Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Eurovision Song Contest 2023
Country Albania
National selection
Selection processFestivali i Këngës 61
Selection date(s)22 December 2022
Selected entrantAlbina and Familja Kelmendi
Selected song"Duje"
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (9th, 83 points)
Final result22nd, 76 points
Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2022 • 2023 • 2024►

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, the United Kingdom, with the song "Duje" performed by Albina and Familja Kelmendi. Its entry was selected through a dedicated televoting process during the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2022. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 18 times since its debut in 2004. Assigned to the second semi-final on 10 May 2023, Albania achieved the 9th position with a total of 83 points and concluded the grand final on 13 May in the 22nd position with a total of 76 points. This marked the 11th occasion that Albania qualified for the final, having participated a total of 19 times.

Background

Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is broadcast in Albania by the national broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), which also organises Festivali i Këngës as the national selection format for the contest.[1] Prior to the 2023 contest, the nation had participated in the contest 18 times since its first entry in 2004. It achieved its highest placement in the in 2012, securing the fifth position with the song "Suus" performed by Rona Nishliu.[1] The second-highest placement was attained in 2004, with the song "The Image of You" by Anjeza Shahini, resulting in the seventh position.[1] Throughout its participation in the contest, Albania encountered non-qualification for the final on nine occasions, with the 2022 entry representing the most recent instance of non-qualification.[1] On 3 June 2022, RTSH announced the nation's participation in the 2023 contest and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed its intent to participate on 20 October.[2][3][4]

Before Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës

Main article: Festivali i Këngës 61

The representative for Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was designated during the 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës.[5][6][7] The festival was organised by the national broadcaster RTSH in December 2022 and was hosted by Albanian presenter Arbana Osmani.[8][9] The selection process underwent a significant transformation, shifting from an exclusive jury voting to a system involving both public and jury voting.[5] While the jury retained the authority to choose the top three, the overall winner no longer received an automatic Eurovision invitation.[5] Instead, the Albanian representative was selected through a dedicated televoting process.[5][10]

Final

The grand final of Festivali i Këngës was held on 22 December 2022.[11] Despite Elsa Lila's win in the jury vote with "Evita", Albina and Familja Kelmendi with the song "Duje" secured the public vote and emerged as the chosen Albanian representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[6][7]

Key:   Winner   Second place   Third place

Final–22 December 2022
Draw Artist Song
1
 2 Farm "Atomike"
2
 Sergio Hajdini "Vështirë"
3
 Gjergj Kaçinari "Dje"
4
 Alban Kondi and Lore "Melodi"
5
 Vanesa Sono "Aroma jonë"
6
 Elsa Lila "Evita"
7
 Erma Mici "Kozmosi i dashurisë"
8
 Franc Koruni "Në pritje"
9
 Gent Hoxha "Ajër"
10
 Petrit Çarkaxhiu "Emri yt mirësi"
11
 Melodajna Mancaku "Gjysma e zemrës sime"
12
 Manjola Nallbani "Duaj"
13
 Urban Band "Në çdo hap"
14
 Enxhi Nasufi "Burrë"
15
 Rovena Dilo "Motit"
16
 Fifi "Stop"
17
 Rezarta Smaja "N'Eden"
18
 Evi Reçi "Ma kthe"
19
 Fabian Basha "Një gotë"
20
 Albina and Familja Kelmendi "Duje"
21
 Lynx "Nëse ke besim"

Promotion

A music video for "Duje" premiered on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 10 March 2023.[12] Ahead of the scheduled contest, Albina and Familja Kelmendi conducted promotional activities in April 2022, making live appearances at Eurovision-related events in Amsterdam, Tel Aviv and Warsaw.[13][14][15]

At Eurovision

Albina and Familja Kelmendi in rendition of "Duje" during their performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was hosted at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and comprised two semi-finals held on 9 and 11 May on the respective dates and the final on 13 May 2023.[16] According to the Eurovision regulations, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Five", which consisted of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to participate in the final.[17] The top 10 countries from their respective semi-finals proceeded to compete in the grand final.[17] Prior to the allocation draw, the EBU categorised the participating countries into six pots based on previous voting patterns to minimise the chance of neighborly voting.[18][19] On 31 January 2023, the allocation draw at St George's Hall in Liverpool determined each nation's semi-final and performance half.[19] Therein, Albania was scheduled for the second half of the second semi-final.[19] Following the release of all entries, the producers of the contest arranged the semi-final running order to avoid grouping similar songs on 22 March, positioning Albania in 14th position, succeeding Austria and preceding Lithuania.[20]

Soon after securing a place in the final, a winners' press conference convened for the 10 qualifying nations from the semi-final.[21] During this event, the qualifying artists participated in a draw to determine their placement in the final.[21] The draw followed the order of appearance in the semi-final running order, with Albania being drawn to perform in the first half.[22] Subsequently, the show's producers established the running order for the final, assigning Albania the 10th position, succeeding Sweden and preceding Italy.[23]

Performances

The Albanian introductory postcard was filmed, among others, at the Grand Park of Tirana, Albania.

Albania's participation in the 2023 contest encompassed a series of rehearsals, beginning with the first rehearsal on 2 May and following by the second rehearsal on 5 May.[24][25][26] Furthermore, the dress rehearsals for the second semi-final occurred on 8 and 9 May that provided a comprehensive preview of their stage performance in preparation for the live broadcast.[24] The Albanian performance was directed by Swedish artistic director Sacha Jean-Baptiste, who had previously directed the staging for Albania in the 2021 contest.[27] The stage presentation showcased a dark color scheme, integrating black and red reminiscent of the Albanian flag on LED screens.[28] Dynamic elements, including flames and pyrotechnics, were also incorporated into the staging.[29] The introductory postcards for the contest comprised three distinct international locations selected to convey a connecting theme.[30] Filmed at the Arboretum Sofiyivka in Uman, Ukraine, Sefton Park in Liverpool, UK, and Grand Park of Tirana, Albania, the postcard with Albina and Familja Kelmendi captured a moment of the family sharing a traditional Albanian meal in the Grand Park.[31][32]

Voting

See also: Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest

Below is a breakdown that provides a detailed overview of the points awarded to Albania in both the second semi-final and final of the 2023 contest, along with the corresponding allocations by Albania on both occasions.[33][34] Furthermore, it includes a breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two live shows.[34] The voting system during the shows of the contest encompassed the allocation of points by countries on a scale of 1-8, 10 and 12, with one set of points determined by their professional jury and another from televoting.[17][35] However, in the semi-final, the results relied exclusively on the televoting, aligning with the format between 2004 and 2007.[36] The jury of each nation comprised five music industry professionals, all of whom held citizenship in the respective country they represented.[17] These jurors assessed each entry based on criteria such as vocal capacity, stage performance, song composition and originality as well as the overall impression conveyed by the act.[17]

In the 2023 contest, Albania participated in the second semi-final, concluding in the 9th position with a total of 83 points.[33] Slovenia and the Rest of the World each awarded 12 points to the nation, followed by Greece with 10 points and both Belgium and Romania with 8 points each.[33] In the final, Albania finished in the 22nd position with a total of 76 points.[34] Switzerland's televoting granted 12 points to the nation, while both Azerbaijan's jury and Germany's televoting each awarded 8 points.[34] Albania's televoting granted 12 points to Australia in the second semi-final, with the nation's jury awarding 12 points to Sweden and its televoting to Italy in the final.[33][34] In the context of the nation's tenure in the contest, it marked the 11th occasion that Albania qualified for the final, having participated a total of 19 times.[1]

Points awarded to Albania

Points awarded by Albania

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Albanian jury:[37]

  • Sonila Djepaxhia
  • Josif Gjipali
  • Sokol Marsi
  • Eneda Tarifa
  • Haig Zacharian
Detailed voting results from Albania (Final)[34]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror 1 Juror 2 Juror 3 Juror 4 Juror 5 Rank Points Rank Points
01  Austria 24 25 21 15 14 25 20
02  Portugal 8 14 20 16 22 18 25
03   Switzerland 2 3 2 10 17 4 7 18
04  Poland 23 15 11 17 18 19 10 1
05  Serbia 15 16 23 18 19 24 21
06  France 11 4 10 21 20 14 8 3
07  Cyprus 16 5 3 11 16 7 4 4 7
08  Spain 10 6 4 22 23 10 1 19
09  Sweden 1 1 12 1 1 1 12 2 10
10  Albania
11  Italy 4 17 6 12 9 9 2 1 12
12  Estonia 3 19 5 2 3 3 8 14
13  Finland 25 18 24 14 12 22 5 6
14  Czech Republic 5 21 13 13 8 13 15
15  Australia 6 20 14 4 7 8 3 24
16  Belgium 9 7 15 5 6 6 5 17
17  Armenia 17 11 1 3 2 2 10 12
18  Moldova 22 12 17 19 15 21 16
19  Ukraine 18 22 16 20 4 16 11
20  Norway 12 23 22 25 13 23 7 4
21  Germany 21 24 18 7 11 17 22
22  Lithuania 19 10 9 8 10 15 23
23  Israel 13 8 8 6 5 5 6 6 5
24  Slovenia 14 2 25 23 21 12 9 2
25  Croatia 20 9 19 24 25 20 3 8
26  United Kingdom 7 13 7 9 24 11 13

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