Tonight’s the night for Albania, as the country will crown the winner of the 57th edition of the Festivali i Këngës and we will know yet another candidate for Eurovision 2019!
It’s getting exciting in Albania: all is set for the Grand Final of the prestigious Festivali i Këngës. Broadcaster RTSH and artistic director Inva Mula will certainly present a glamorous show from the Pallati i Kongreseve (Palace of Congresses) in the capital Tirana, letting the festivals’ finalists shine on the FiK stage. Just like the semi-finals, the show will be hosted by the duo Ana Golja and Viktor Zhust.
The 57th edition of the Festivali I Këngës is also a grand time for Eurovision fans across the world, as the victor of tonights’ final will also represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. So, we will know another Eurovision participant ánd song, following in the footsteps of FiK 2017’s winner Eugent Bushpepa.
The finalists
Following two dazzling semi-finals, in which 22 competitors performed their entries with the Albanian National Symphonic Orchestra and in modern Eurovision-style versions, 14 finalists were selected by the professional jury.
Here’s the list of the Festivali i Këngës 57 finalists:
- Dilan Reka – Karma
- Gjergj Leka – Besoj
- Orgesa Zaimi – Hije
- Lidia Lufi – Rrëfehem
- Soni Malaj – Më e fortë
- Elton Deda – Qetësisht
- Eliza Hoxha – Peng
- Marko Strazimiri & Imbro – Leyla
- Jonida Maliqi – Ktheju tokës
- Bojken Lako – Jeto jetën
- Klinti Çollaku – Me jetë
- Eranda Libohova – 100 pyetje
- Alar Band – Dashuria nuk mjafton
- Artemisa Mithi & Febi Shkurti – Dua te besoj
How to watch
The Grand Final of the 57th edition of the Festivali i Këngës will be broadcast by RTSH from the Palace of Congresses in Albania’s capital Tirana. The show may be watched at 20:45 CET via RTSH1 (HD) and via the broadcaster’s website.
For more information visit the official Festivali i Këngës website.
Festival i Këngës 56 winner and Eurovision 2018
Rock artist Eugent Bushpepa (Rrëshen, Albania, 1984) was the winner of Festivali i Këngës 56 in 2017 and represented Albania at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song Mall (“Yearning”).
The singer eventually reached a decent 11th place in the Grand Final, receiving 184 points.
