🇦🇱 TES Preview: Elegant, powerful and simplicity for Viola’s first rehearsal

Today rehearsals for Junior Eurovision 2023 continue in Nice. Countries rehearsing on Day 2 include Ireland, Albania, Poland, France, Spain and ItalyThe second country to rehearse today is Albania’s Viola Gyjzeli.

What did we learn about Viola’s staging?

Disclaimer: Please note that the EBU has not released footage from the first rehearsals, and that the description detailed in this article is mainly based from the pictures and if available footage from the delegations themselves.

Viola is alone on stage, in a white and gold dress, the dress really stands out on the darker blue foresty backdrop. This staging looks simple but effective as the main thing that stands out about this song is Viola’s incredible vocals. There seem to be moments where reddish lighting is introduced which looks like it really helps Viola stand out on stage in her outfit.

If you are interested in seeing more pictures from Viola’s first rehearsal today, you can look through them right here.

Who Is Viola Gjyzeli?

Viola was born in Italy to Albanian parents and started to show her love of performing at the Age of 7, when she competed in a children’s song contest in Durrës and ended up winning, and has since worked on her dream of becoming a professional singer.

In 2023, Albania opted to select its Junior Eurovision 2023 representative via its National Final ‘Junior Fest’, where the jury selected Viola and her entry “Bota Ime” as the winning entry and the Albanian entry for Nice. Viola’s entry was written by Eriona Rushiti, who was the lyricist for Albania’s Eurovision 2019 and 2023 entries, both of which made the final of Eurovision.

Albania’s Junior Eurovision Journey

Albania first made its debut to Junior Eurovision in 2012, represented by Igzidora Gjeta, singing her song “Kam një këngë vetëm për ju”. Their first participation was not initially successful, as Albania finished 12th of 12, receiving 35 points. Albania then withdrew for two years, before returning in 2015, achieving their current best result to date. In 2015, Albania finished in fifth place with “Dambaje” by Mishela Rapo.

Albania’s most recent participation came in 2022, when the Balkan nation was represented by Kejtlin Gjata. Her song “Pakëz Diell” was performed in Yerevan, as part of the 20th edition of the Contest. At the close of voting, Kejtlin finished in 12th place in a field of 16. In total, Albania finished with 94 points, of which 43 points came from the online vote. The remaining 51 points came from professional juries.

What do think about “Bota Ime”? Are you excited for Albania’s participation at this year’s Junior Eurovision? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Junior Eurovision 2023!

News Source: EBU

Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU