Disclaimer: The video and written reaction below features the opinions and views of the reviewers and does not necessarily represent the views of That Eurovision Site as a whole!
As we begin to find out the songs that will be competing in Malmö, the team at That Eurovision Site will be reacting to the entries that will be participating at Eurovision 2024. The next Eurovision 2024 entry we will be reacting to is Albania, who will be competing in this year’s competition with “Zemrën N’dorë” by Besa.
Our thoughts on “Zemrën N’dorë”
In this series, we will be providing our opinions in two methods. One of our team members will be reacting on video, which you can see below, whilst three other members will be giving their written opinion on the entry. This time, Tim will be on the main seat and will be giving his/her/their video reaction to “Zemrën N’dorë”
What did the other members of the team think of “Zemrën N’dorë”?
Angus: Besa and “Zemrën N’dorë” are, in my view, the kind of thing I expect and (frequently) want from Albania: a ballad with strong vocals. But this song leaves me underwhelmed. The spoken word section takes me out of the track, while the music is too overpowering for the emotions of the singer to shine through, yet not strong and dramatic enough to carry the track by itself. Depending on luck of the draw this could qualify, but I see this struggling at Eurovision. Of course, much could still change between this live orchestra version and the version we will get in Malmö.
Kittens: I normally struggle with the Albanian entries, and this is no exception. While Besa is clearly a seasoned performer who can deliver, the song feels like a story of two halves, flipping between epic ballad and downtempo rap/spoken word beats. The end result is that neither part seem to fully reach their potential fully. A revamp could do wonders to pull up one element over the other, but I feel like it might find itself in qualification trouble in its current form.
Daniel: Certainly not my winner of FiK, but there’s nothing necessarily bad about the song, it just feels very middle of the road for me. I’ll do the due diligence of allowing a period of time for it to grow on me, as Duje did very successfully last year. I’m very skeptical of the song’s upcoming revamp, I really don’t think translating an existing song into English will do her any favours, but I’d happily be proven wrong. At this time I’d be surprised if she made it to the final.
Listen to “Zemrën N’dorë” on streaming platforms
You are able to listen to Albania’s Eurovision 2024 entry on the following streaming platforms
Spotify
Apple Music
Albania’s Eurovision Journey
In 2004, Albania made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest with Anjeza Shahini with “Image of You”, which placed 7th in the final. Since their debut, Albania has participated 19 times, and made the final 10 times, with their best result in 2012 where Rona Nishliu placed 5th with “Suus”.
In 2023, Albina Kelmendi and her family represented Albania at the Contest in Liverpool with their song “Duje”. Performing in the second semi-final, the six-piece group qualified for the final. At the close of the voting in the final, Albania finished in 22nd place with a total of 76 points. Of these, 16 points came from the juries, whilst 59 came from the televote.
What do you think about “Zemrën N’dorë”? Are you excited to see what Besa will do in Malmö? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr, Threads and Bluesky as we gear up for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site / Besa
Photo Credit: Besa