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Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

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Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Country Albania
National selection
Selection processFestivali i Këngës 58
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
19 December 2019
20 December 2019
Final:
22 December 2019
Selected artist(s)Arilena Ara
Selected song"Fall from the Sky"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final resultContest cancelled
Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2019 • 2020 • 2021►

Albania was scheduled to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Fall from the Sky" performed by Arilena Ara. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2019. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. In March 2020, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its rapid spread across Europe.

Background

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Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2020 contest, Albania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004.[1] The country's highest placing in the contest, to this point, had been the fifth place, which it achieved in 2012 with the song "Suus" performed by Rona Nishliu.[1] The first entry was performed by Anjeza Shahini with the song "The Image of You" and finished in the seventh place, Albania's second-highest placing to date.[1] During its tenure in the contest, Albania failed to qualify for the final seven times, with both the 2016 and 2017 entries being the most recent non-qualifiers.[2][3] Since the 2018 contest, Albania qualified for the grand final in both the 2018 and 2019 contest, with Eugent Bushpepa finishing in eleventh place with "Mall" and Jonida Maliqi placing in seventeenth place with "Ktheju tokës".[1]

In July 2019, the national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), officially confirmed Albania's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.[4] RTSH broadcasts the contest within Albania and organises the selection process for the nation's entry.[5] Since its debut in 2004, it has consistently selected its entry through the long-standing competition Festivali i Këngës.[5]

Before Eurovision

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Festivali i Këngës

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Main article: Festivali i Këngës 58
Arilena Ara after winning the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës in December 2019.

Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) organised the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës in order to select the nation's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[6] The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, respectively, and the grand final on 22 December 2019.[6] From May 2019 to September 2019, artists were able to submit their entries to the broadcaster. An artistic committee reviewed the received submissions and chose 20 artists and songs shortlisted to compete in the semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës.[7][8]

Contestants

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Contestants[7]
Artist(s) Song Songwriter(s)
Albërie Hadërgjonaj "Ku ta gjej dikë ta dua"
  • Adrian Hila
  • Timo Flloko
Aldo Bardhi "Melodi"
  • Antoni Polimeni
  • Richy Sebastian
  • Aldo Bardhi
Arilena Ara "Shaj"
Bojken Lako "Malaseen" Bojken Lako
Devis Xherahu "Bisedoj me serenatën"
  • Devis Xherahu
  • Jorgo Papingji
Eli Fara and Stresi "Bohem"
Elvana Gjata "Me tana" Elvana Gjata
Era Rusi "Eja merre"
  • Darko Dimitrov
  • Era Rusi
Gena "Shqiponja e lirë"
  • Gena
  • Endrit Mumajesi
Genc Tukiçi and Nadia Tukiçi "Ju flet Tirana"
  • Genc Tukiçi
  • Agim Xheka
Kamela Islamaj "Më ngjyros"
  • Kamela Islamaj
  • Megi Hasani
Kanita Suma "Ankth"
Kastro Zizo "Asaj"
  • Gramoz Kozeli
  • Klevis Bega
Olta Boka "Botë për dy"
  • Florent Boshnjaku
  • Genc Salihu
Renis Gjoka "Loja"
  • Renis Gjoka
  • Ilir Krasniqi
Robert Berisha "Ajo nuk është unë" Filloreta Raci
Sara Bajraktari "Ajër" Adrian Hila
Tiri Gjoci "Me gotën bosh"
Valon Shehu "Kutia e Pandorës"
Wendi Mancaku "Ende"
  • Wendi Mancaku
  • Endrit Mumajesi

Shows

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Semi-finals
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The semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës took place on 19 December and 20 December 2020 and were broadcast live at 21:00 (CET) on the respective dates.[9] Ten songs competed in each semi-final with five entries in the first and seven in the second semi-final qualifying for the final. The qualifying songs were selected by a jury panel consisting of two national and three international members with connections to the Eurovision Song Contest.[10] The jury panel was composed of Christer Björkman, Dimitris Kontopoulos, Felix Bergsson, Mikaela Minga and Rita Petro.[11] The first semi-final was opened by the country's Eurovision Song Contest 2019 representative Jonida Maliqi performing her song "Ktheju tokës".[12] The interval act included Mahmood performing his songs "Barrio" and "Soldi".[13] The interval act in the second semi-final featured Agim Krajka and Lindita Theodhori with the song "Kafe Flora".[14] After the semi-finals, the votes of an expert jury panel selected twelve songs to advance to the grand final.[11]

Final
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The grand final of Festivali i Këngës took place on 22 December 2019 and was broadcast live at 21:00 (CET).[9][15] The final featured guest performances by Eleni Foureira and Giusy Ferreri.[16] Twelve songs competed and the winner was determined by the combination of the votes from a five-member jury panel.[17] Each member of the jury voted by assigning scores from 1–10, 13 and 18 points to their preferred songs. Before the end of the show, Arilena Ara emerged as the winner with "Shaj" and was simultaneously announced as Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[18][19][20]

Final – 22 December 2019[9]
Draw Artist Song C. Björkman D. Kontopoulos F. Bergsson M. Minga R. Petro Total Place
1 Valon Shehu "Kutia e Pandorës" 1 2 7 7 6 23 8
2 Sara Bajraktari "Ajër" 13 10 10 8 9 50 3
3 Robert Berisha "Ajo nuk është unë" 9 3 2 3 1 18 10
4 Tiri Gjoci "Me gotën bosh" 2 4 8 6 3 23 8
5 Bojken Lako "Malaseen" 3 8 3 18 13 45 4
6 Arilena Ara "Shaj" 10 13 13 13 18 67 1
7 Gena "Shqiponja e lirë" 4 7 1 1 5 18 10
8 Kamela Islamaj "Më ngjyros" 6 6 4 9 10 35 6
9 Albërie Hadërgjonaj "Ku ta gjej dikë ta dua" 7 5 6 5 4 27 7
10 Elvana Gjata "Me tana" 18 18 18 2 8 64 2
11 Olta Boka "Botë për dy" 5 1 5 4 2 17 12
12 Era Rusi "Eja merre" 8 9 9 10 7 43 5

Promotion

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An accompanying lyric video for "Fall from the Sky" premiered on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 10 March 2019.[21][22] For further promotion, Arilena was scheduled to embark on a small tour with live performances at various Eurovision Song Contest-related events, including in Amsterdam, London and Madrid, before the tour was cancelled due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[23][24][25] The first live performance of the song was broadcast during Arilena's Sounds of Silence concert at the Mother Teresa Square in Tirana on 2 May 2020 as well as the European Broadcasting Union's Eurovision Home Concerts series on 8 May 2020.[26][27]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was initially scheduled to take place at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and consist of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, and the grand final on 16 May 2020.[28] According to the Eurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the "Big Five", consisting of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, would have been required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from the respective semi-final would have progressed to the grand final.[29] In January, it was announced that Albania would be performing in the second half of the second semi-final of the contest.[30] However, in March, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[31] With respect to Arilena and her entry "Fall from the Sky" participating in the 2021 contest, the EBU announced soon after that entries intended for 2020 would not be eligible for the following year, though each broadcaster would be able to send either their 2020 representative or a new one.[32] By September 2020, RTSH announced that they planned to instead host the next edition of Festivali i Këngës to choose their 2021 entry.[33]

Alternative song contests

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The broadcasters who were planned to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 organised alternative music competitions. Amongst them, Austrian broadcaster, ORF, organised Der kleine Song Contest in April 2020, which saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury, consisting of ten members that had represented Austria at the contest before, was hired to rank each song, with the highest-placed in each semi-final advancing to the final round.[34] In the third semi-final on 18 April, Albania placed fourth in a field of thirteen participants, achieving a total of 62 points.[35] Swedish broadcaster, Sveriges Television, additionally organised Sveriges 12:a, in which Albania was scheduled to participate on 9 May 2020.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Countries: Albania". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Stockholm 2016: Second Semi Final–Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Kyiv 2017: First Semi Final–Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  4. ^ Herbert, Emily (22 July 2019). "Albania: Eurovision 2020 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b "All about Albania". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (28 May 2019). "Albania: Festivali i Këngës 58 Submissions Open". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Festivali i 58-të i Këngës në RTSH, juria përzgjedh 20 këngëtarët pjesëmarrës" (in Albanian). Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  8. ^ Lauren (8 December 2019). "Albania: Festivali i Këngës 2019 song titles and composers revealed". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Netët e Festivalit". Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Fest' 58, dalin pikët e plota të jurisë" (in Albanian). Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Live-Blog Albanien: Finale Festivali i Këngës 2019" (in German). ESC kompakt. 22 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  12. ^ Outerson, Michael (19 December 2019). "Albania: The first ten acts perform at Festivali i Këngës 58 but willl any of them be heading to Eurovision". EuroVisionary. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. ^ Gallagher, Robyn (6 December 2019). "Festivali i Këngës 58: Songs to be released on 9 December, Mahmood confirmed as interval act". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  14. ^ Outerson, Michael (20 December 2019). "Albania: Second semi final of Festivali i Këngës 58 takes place and the finalists are still to be announced". EuroVisionary. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. ^ Muldoon, Padraig (17 December 2019). "Festivali i Këngës 58: Your ultimate guide to Albania's Eurovision 2020 selection". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  16. ^ Gallagher, Robyn (22 December 2019). "Albania: Arilena Ara wins Festivali i Këngës 58 with "Shaj"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Fest '58, dalin finalistët e natës së tretë". Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 21 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Arilena Ara me "Shaj" fiton Fest '58". Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  19. ^ "It's Arilena Ara for Albania! - Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Festivali i 58-të i Këngës, Arilena Ara do të përfaqësojë Shqipërinë në Eurovizion" (in Albanian). Euronews Albania. 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 - Official Lyric Video - Eurovision 2020". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 - Eurovision 2020 | Official Lyric Video". YouTube. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2020: Four Acts Confirmed for Eurovision In Concert So Far". Eurovoix. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  24. ^ Waddell, Nathan (21 February 2020). "Arilena Ara takes to the London Eurovision Party stage!". ESCXtra. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  25. ^ Rico, Vicente (12 February 2020). "Albania repite en la PrePartyES por cuarto año consecutivo" (in Spanish). Eurovision Spain. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  26. ^ Smith, David (3 May 2020). "Albania: Arilena Ara gives outdoor lockdown concert, including first live performance of "Fall From the Sky"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Eurovision Home Concerts". European Broadcasting Union. 3 April 2020. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest–Rotterdam 2020". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Rules–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  30. ^ Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final?". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  31. ^ "Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Intention to honour Eurovision 2020 songs and artists". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  33. ^ Adams, William Lee (17 September 2020). "Albania confirms Eurovision 2021 participation…and its hope to use Festivali i Këngës as the selection method". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  34. ^ ""Mr. Song Contest proudly presents – Der 'kleine' Song Contest" am 14., 16. und 18. April in ORF 1" (in German). Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  35. ^ Wilson, Katie (19 April 2020). "Der kleine Song Contest: Austrian public choose Iceland's Daði & Gagnamagnið as their favourite Eurovision 2020 act". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  36. ^ Dahlander, Gustav (3 April 2020). "Klart för Eurovision-vecka i SVT" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
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