Festivali I Këngës 63
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63 was the 63rd edition of the annual
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
n music competition , organised by (RTSH). It was held between 19 and 22 December 2024 at the
Palace of Congresses The Palace of Congresses () is a venue in Tirana, Albania, where numerous multi-genre concerts, exhibition, festivals, competitions and other events are held, including the annual Festivali i Këngës and Kënga Magjike and the Tirana Book Fai ...
in
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...
, and it was hosted by
Enkel Demi Enkel Demi (pen name: Tom Kuka) is an Albanian writer and journalist. He made his literary debut in 2016 with the historical novel ''Hide mbi kalldrëm'' (''Jujube on Cobblestone''). In November 2018, he published his second novel, ''Gurët e vetmi ...
and Ornela Bregu. The winner was Shkodra Elektronike with "", therefore becoming the contestant that will represent Albania in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2025 The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 was the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Basel, Switzerland, following the country's victory at the with the song "The Code (Nemo song), The Code" by Nemo (singer), Nemo. Organised ...
.


Format

The 63rd edition of was organised by (RTSH) took place from 19 to 22 December 2024. The contest consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, followed by a nostalgia night on 21 December and conclude in the grand final on 22 December. The four live shows were hosted by Enkel Demi and Ornela Bregu, and held at the
Palace of Congresses The Palace of Congresses () is a venue in Tirana, Albania, where numerous multi-genre concerts, exhibition, festivals, competitions and other events are held, including the annual Festivali i Këngës and Kënga Magjike and the Tirana Book Fai ...
in
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...
, Albania. In June 2024, Albanian singer
Elhaida Dani Elhaida Dani (; born 17 February 1993) is an Albanian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Shkodër, Dani performed in diverse singing competitions and started to play piano as a child. She rose to national recognition in the Albanian-speaking ...
, who won the 53rd edition of , was announced as the artistic director of the contest.


Voting

For the 63rd edition of , a professional jury chaired by Zana Çela, with members Ylljet Aliçka, Alma Bektashi, Florent Boshnjaku,
Jonida Maliqi Jonida Maliqi (; born 26 March 1983) is an Albanian singer and media personality. Throughout her career, Maliqi has won six awards at Kënga Magjike and first place in 2008. She is also a double winner of accolades at the Top Fest in 2006 and 2 ...
, Merita Rexha Tërshana, and Ramona Tullumani, assessed 30 contestants over the two semi-finals. The jury selected the 15 finalists for the grand final, with the final result determined by both a jury and televoting. After the finalists were announced during the nostalgia night, voters from abroad were able to vote through an online platform, with the votes cast there being entitled the "diaspora's votes". In addition to the diaspora's votes, voters from Albania and Kosovo cast their votes via SMS, with each voter allowed to vote up to five times for their preferred artist's code. In the final, all 7 members of the jury awarded 12, 10 and 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs, with SMS voting and online voting proportionally awarding 80 and 70 points, respectively.


Contestants

RTSH initiated an application period for artists and composers interested in participating in the 63rd edition of from 27 September to 29 September 2024. At the closing of the submission period, 85 entries had been received. A total of 30 artists appeared on the provisional list of artists selected to compete in the festival, which was published on 7 October. The titles of their songs were revealed in batches between 21 October and 15 November. On 19 November 2024, Olsi Bylyku announced his withdrawal from the contest. Klea Dina was designated as his replacement. ;Key Entry withdrawn Replacement entry


Shows


Semi-finals

The semi-finals of took place on 19 and 20 December 2024. The opening of the first semi-final was marked by a performance of the song "" by Albanian singer
Vaçe Zela Vaçe Zela (; 7 April 19396 February 2014) was an Albanian singer and songwriter. She was a leading figure in the music industry and is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. ...
interpreted by Elhaida Dani and an accompanying children choir. Albanian rapper
Noizy Rigels Rajku (; born 27 September 1986) known professionally as Noizy, is an Albanian singer, rapper and music producer. He is one of the most famous and successful artists in the Albanian music industry and has gained a large following due to h ...
and French singer
Slimane Slimane or Sliman is an alternative of Suleiman (in Arabic name ) being the Arabic version of the name Solomon. The name means "man of peace". It is also a common given name and surname. It may refer to Given name ;Sliman *Sliman Mansour (born 194 ...
were the special guests of the first semi-final. Albanian dancer Klaudia Pepa and singer Aleksandër Gjoka were the special guests of the second semi-final. It further included a performance of K'cimi i Tropojës, which was recently inscribed on the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Intangible Cultural Heritage list for its cultural significance. 15 contestants competed in each semi-final, with 15 advancing to the grand final. ;Key Qualifier


Nostalgia night

The nostalgia night of took place on 21 December 2024 at 21:00 CET. The show began with the poem "Mall" by internationally acclaimed Albanian poet
Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; 28 January 1936 – 1 July 2024) was an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. He was a leading international literary figure and intellectual, focusing on poetry until the publication of his first novel ...
, interpreted by actor Viktor Zhusti and accompanied by piano music performed by singer Redon Makashi. For the show, the contestants were paired up to perform songs that have competed in previous editions of the contest.


Final

The grand final of took place on 22 December 2024 at 21:00 (CET). Kosovo-Albanian rapper
MC Kresha Kreshnik Fazliu (; born 5 September 1984), known professionally as MC Kresha or Mc Kresha, is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Mitrovica, Fazliu is credited as a viable hip hop artist in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. ...
with the song "" opened the show of the grand final. Xhevdet Ferri’s daughter and
Arta Dade Arta Dade (born 15 March 1953) is an Albanian politician and former member of Parliament for the Socialist Party. She served from 1997 to 2007. During her political career, she held several government posts such as Minister of Culture and Ministe ...
were featured with speaking roles during the grand final, while Elhaida Dani spoke and performed a song. won with the song "", winning both the jury and the televoting. Elvana Gjata with the song "" finished second, and Alis Kallaçi with the song "" finished third. Additionally, "" by Shkodra Elektronike received the Critic's Choice award, while "" by Vesa Smolica received the Best Lyrics award.


References

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2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
2024 in Albanian music 2024 in Albanian television 2024 song contests December 2024 in Europe Eurovision Song Contest 2025