RTSH has revealed that more than 100 entries have been submitted for Festivali i Këngës 64, Albania’s long-running music festival and Eurovision selection. The broadcaster that the application window closed earlier this week.
Focus on originality and quality
For the first time, producer Belioza Çoku shared details on how submissions will be reviewed. A team will examine each song to ensure originality and quality, with emphasis on preventing the use of artificial intelligence in the creation process.
“The expertise will be in setting up a structure or protocol that thoroughly verifies each creation – that it is original, of the right quality, and produced to a professional standard,” explained Çoku.
Four magical nights continue
The 64th edition will once again follow its traditional format of four nights: three competition shows and the popular “Night of Nostalgia”, which has grown in audience interest each year.
Çoku also hinted at smaller side-projects aimed at boosting public involvement and offering audiences a chance to hear some of the songs ahead of the live shows.
“On the third night, we will maintain the Night of Nostalgia, as we see that the Albanian public is very interested,” she added.
The full format and details of Festivali i Këngës 64 are expected to be presented in a press conference soon. The competing entries will be released in November, giving fans the chance to discover the songs ahead of the December shows.
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”.
Shkodra Elektronike represented Albania in the 2025 Contest in Basel with “Zjerm”. The duo made it to the Grand Final, where they ultimately finished in 8th place with 218 points. 173 of these came from the televote, while the remaining 45 points came from the jury.
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News source: RTSH
Photo credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
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