Introducing the 2009 entries: Albania

All entries in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest are known, but the actual contest is still two weeks away. As a warm-up, we introduce one of the entries every day in random order. Part thirty-nine is dedicated to the entry from Albania.

Basic information

The song

Carry me in your dreams is an up-tempo pop song. The lyrics are a declaration of love by singing someone else's praise:

You fill my thoughts even when you’re not here
I close my eyes, close my eyes and I feel
You're there!

Take my love, take my heart
Carry me with you in your dreams
No, no never let go
Wonder of love – magical glow

The singer

Along with Christina Metaxa from Cyprus, 16-year-old Kejsi is the youngest singer in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.She started her music career at the young age of eleven, when she won a singing contest for young talents. It was not her last prize, as she also won the newcomer award of the Friday Fever Song Contest. She was a contestant in the Albanian talent search ETHET, which alsoproduced the 2004 and 2006 Albanian Eurovision Song Contest representatives Anjeza Shahini and Luiz Ejlli.

In December 2008, Kejsi Tola won the47thedition of the Festivali i Kenges with the song Më mërr në ëndërr. Therefore,she will represent Albaniaat the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. The song was translated into English as Carry me in your dreams. While concentrating on her career as a musician, Kejsi Tola is still a student at the artistic lyceum of Jordan Misja in Tirana.

The national selection

As every year, the annual Festivali i Kenges was to select the Albanian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the format was changed this year. Although there were still three shows, only 20 songs took part. In the first show, the songs were presented by their original artists, on the second evening, the songs were performed by their artists as duets with other famous singers and in the finl, the songs were presented like in the first show again.

Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest

Albania joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 and achieved its only top ten placing in a final to date. The country was less successful since finishing 16th in 2005 and being eliminated in the 2006 and 2007 semi finals. Last year, Albania finished 9th in the second semi final and therefore narrowly made it to the final, where they finished 16th again.

I deshirojme Shqiperise dhe Kejsi Toles shume fat dhe nje rezulltat shume te mire ne Moske!

Videos

National final performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6b8RwkRBqw

The preview video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkH5CbqmXzw

Performing Jennifer Lopez' Waiting for tonight in Ethet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pudZLBl-Hfo

Other parts of this series

1. France
2. Portugal
3. Romania
4. Denmark
5. Netherlands
6. Cyprus
7. Latvia
8. Ireland
9. Malta
10. Armenia
11. Germany
12. Serbia
13. Belgium
14. Greece
15. Croatia
16. Poland
17. Czech Republic
18. Iceland
19. Moldova
20. Switzerland
21. Slovenia
22. Andorra
23. Ukraine
24. Spain
25. Sweden
26. Montenegro
27. Finland
28. Lithuania
29. Russia
30. Turkey
31. Azerbaijan
32. Bulgaria
33. Belarus
34. Norway
35. Israel
36. Slovakia
37. United Kingdom
38. Hungary

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the entry from Bosnia & Herzegovina.

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