"World" is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter Lindita. It was issued as a single on 29 March 2017 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and

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

. The song was written by the singer herself together with Gerald Xhari, and composed by Klodian Qafoku. An

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, it is lyrically a

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that discuss the challenges within a modern society simultaneously calling for rising up against wars and pleading for

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

and

love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

. The song represented Albania in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song " 1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) an ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine, after Lindita's victory at the country's pre-selection competition

Festivali i Këngës (; ), commonly known as and also referred to as simply FiK or Fest, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, the festival has determined th ...

with the song's

Albanian-language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: , , or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. It ...

version "Botë". It ultimately failed to qualify for the grand final also marking the country's seventh non-qualification in the contest. During her minimalistic performance, she was accompanied by four backing vocalists while the LED screens portrayed a variety of imagery. "World" was positively received by

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 ...

, who praised Lindita's vocals, as well as the song's composition and lyrics. For promotional purposes, the singer performed the song live on multiple Eurovision-related occasions, including in

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and

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. An accompanying

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for the song was premiered to the official

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channel of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

on 13 March 2017. It prominently features scenes of Lindita singing her song within an alternate dimension.

Background

In 2016, Lindita was announced as one of the twenty-five contestants selected to compete in the 55th edition of

, a competition to determine Albania's participant for the

. Following the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the

Albanian language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: , , or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. It ...

. Lindita took part with the song "Botë" written by Gerald Xhari and composed by Klodian Qafoku. For the purpose of the singer's Eurovision Song Contest participation, "Botë" was remastered and translated to "World". The latter song was then rewritten by Lindita herself together with Gerald Xhari, and composed by Klodian Qafoku. It was mixed by Marco Borsatti and further produced by Qafoku alongside Andrea Camilletti and Shpetim Saraci. It was premiered on 13 March 2017, while being digitally released on digital platforms and

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on 29 March 2017.

Composition and critical reception

"World" was musically characterised by Sebastian Kettley from ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' as an

song. Chris Zeiher from '' SBS'' called it a " Bond-style

", while '' Eurovision.de'' writer Stefanie Grossmann said, "World" is a spherical power ballad that brings Lindita's powerful voice to the fore". Regarding the song's lyrics, Grossmann said, "the song is about the challenges within a modern society and also calls for rising up against wars and pleading for

and

". Sebastian Kettley from ''

'' described it as a pop-rock song noting a "powerful" message of spreading love. An editor of ''

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'' concluded, "another Eurovision staple: the what is happening to the world? power ballad". Reviewers from

Wiwibloggs Wiwibloggs is a fansite and YouTube channel focusing on the Eurovision Song Contest, launched in 2009 by journalist William Lee Adams. History In April 2015, Wiwibloggs won the Arts & Culture category at the UK Blog Awards. Adams has judged ...

were generally positive, praising the singer's vocal delivery, as well as the song's composition and instrumentation, while labelling it as being "organic" and "contemporary".

Music video and promotion

An accompanying

for "World" premiered on the official

channel of the

on 13 March 2017. Chris Halpin of

praised Lindita's appearance as well as the music video itself noting the maintenance of "many hidden messages". In an exclusive presentation for

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, commentator

John Kennedy O'Connor John Kennedy O'Connor (born in 1964) is a television and radio broadcaster, author, and entertainment commentator. He was born in North London, England, but is a naturalized citizen of the United States. He has written, reported and broadcast f ...

gave a favourably review saying, "This is definitely one of the most beautiful and inspiring videos of this year's previews". For further promotion, Lindita made several appearances throughout Europe to specifically promote the song at various events, including at

's Eurovision in Concert, PreParty ES in

and Israel Calling in

At Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës

The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 55th edition of

to select the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

's entrant for the

. The contest took place in December 2017, for which 24 songs had been internally shortlisted by a jury panel made up of music professionals. Subsequently, after the grand final, Lindita and her

song "Botë" were chosen to represent Albania in the contest, after the votes of an expert jury panel and the internet were combined, resulting in 85 total points.

Kyiv

The 62nd edition of the

took place in

, Ukraine, and consisted of two semi-finals held on 9 and 11 May, and the grand final on 13 May 2017. According to the Eurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the " Big Five" including , , , 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 31 January 2017, it was announced that "World" would be performed in the first half of the first semi-final of the contest. During the live show, Albania performed fourth following and preceding . The country eventually failed to qualify for the grand final in fourteenth place with 38 points ranking fourteenth by the jury's 38 points and twelfth by the televote of 38 points. The well-received performance of Lindita begins with her singing the song in front of dark green lights while wearing a white costume which symbolises "peace" and "elegance". Following the first refrain, a clock appears on the LED screens and fills the entire circular stage floor, ticking to the song. Later in the show, the screens shows sailing spaceships and numerous chandeliers flowing on the stage.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. ''Note: Open "Credits" for credits.'' * Linditaperforming, vocals * Klodian Qafokucomposing, producing * Shpetim Saraciproducing * Andrea Camillettiproducing * Gerald Xharisongwriting * Marco Borsattimixing

Track listing

*Digital download #"World"2:56

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs 2010s ballads Pop ballads Pop rock songs Rock ballads English-language Albanian songs Eurovision songs of Albania Eurovision songs of 2017 Universal Music Group singles