Yesterday evening, the Festival I Këngës was held in Tirana, Albania. Kejsi Tola won the competetion and she will represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
The show was held in the Palace of Congress in Tirana. Twenty songs competed in yesterday’s 47th Festival I Këngës and the winner was chosen by a jury. It seemed the Albanians had had very strong voting as Kejsi Tola won the contest with 126 points and Juliana Pascha, who came second last year’s festival, and Luiz Ejlli, who represented Albania in Eurovision Song Contest 2006, came second with 119 points. The group West Group Side Family came third with 118 points.
The running order of the final was as follows;
1. Group West Side Family – Jehonë (Echo)
2. Soni Malaj – Zona zero (Zone zero)
3. Juliana Pasha & Luiz Ejlli – Nje jetë (A life)
4. Kujtim Prodani – Nostalgji
5. Emi Bogdo – Kur buzet henen e kafshojn (When the lips bite the moon)
6. Erga Halilaj – Dikush mungon (Someone’s missing)
7. Marjeta Billo – Era e tokës (Scent of the earth)
8. Adelina Thaci- Oret e fundit (The final hours)
9. Rovena Dilo & Gent Bushpepa – S’jam balade
10. Dorina Garuci – Dite 1 jetë (Life one day)
11. Endri & Stefi Prifti – Ti bere faj (You made the fault)
12. Kejsi Tola – Më mërr në ëndërr (Take me in your dreams)
13. Era Rusi – Shpirt i humbur (Lost soul)
14. Julian Lekocaj – Nuk Je Ti (You aren’t)
15. Shpat Kasapi – Aromë mediterane (Mediterranean aroma)
16. Evis Mula – Unë jam dashuria (I am love)
17. Group Burn – Jam I Pari I Jettes Sime (I’m the first of my life)
18. Vedat Ademi – Po me prite – (You waited for me)
19. Agim Poshka – Fajtor për ngrohjen globale (Guilty of global warming)
20. Besa Kokedhima – Ajer (Air)
Here is the result table of 19th Festival I Këngës:
1. Kejsi Tola – Më mërr në ëndërr – 126 points
2. Juliana Pasha & Luiz Ejlli – Nje jetë – 119 points
3. Group West Side Family – Jehonë – 118 points
4. Besa Kokedhima – Ajer – 109 points
5. Marjeta Billo – Era e tokës – 106 points
6. Group Burn – Jam I Pari I Jettes Sime – 96 points
7. Dorina Garuci – Dite 1 jetë – 92 points
8. Adelina Thaci – Oret e fundit – 91 points
9. Endri & Stefi Prifti – Ti bere faj – 91 points
10. Evis Mula – Unë jam dashuria – 91 points
11. Erga Halilaj – Dikush mungon – 63 points
12. Rovena Dilo & Gent Bushpepa – S’jam balade – 60 points
13. Agim Poshka – Fajtor për ngrohjen globale – 56 points
14. Vedat Ademi – Po me prite – 51 points
15. Era Rusi – Shpirt i humbur – 50 points
16. Soni Malaj – Zona zero – 44 points
17. Emi Bogdo – Kur buzet henen e kafshojn – 43 points
18. Kujtim Prodani – Nostalgji – 24 points
19. Shpat Kasapi – Aromë mediterane – 22 points
20. Julian Lekocaj – Nuk Je Ti – 17 points
The song Më mërr në ëndërr was written by Edmond Zhulali and Agim Doçi, the team behind Anjeza Shahini’s 2004 entry The Image of You. Reaching 7th place in Istanbul, it remains the country’s most successful entry to date.
