"Mall" (; ) is a song composed and written by Albanian singer and songwriter

Eugent Bushpepa Eugent Bushpepa (; born 2 July 1984), also known by his alternative name Gent Bushpepa, is an Albanian singer, songwriter and composer. Regarded as one of the most popular modern rock musicians in the Albanian-speaking world, he is noted for h ...

. It was released as a single on 6 April 2018 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...

. The song has been described as an

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Eur ...

1980s-inspired classical

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. In its

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

-themed lyrics, it captures the feeling of longing and also reflects both the deep

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...

and the burning

desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like " wanting", " wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of ...

of a reunion. The song represented Albania in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European B ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, Portugal, after winning the pre-selection competition Festivali i Këngës. It ultimately reached eleventh place in a field of twenty-six, scoring a total of one hundred and eighty four points marking the country's third highest placement to date. During his

minimalistic Minimalism is a movement in visual arts, music, and other media that began in post–World War II Western art. Minimalism may also refer to: *Minimalism (computing), a philosophy of programming and configuring computers *Minimalism (philosophy), ...

performance, Bushpepa was accompanied by two backing vocalists and his band consisting of a

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

mer,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

ist and a

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

ist. 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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

premiered on the official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 26 March 2018. Filmed in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

, it incorporates elements of ethnic

Albanian culture Albanian culture or the culture of Albanians ( ) is a term that embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Albanians. Albanian culture has been considerably shaped by the geogra ...

and the concept of love at first sight. "Mall" received a favourable response from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

upon its release, with some praising its composition, lyrics and Bushpepa's vocals. For promotion and support, the singer performed the song live on numerous occasions, including in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

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 ...

Background and composition

In 2017, Eugent Bushpepa was among the confirmed contestants to compete at the 56th edition of Festivali i Këngës, the country's national competition to select their entry for the

. He participated with the master version of "Mall" which had a duration time of more than four minutes. The song was later shortened and remastered in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium, due to

Eurovision 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 pri ...

's performative requirements on songs length. It was released on digital platforms and

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of ...

as a single on 6 April 2018 through Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and

. "Mall" was composed and written by Eugent Bushpepa while being produced by himself and British producer Jim Lowe. The

song, which lasts three minutes, is a 1980s-influenced classical

merged with folk. While his fiancé was the central narrative, Bushpepa solely wrote the lyrics and penned the song based on his own saudade perspective in the time when he was far away from her.

Critical reception

Following the victory at Festivali i Këngës, "Mall" received generally positive response from

. '' Wiwibloggs'' writer, William Lee Adams, commented that the song was a "definite grower" and a "true standout that year in Festivali i Këngës amongst old rockers and diva powerhouse". After the revamp, Adams described the song as "more efficient" and a "high-impact piece" retaining "its anthemic quality". Other reviewers from Wiwibloggs, including Deban Aderemi and Jordi Pedra, had both positive and mixed opinions praising Bushpepa's vocal potential and stage presence, but also criticising the genre of the song. The live performances of "Mall" were heavily praised by music critics and fans with a critic describing Bushpepa's "emotional" and "confident" vocal delivery as "faultless" and "majestic". In a poll conducted by Wiwibloggs titled "Who gave the best live performance at Eurovision In Concert 2018?", the singer finished in first place with over 2,600 votes. After Bushpepa's participation at 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 ...

, the president of Albania,

Ilir Meta Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022. Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania ...

, welcomed him on 17 May 2018 to his

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

and joined him by doing the

sign of the horns The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb. Religious and supersti ...

. "Mall" was further named as the song of the year at the 2018 Kult Awards in November 2018.

Music video and promotion

An accompanying

for "Mall" was released to the official

channel of the

on 26 March 2018. Before that, a promotional video featuring the performance footage of Bushpepa and his band at the music rehearsal space, was premiered on 16 March 2018. The music video was filmed by Anima Pictures and directed by Ajola Xoxa. Shot in

, the script incorporates elements of love at first sight with dual interpretation of the song's lyrical content aiming at a couple longing to pursuit their amorous fusion whilst being hindered by distance and other factors. Bushpepa's brief cameo is intercut several times, and as the video progresses, it features Albanian folk elements showcasing

ballet dancers A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

wearing a

xhubleta The xhubleta is an undulating, bell-shaped folk skirt, worn by Albanian women. It usually is hung on the shoulders using two straps. Part of the Albanian traditional clothing, it has 13 to 17 strips and 5 pieces of felt. The bosom and the part o ...

and traditional Albanian fustanella while performing choreography over a

bentonite Bentonite () is an absorbent swelling clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite (a type of smectite) which can either be Na-montmorillonite or Ca-montmorillonite. Na-montmorillonite has a considerably greater swelling capacity than Ca-m ...

clay dust covered floor. Towards the music video ending, the embracing couple drifts aloft on the air, the crowd stands in awe, and the singer concludes by clapping his hands in glee. For promotional and supporting purposes, Bushpepa made several appearances throughout Europe to specifically promote his song with live performances in

and

. He was additionally scheduled to perform in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

but was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. In April 2018, he appeared to sing his song live on the Albanian television show ''

The Voice Kids ''The Voice Kids'' is a version of ''The Voice'' TV series franchise in which children participate. Versions The first such variation was '' The Voice Kids'' from the Netherlands, which was followed by other international variants: : Franchise wi ...

''. Outside of the promotion phase, "Mall" was featured at number 37 in 2018 and 53 in the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Top 250 charts. While in

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

during the

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic disease with a stable number of in ...

of the

coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

(COVID-19), footage of Bushpepa performing the song in a private ambience was broadcast during the

Eurovision Home Concerts The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The c ...

on 24 April 2020.

At Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës

The national broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 56th edition of Festivali i Këngës in order to select

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

's entry for the

, Portugal. A jury panel, consisting of music professionals, internally selected 22 songs out of 70 to participate in the competition's semi-finals. Subsequently, after the grand final,

and his Albanian-language song "Mall" was chosen to represent the country at the contest.

Eurovision Song Contest

The 63rd edition of the

took place in

, Portugal, and consisted of two semi-finals on 8 and 10 May, and the grand final on 12 May 2018. According to the Eurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the " Big Five", consisting of , , , and the , were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the grand final, although, the top ten countries from the respective semi-final progress to the grand final. On 29 January 2018, it was announced that "Mall" would be performed in the first half of the first semi-final of the contest. Albania performed third in the first semi-final, following and preceding . During the first semi-final, the country qualified for the grand final in eighth place with 162 points on 8 May 2018 ranking third by the jury's 114 points and eleventh by the televote of 48 points. Soon after, it was scheduled to perform twelfth in the grand final following and preceding . It eventually reached eleventh place in a field of twenty-six with 184 points on 12 May 2018 placed seventh by the jury's 126 points and eighteenth by the televote of 58 points. The performance of Bushpepa begins with black and blue tones on the LED screens, changing throughout his performance to warmer tones consisting of red, yellow and white, as the song reaches its climax. The singer was accompanied during his performances by two female

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

s and a small band, consisting of a

mer,

ist and a

player.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. ''Note: Open "Credits" for credits.'' *

composing, producing, songwriting, vocals * Jim Lowemixing, producing * Ajola Xoxavideo directing

Track listing

*Digital download #"Mall" (Eurovision version)3:00 #"Mall" (Karaoke version)3:00 *EU promo CD #"Mall" (Live at " Festivali i Këngës 56")4:34 #"Mall" (Eurovision version)3:00 #"Mall" (Karaoke version)3:00 #"Mall" (Instrumental version)3:00 *EU promo DVD #"Mall" (Official Music Video)3:00 #"Mall" (Live at " Festivali i Këngës 56")4:34 #"DVD extras"

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2018 songs 2018 singles Festivali i Këngës songs Albanian-language songs Eurovision songs of Albania Eurovision songs of 2018 Folk rock songs Pop rock songs Folk ballads Pop ballads Rock ballads Universal Music Group singles Eugent Bushpepa songs