment of their Festival is proof. Very happy with a lot of entries. I’ve listened to them more than Latvia and Estonia! Here are my top 3!
1.Jonida
2 Soni
3 Orgesa
I liked some songs from Estonia, even tho its very very average selection. Latvia is much worse, unfortunately.
Albania I might have expected you to deliver, but this is too much! I can’t choose a favourite fron my top 5:
– Orgessa, Mirud, Jonida, Soni and Arthemisa.
Whoops, just heard Jonida’s song… It’s so damn good, someone just blew my expectations away. Send her!
My TOP 3
1. Jonida Maliqi
2. Klodiana Vata
3. Eranda Libohova
That Soni Malaj song is definitely inspired by Fuego lol. There’s no way FiK jury let her win. It’ll be between Jonida and Mirud I think.
Soni song is for me bad copy of Fuego. We will have many copies of Fuego in many national finals, maybe some countries will sent that kind of song. But I dont see in 2019 in TOP 3 song like Fuego and fame fatale singer like Eleni. Only one time, 2 simillar song and singers have simillar result in 2 years in row, Denmark song from 1986 ( 6 th place) is copy of Sweden 1985 ( 3rd place). Ireland sent in 2003 simillar song like Denmark winner from 2000, and they are out of TOP 10
why are these so good??? I was NOT prepared for this lol. I’ve only listened to a couple ones, but so far it seems great. Latvia could never.
oh boy, poor Latvia. lol
yeah true, but Supernova 2019 just ain’t it.
My favorite is Jonida. It’s very dark and feels powerful. On the other side, we probably have our first Eleni-wannabe of the season from Soni. That one sounds really cheap and messy, but I’m sure that some fans will love it.