Albania: The reason Elsa Lila did not win Festivali i Këngës 62!

The two FiK winners spoke with Alban Dudushi in the “3D” studio at RTSH yesterday, giving their thoughts regarding this year’s musical festival.

The 62nd edition’s winners were Besa Kokëdhima, who will represent Albania in Eurovision 2024 as the public vote winner, and Mal Retkoceri, who received the FIK 62 trophy from the jury.

Besa Kokëdhima revealed that she hasn’t performed in Albania for a long time, but with the song Zemrën N’dorë, she displayed a different side of her artistic personality.

It was several years since I did music in Albania. I’ve discovered a love that I never would have expected to feel. It goes without saying that people are yearning for both the artistic viewpoint I offer to the music industry and for what I’ve contributed to Albanian music. Consider it perhaps as an excess of nostalgia. The festival makes up for a void in my life. Bessa is who I am and always will be. However, the song also had developments and surprises, even though I didn’t want to start a trend because I’ve done this before. This song needed to be Bessa, it needed to be a new Bessa, and it needed to be something the crowd could relate to.

Mal Retkoceri, on the other hand, addressed the problem of showing his tongue while singing and acknowledged that he had only recently made the decision to begin recording music.

I spent zero euros on my performance. When no one was home, I attempted to record. Leaving them with a surprise was my intention, especially for my mother. It is a piece I wrote for my mum. I interpreted it as though it were her perspective. My sister gave me the mattress, which is a red blanket. My mother asked me, “Who wrote the lyrics?” right away. She was amazed when she found out that I had created it on my own. I told her that the song was written specifically for her after three or four days.

– Why not ? – I don’t know . We have the tongue, we can take it out and put it in. We have that ability as humans”, Mal replied with a laugh.

Along with the two winners, Zana Shuteriqi, a member of the jury, was also present and gave her thoughts regarding the events of the FIK 62 final.

Specifically, Zana Shuteriqi noted that the song’s professional aspects were the first thing the Festival judges considered

Expert panels shouldn’t make aesthetic judgments, instead they should address the prodessional aspects of the songs, which comprise many of its components. People are passionate about what they do, thus the judging panel needs to be objective in its interpretations.

Zana Shuteriqi also gave her thoughts on Elsa Lila’s song, stating that it bore similarities to the one from the previous year.

Despite all of her artistic achievements, Elsa Lila composed a song that was strikingly similar to the winning composition from the previous year. But compared to last year, it was even less successful. There’s not much of a difference between these songs, and Mars wasn’t as good as Evita. Thus, we made an effort to be as unbiased and professional as we could.

She concluded by discussing the assaults that she has been the target of.

Given that not everyone is fond of Mal Retkoceri, I accept criticism directed towards him. The jury was able to discern the festival’s essence, and it is the particular individuals chosen to do this. What more classic choices would you like us to make?

I want to praise Bojken Lako for his spirit, his attitude, and his intent of helping the organizers take one more step—or possibly many steps—after the first night was done. It’s not an issue of honor, the event as a whole introduced a highly empowering perspective.

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Source: RTSH