The grand final of Festival i Këngës, the Albanian national final took place last night. Eventually it was Besa Kokëdhima with the song “Zemren n’dorë” (trans. “Heart in Hand”) who took the crown of the public vote and will represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö (Sweden).
Although Festival i Këngës every year ends up marking the Albanian representative of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, this Albanian music festival winner is not necessarily meant to become Eurovision representative, as the festival rules state that the winner of the public vote will represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest.
What was Festival i Këngës, the Albanian national final, like this year?
The Albanian national final, also known as “Festival i Këngës”, had its 62th edition this year. The festival took place in the Pallati i Kongreseve in the capital of Albania, Tirana. The live shows were represented by the ever so lovely Adriana Matoshi, but also Kledi Kadiu, Krisa Çaushi en Xhuliano Dule. In the grand final of Festival i Këngës 22 songs competed, but the whole festival revolved around more than this number of songs, 31 in total. The winner of the show was chosen by both a professional jury vote; the Eurovision representative solely by public voting, both voters from Albania and Kosovo were able to be part of the public vote.
What were the eventual results of the grand final of the Albanian national final?
The results of the grand final of the Albanian national final can be found below. Here’s the running order of the final, with the professional jury top 3 and the chosen representative, decided by the public voters.
- Kastro Zizo – 2073
- Mal Retkoceri – Çmendur – 1st with the professional jury
- Erina & De Elementalen – Jetën n’skaj
- Melodajn Mancaku – Nuk jemi ne
- Tiri Gjoci – Në ëndërr – 2nd with the professional jury
- Kleansa Susaj – Pikturë
- Irma Lepori – Me prit
- Festina Mejzini – Melos
- Eldis Arnjeti – Një kujtim
- Martina Serreqi – Vetëm ty
- Besa Krasniqi – Esenciale
- Sergio Hajdini – Uragan
- Olimpia Smajlaj – Asaj
- Anduel Kovaci – Nan’
- Michela Paluca – Për veten
- PeterPan Quartet – Edhe nje here
- Besa Kokëdhima – Zemrën n’dorë – Winner public vote
- Arsi Bako – Zgjohu
- Elsa Lila – Mars
- Andi Tanko – Herë pas hier
- Shpat Deda – S’mund të fitoj pa ty – 3rd with the professional jury
- Big Basta & Vesa Luma – Mbinatyrale
When will Besa Kokëdhima perform her Eurovision entry in Malmö?
Besa Kokëdhima will perform her Eurovision entry either on May 7th or 9th 2024 in Malmö (Sweden). The allocation draw of where each country in the semi-finals is currently still unknown.
Who represented Albania in Eurovision 2023?
In Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool (UK) Albania was represented by Albina & Familja Kelmendi with the song “Duje”. In Semi-Final 2 Albina and her family ended up in 9th place (of 16), and in the Grand Final they eventually came in 22nd place (of 26).