Friday 20th December will mark the second night of Festivali i Këngës, Albania‘s long-standing music festival and selection process for their entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
After the first 15 artists performed on Thursday, the remaining acts will get a chance to make a lasting impression on both the jury and voting public in the hopes of performing in Basel in 2025. A strong performance will be essential as on Saturday 21st December, up to 18 artists will be announced as progressing to the grand final on Sunday.
Let’s meet the second batch of artists and listen to their entries!
Mal – Antihero
Opening the second night is last year’s FiK winner Mal Retkoceri (billed this year simply as Mal).
Despite being the son of famous Kosovan folk singer Violeta Kukaj and the sister of singer Njomza Retkoceri, Mal had only been making music for a few months prior to his FiK debut last year. However, Mal would go on to surprise everyone when he won the jury vote and therefore the overall contest with his song ‘Çmendur’ (‘Crazy’). Although the Albanian public ultimately chose Besa to represent them, Mal holds no hard feelings, telling Kosovo’s Albanian-language news publication Telegrafi, “We both came out winners in the end. I liked all the songs; each song had its uniqueness.”
Now Mal is back with the rock song ‘Antihero’ and he has his sights set on Basel. Mal has told fans he is a huge fan of the contest and hopes that, with more experience under his belt this year, he can do Albania proud in 2025. Could we be looking at a back-to-back victory for Mal?
Klea Dina – Dashuri ndiej
Klea Dina entered FiK as a reserve entrant, replacing Olsi Bylyku when he had to withdraw from the contest for personal reasons. This Kosovan singer is a student at the Halit Kasapolli music school in Peja and sings in the Siparantum Choir there. She has participated in many festivals in the Balkan region, as well as in Italy, Germany and Belgium.
Having already competed in the Kosovan edition of FiK, Klea will be setting her sights on Albania with the ballad ‘Dashuri ndiej’ (‘I Feel Love’). Baby Lasagna’s stratospheric rise to second place at Malmö really showed what a reserve entry can do. Can Klea follow in his footsteps?
Devis Xerahu – Ka momente
Devis Xerahu is a 51-year-old singer from Korçë who previously participated in FiK in 2019. He performed the song ‘Bisedoj me serenatën’ (‘I Talk to the Serenade’) although unfortunately did not progress beyond the first semi-final. Since then, he has gone on to release a number of singles, often with other well-known Albanian musicians. His latest single ‘Pa para nuk behet qefi’ (‘There’s No Fun Without Money’) is a duet with Albania’s Eurovision 2016 representative Eneda Tarifa.
Now Devis is back in FiK and hoping for more success than his previous attempt. He will be performing his pop song ‘Ka momente’ (‘There are Moments’) and you can hear this below.
Vesa Smolica – Lutem
Vesa Smolica is a Kosovan singer-songwriter who has participated in many talent shows including The Voice of Albania, several editions of Top Fest and Kënga Magjike in 2022 with the song ‘A po gezohesh?’ (‘Are You Enjoying Yourself?’). She has also participated in Big Brother VIP Albania.
Although known for her appearances in Albanian, Kosovan and Bulgarian music festivals, Vesa will be participating in FiK for the first time with ‘Lutem’ (‘Please’) which starts off as a simple ballad before evolving into a dance-inspired chorus with prominent strings. You can listen to the song below.
Algert Sala – Bosh
Algert Sala was born in Tepelena and first became known to Albanian audiences when he appeared in their editions of The X Factor and The Voice. Following this, he appeared in popular Albanian song contest Kënga Magjike in 2016 with the song ‘Buze’. In 2017, he competed again with the song ‘Je Penduar’ which was critically acclaimed.
Algert will be making his FiK debut with his ballad ‘Bosh’ (‘Empty’). Is this your winner?
Gresa Gjocera – E vërteta
Gresa Gjocera has been singing from a young age, having won the Poleposition competition in 2004 and contributing vocals to the Albanian group Fever for six years. In 2022, Gresa appeared in Kënga Magjike with Bledi Kaso (who participated in FiK last year) where the two performed their song ‘Zemer per zemer’ (‘Heart to Heart’).
Gresa will be making her FiK debut as a solo artist with the pop song ‘E vërteta’ (‘The Truth’). Does her entry make you want to hear more from her?
Frensi Revania – Rreziko
One of this year’s new artists, 20-year-old Frensi Revania has been making music since she was a child. She appeared on The Voice Kids in 2018 and since then has participated in RTSH’s programme Talent, which is broadcast on Radio Tirana 2 and aims to promote young singers.
Frensi will be making her FiK debut and hoping to leave a lasting impression on the Albanian music scene with the retro pop song ‘Rreziko’ (‘Take Your Chances’). The song was written alongside composer Alban Male, who has also served as artistic director on several editions of The Voice and The Voice Kids in Albania.
Endrik Beba – Ishe ti
Endrik Beba is a singer who was previously the front-man of the group Lynx before embarking on a solo career. He has also previously appeared in FiK in 2022 where he provided vocals for the rock group Urban Band and their song ‘Në çdo hap’ (‘At Every Step’). Endrik has also appeared in Big Brother VIP Albania.
This year will see Endrik make his first turn in the contest as a solo artist. He will be performing the pop rock song ‘Ishe ti’ (‘It Was You’). Could this see him shine as a soloist?
Epos – Kurajo dhe Zjarr
Epos are a groove rock band and very little information can be found on them, meaning they are likely among the newer artists taking part in FiK this year. Their song ‘Kurajo dhe Zjarr’ (‘Courage and Fire’) is composed and orchestrated by Algert Kashari and Armand Borshka who may well be members of the band.
As a new, relatively unknown group, it is perhaps unlikely that Epos will win this year. However, last year’s winner Mal Retkoceri was also new to the Albanian music scene, showing that anything can happen at FiK. And there’s nowhere like the Palace of Congresses to make your mark. You can listen to their song below.
Laorjan Ejlli and Adelina Corraj – A thu!
Laorjan Ejlli is a singer and guitarist who has performed in multiple music festivals, including Kënga Magjike, but this will be the first time he is competing in FiK. However, if he wants any tips on making it to Eurovision he need look no further than his brother Luiz Ejlli, who won FiK and participated in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with his song ‘Zjarr e ftohtë’ (‘Cold Fire’). Adelina Corraj is an emerging artist in Albania who will also be making her FiK debut this year.
The pair will be performing their duet ‘A thu!’ (‘Do You Say’) which you can listen to below.
Santino de Bartolo – Kur nata vjen si bora
Santino de Bartolo is a Kosovan-Italian musician who made his FiK debut last year with the song ‘Dua të rri me ty’ (‘I Want to Stay with You’). Although he failed to qualify for the top prize, this has clearly not deterred him as Santino has also participated in the Kosovan edition of FiK this year with the song ‘Unë jam Arbëresh’ (‘I Am Arbresh’).
Now Santino is back again and hoping for a second chance at success with the traditional acoustic ballad ‘Kur nata vjen si bora’ (‘When the Night Comes Like Snow’). Will we be seeing him in the grand final this year?
Rea Nuhu – Sot
Rea Nuhu first became known to Albanian audiences when she made her 2017 debut on Kënga Magjike, duetting with FiK stalwart Kastro Zizo on the song ‘Pa faj’ (‘Without Guilt’) which placed eighth overall. Since then, she has participated in two more editions of Kënga Magjike with ‘S’mjafton’ (‘Not Enough’) in 2018 and ‘Për mua’ (‘For Me’) in 2019.
This will be the first time Rea has competed in FiK and she will be doing so with the blues song ‘Sot’ (‘Today’) which she wrote and composed herself. You can listen to the song below.
Elvana Gjata – Karnaval
Often hailed as the ‘Diva of Albanian music’, it’s safe to say Elvana Gjata’s return to FiK is one of the most hotly anticipated in this year’s edition. With an illustrious career that has seen her win Dancing with the Stars, collaborate with David Guetta and achieve multiple number one singles in Albania, Elvana is perhaps best-known amongst Eurofans for her participation in the 2019 edition of FiK. Despite being one of the favourites to win the competition and represent Albania in Eurovision 2020 with her song ‘Me tana’ (‘With Ours’), she lost out to Arilena Ara and her song ‘Shaj’ (‘Shout’). Eurovision would ultimately be cancelled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Performing her dance entry ‘Karanval’, Elvana certainly has some scores to settle. Can she live up to the hype?
Stine – E kishim nis
Stine is the stage name of 43-year-old Ernest Duka who is a well-known singer-songwriter in Albania. He is best known for making music in the hip hop genre, combining this with R&B, pop and electronic elements. His music videos routinely acquire millions of views on YouTube. Most recently, Stine participated in this year’s edition of Kënga Magjike with the song ‘E treta e verteta’ (‘The Third Truth’) and also wrote Grazia’s entry ‘Jeto i lumtur’ (‘Live Happy’) for this.
Despite being very well-known on the Albanian music scene, Stine will be participating in FiK for the first time this year with the song ‘E kishim nis’ (‘We Had it All’) which combines a mid-tempo ballad with elements of his usual hip hop/R&B sound. Will it prove as popular as Stine’s other songs?
Gjergj Kaçinari – Larg jetës pa ty
Closing the show is FiK veteran Gjergj Kaçinari. 2024 will be his fourth time in the contest with the last time being in 2022 with the song ‘Dje’ (‘Yesterday’). The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has also featured in the orchestra of Kosovo’s edition of FiK.
Now Gjergj is back and hoping for another shot at representing Albania at Eurovision with his rock ballad ‘Larg jetës pa ty’ (‘Away from Life Without You’). We’ve heard of third time lucky, but what about fourth?
So there you have the 15 artists performing in the second night of FiK! Whose song are you most excited to hear tonight? Is your winner among them? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to follow us on all our socials to keep up to date with the latest Eurovision news.
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