Today the rehearsals for Eurovision 2023 continue in Liverpool. Countries rehearsing on Day 3 include Estonia, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania and Australia. The ninth to rehearse today is Albania’s Albina and Familja Kelmendi.
Albina and Familja Kelmendi’s first rehearsal
The next to take to the Eurovision 2023 stage at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool was Albania’s Albina and Familja Kelmendi. Albina and Familja Kelmendi will be competing in this year’s competition with their entry “Duje” after being selected by the Albanian public during Festivali i KĂ«ngĂ«s
Following Albina and Familja Kelmendi’s first rehearsal a clip of what went on was posted on the official TikTok account of the Eurovision Song Contest. The clip showed Albina and Familja Kelmendi before and after they took to the Eurovision stage for the first time, as well as giving us some insight into how well their first rehearsal went.
What did we learn about Albania’s staging?
Photo credit: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett
Albina and Familja Kelmendi take to the stage in black outfits with leather accents and corsetry details, and fans of Albania at Eurovision will be pleased to know that the red and black colour scheme has returned for 2023! The liveblog has described the performance as being full of beautiful harmonies. It is “dramatic and heartfelt”, but we have a few dance moves as well! And pyro – we can’t forget the pyro!
What we thought of Albina and Familja Kelmendi’s first rehearsal
After Albina and Familja Kelmendi’s first rehearsal, Rory gave his initial thoughts on the snippet that we saw.
Who are Albina and Familja Kelmendi?
Albina Kelmendi is a Kosovo-Albanian singer. She placed second in The X Factor Albania in 2014 when she was just 16 years old.
Following on from her participation in X Factor, Albina released her debut single “Ëndrrën mos ma merr”. In 2022 Albina later went on to release her debut album “Nana loke”. Alongside her recent album Albina also released the single “Emri im” in the run-up to Eurovision.
Albina will be representing Albania alongside her family. Joining her on stage will be her siblings Albin, Sidorela and Vesa, as well as her parents Albana and Bujar.
Their Eurovision 2023 song “Duje is written by Enis Mullaj and Eriona Rushiti.
Albania’s Eurovision Journey
In 2004, Albania made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest with Anjeza Shahini with “Image of You” which managed to place 7th in the final. Since their debut, Albania has participated 18 times, and made the final 10 times, with their best result in 2012 where Rona Nishliu placed 5th with “Suus”. In 2022, Ronela Hajati represented Albania with “Sekret”. However, despite being a fan favourite, Albania did not manage to make the final, placing 12th with 58 points from both the juries and televoters.
What do you think of “Duje”? Can Albina and Familja Kelmendi bring Eurovision to Albania? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett
