Albania: Festivali i Këngës 62 begins tonight!

December cannot be December without Festivali i Këngës and so, tonight, the 62nd edition of the celebration of Albanian music begins in Tirana. Festivali i Këngës 62 kicks off in a few hours from now, being the means to determine Albania’s representative at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Malmö in May.

Format

Festivali i Këngës 62 will last four days, with the 31 participants competing over the next four nights for six prizes, one of which is directly related to Albania’s representation at Eurovision in Malmö a few months from now.

On the first (Tuesday) and second (Wednesday) nights will feature the semi-finals of the festival, on the third night (Thursday) the so-called “Nostalgia Night” will take place, while the festival will culminate on Friday with the Grand Final.

Like last year, FiK 62 will have two separate winners. The winner of the jury vote will be crowned as the winner of the festival and the winner of the public vote will be chosen as the country’s representative in Malmö.

The jury will consist of 11 members who will award 6 different prizes based on artistic criteria and the winner of the festival.

First Semi-Final

As mentioned above, the first semi-final of the 62nd great celebration of Albanian music will take place tonight. The artists who will perform tonight on the stage of Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana are:

1. Stivi Ushe – «Askush Si Ty»
2. Besa Kokëdhima – «Zemrën N’dorë»
3. Mal Retkoceri – «Çmendur»
4. Eldis Arnjeti – «Një Kujtim»
5. Shpat Deda – «S’mund T’fitoj Pa Ty»
6. Jehona Ponari – «Evol»
7. Peter Pan Quartet – «Edhe Një Herë»
8. Festina Mejzini – «Melos»
9. Kastro Zizo – «2073»
10. Luan Durmishi – «Përsëritja»
11. Melodajn Mancaku – «Nuk Jemi Ne»
12. Olsi Ballta – «Unë»
13. Andi Tanko – «Herë Pas Here»
14. Sergio Hajdinifdq – «Uragan»
15. Santino de Bartolo – «Dua Të Rri Me Ty»
16. Olimpia Smajlaj – «Asaj»

The presenters of FiK 62 will be Adriana Matoshi, Kledi Kadiu, Xhuliano Dule and Krisa Çaushi.

The first night of Festivali i Këngës 62 starts at 20:30 (CET) and you can watch it by clicking HERE.

Last year’s winners of the public vote were Albina & Familja Kelmendi with their song “Duje“, earning the right to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool. Albina & Familja Kelmendi again brought their country to the Grand Final, finishing in tenth place in the public vote and in twenty-second place overall.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!