"" (; ) is a song by Albanian singer-songwriter

Ronela Hajati Ronela Hajati (; born 2 September 1989), also known mononymously as Ronela, is an Albanian singer, songwriter and dancer. Born and raised in Tirana, she began performing in various singing and dancing competitions as a child before pursuing a ca ...

. It was composed and written by Hajati herself and produced by Marko Polo. Originally released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on 5 March 2022, it represented Albania at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy, after winning the 60th edition of in December 2021.

Background and composition

"" was composed and written by Hajati herself and produced by Albanian producer Marko Polo. Combining traditional and modern elements, "" is an Albanian-language upbeat "ethno" pop song whose instrumentation includes folk instrumentation. In an interview in January 2022, Hajati revealed that the song would undergo a revamp with Dutch producer

Diztortion Raoul Lionel Chen (born 2 November 1990), better known as Diztortion, is a Dutch-born songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with UK-based artists Stylo G, Lethal Bizzle, Tinie Tempah and Sigma (duo), Sigma. His first notable rel ...

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. "" was independently released as a single on

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and to

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on 2 December 2021. For the purpose of Hajati's Eurovision participation, the song was revamped and made available on the aforementioned formats on 5 March 2022.

Music video and promotion

An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "" premiered on the official

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channel of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

on 4 March 2022. Filmed in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...

and along the Vjosë River at

Byllis Byllis ( gr, Βύλλις; sq, Bylis; la, Byllis) or Bullis or Boullis (Βουλλίς) was an ancient city and the chief settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Bylliones, traditionally located in southern Illyria. In Hellenistic times the ci ...

and

Tepelenë Tepelenë ( sq-definite, Tepelena) is a city and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in the south of Albania. The town is located on the left bank of the Vjosa River, about three kilometres downstream from its union with the Drino. Until the a ...

, the video is a tribute to the Albanian mythological snake of Bistricë. Regarding the video's theme, it was aimed to increase public awareness and conservation efforts for the threatened Vjosë River, which is often dubbed as Europe's last living wild river. To further promote the song, Hajati went on to perform "" at the Eurovision pre-parties in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

between March and April 2022. She also performed the song live during Romania's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, , on 5 March.

Reception

Spanish singer

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incorporated "" on her exclusive

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playlist . The song further received a nomination for the Best Non-Qualifier at the 2022 Eurovision Awards.

At Eurovision Song Contest

Before Turin

The Albanian national broadcaster, (RTSH), organised the 60th edition of to choose the nation's representative for the

, Italy. It consisted of two semi-finals on 27 and 28 December, respectively, and the grand final on 29 December 2021. Prior to her participation at , Hajati stated that it has always been her dream to participate at the

. While music critics were favorable towards both Hajati's vocal delivery and the song's ethnic nature, the singer has been regarded by media as a strong contender to win the contest. A postcard video introduced Hajati's performances, portraying the close relationship she had with her father, Marash Hajati, who had led the national broadcaster, RTSH, for several years. During her warrior-inspired performances, Hajati wore a black and gold costume, which featured bold epaulettes and a tight corset, to convey her strength. Onstage, the singer was accompanied by numerous dancers and a variety of dark imagery was displayed on the

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

backdrop. In the grand final of the contest, Hajati was announced as the winner of the contest and the Albanian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

In Turin

The

took place at the PalaOlimpico in

, Italy, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 10 and 12 May and the grand final on 14 May 2022. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the " Big Five", consisting of , , , and the , are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from their respective semi-finals progress to the grand final. In March 2022, it was announced that "" would be performed first in the first semi-final of the contest.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

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and

. ''Note: Open description for credits.''

Original

composing, songwriting, vocals *Marko Poloarranging, producing

Revamp

composing, songwriting, vocals *

producing

Track listing

*Digital download #"" (Festivali i Këngës)3:33 *Digital download #"" (Eurovision version)3:01

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs 2022 singles 2022 songs Albanian-language songs Eurovision songs of 2022 Eurovision songs of Albania Festivali i Këngës songs