Tonight, the 49th edition of the Albanian Festivali i Këngës has taken place. Aurela Gaçe with the song Kënga ime has been chosen to represent the Adriatic country in Düsseldorf next year. A total of 18 acts competed for that honour in the final of FiK.
Aurela Gaçe has been crowned as the winner of Festivali i Këngës 49, getting the right to represent Albania in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Kënga ime. The act has lifted the trophy after three days of competition, held in the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. This is the third time Aurela wins Festivali i Këngës but the first that she will represent her country in Eurovision.
Aurela’s real success begun in the 90’s. She has already won FiK twice in 1999 and in 2001 and got more second and third places than any other singer during the 90’s edition of Festivali i Këngës. Her last participation at FiK was in 2001 but in the meantime she has performed at FiK as a guest singer in 2006 and 2008, when she got a very impressive applaud by the audience. She hasalso won other contests, like the popular festival Kënga Magjike.
Aurela has showed herself as a very flexible artist in the Albanian music industry. She has been working in different genres, from folk to dance and classical pop.
Results
| No. | Performer | Jury | |
| 1. | Aurela Gaçe | 82 | |
| 2. | Alban Skenderaj & Miriam Cani | 66 | |
| 3. | Saimir Braho | 48 | |
| 4. | Xhejsi Jorgaqi | 44 | |
| 5. | Enkelejda Arifi | 36 | |
| 6. | Dorina Garuci | 34 | |
| 7. | Dorian Nini | 29 | |
| 8. | Francesk Radi | 13 | |
| 9. | Besa Kokhëdima | 13 | |
| 10. | Kamela Islami | 12 | |
| 11. | Hersiana Matmuja | 7 | |
| 12. | Selami Kolonja | 6 | |
| 13. | Denis Hasa | 6 | |
| 14. | Maria Prifti | 5 | |
| 15. | Orges Toçe | 3 | |
| 16. | Marsida Saraçi | 2 | |
| 17. | Goldi Halili | 0 | |
| 18. | Albi Xhepa & Sam Jaupaj | 0 |
esctoday.com poll
The esctoday.com readers that voted in our poll to select their winner of Festivali i Këngës 49 did not match the actual outcome of the show. Their favourite option was Miriam Cani & Alban Skenderaj with 28.2% of the vote. Second was Aurela Gaçe with 17.5%.
The winning performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVd0rMyUTU8
