Tonight, the 63rd edition of Albania’s Festivali i Këngës begins at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. Night 1 of Festivali i Këngës 63 is the first of two semi-finals in this once again slightly revamped take on the prestigious FiK, and we will be liveblogging everything that goes down on this first night of FiKmas right here!
*We will be updating this page as the show goes on this evening*
What is Festivali i Këngës?
Albania’s Festivali i Këngës long predates Albania’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1962, Albanian musicians perform for the broadcast audience in December. At inception, Festivali i Këngës focused on “light music”, a populist kind of classical music. Following the end of a period of censorship in the 1970s and 80s, performers chose from a variety of genres, and love songs, political entries, and rock music became more common; starting in the 1990s, diasporia Albanian singers were also allowed to participate. The entries at FiK have since then often reflected political and social issues prevalent in Albania, such as the transition away from communism, the rash of pyramid schemes in the mid-1990s, and the fragmentation of family units. As of 2004, the winner of Festivali i Këngës gains first refusal to represent Albania at Eurovision; however, beginning in 2022, the jury winner is separate from the televote winner, the latter of whom gets to go to Eurovision.
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 20 times, and made the final 10 times. They achieved their best result in 2012, where Rona Nishliu placed 5th with “Suus”.
Besa represented Albania in 2024 with the song “Titan”. “Titan” performed in the second semi-final, where it ultimately placed fifteenth out of sixteen, receiving 14 points from the televote.
Who would you like to see represent Albania in Basel? What do you think of the performances on this first night of Festivali i Këngës 63? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Czechia at Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: RTSH
Giwrgos Oiko 
Samantha