Albanian broadcaster RTSH has officially released the revamped version of the song “Kërce Me Mua” to be performed by 12-year-old Eslin Kurti at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Ta’ Qali.
About “Kërce Me Mua”
The song, whose title translates to “Dance with Me” is a cheerful and radio-friendly pop track that immediately gets stuck in the listener’s head. The lyrics, which are entirely in Albanian, talk about the joy of music, dancing and living in the present moment.
Eslin Kurti was the winner of the Albanian Junior Eurovision selection ‘Festivali i 64-të Mbarëkombëtar i Këngës për Fëmijë’, earning her the honour to represent her country in Malta.
Junior Eurovision 2026 continues to take shape
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is due to take place at 21.00 CEST, on Saturday 24 October, live from the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali. Malta’s broadcaster PBS are hosting the contest for the third time, having done so previously in 2014 and 2016.
The full list of the 16 competing broadcasters is as follows:
- 🇦🇱 RTSH (Albania) – Eslin Kurti – “Kërce me mua”
- 🇦🇲 AMPTV (Armenia) – Naré – “BOO!”
- 🇨🇾 CyBC (Cyprus) – Harry Georgiou – “Who I Can Be”
- 🇫🇷 France Télévisions (France) – Alec – “Comment Tu Vas ?”
- 🇬🇪 GPB (Georgia) – Davit Lomidze – “Sun on the Rooftops”
- 🇮🇪 TG4 (Ireland)
- 🇮🇹 Rai (Italy) – Matteo – “Che Cos’è l’Amore?”
- 🇲🇹 PBS (Malta – host) – Beppe – “Blue Bird”
- 🇲🇪 RTCG (Montenegro) – Mija Mujović – “Muzika Nas Spaja”
- 🇳🇱 AVROTROS (Netherlands) – Maria – “Stronger Together”
- 🇲🇰 MKRTV (North Macedonia) – Ana Stojanoska – “Idnata jas”
- 🇵🇱 TVP (Poland) – Wiktor Sas – “Gravity”
- 🇵🇹 RTP (Portugal) – Salvador Rio – “Alma”
- 🇸🇲 SMRTV (San Marino) – Violamarie – “Ruota Panoramica”
- 🇪🇸 RTVE (Spain) – Lucas Paulano – “Cuore Bello (Te Quiero, Te Quiero)”
- 🇺🇦 Suspilne (Ukraine) – Erika Kolasnichenko – “NE kolyskova”
Albania’s Junior Eurovision journey
Albania 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 best result to date: fifth place with “Dambaje” by Mishela Rapo.
In 2025, Kroni Pula performed “Fruta perime” in Tbilisi as part of the 23rd edition of the Contest. At the close of voting, Kroni finished in 6th place in a field of 18. In total, Albania finished with 145 points, of which 85 points came from the online vote and 60 points from the juries.
What do you think of “Kërce Me Mua”? As always, let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Junior Eurovision 2026!
News Source: Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Photo Credit: Junior Eurovision Song Contest