| Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2021 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) | |||
| Country |  Albania | |||
| Selection process | Festivali i Këngës 59 | |||
| Selection date | 23 December 2020 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Karma" | |||
| Artist | Anxhela Peristeri | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Placement | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (10th, 112 points) | |||
| Final result | 21st, 57 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
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Albania was represented at theEurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Karma" performed byAnxhela Peristeri. Its entry was selected through the national selection competitionFestivali i Këngës organised byRadio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2020. To this point, the nation had participated in theEurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by amusic video and various television and radio appearances in Albania, Greece, Kosovo and San Marino.
Albania was drawn to compete in thesecond semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 20 May 2021. Performing as number 11, the nation was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in thegrand final. In the grand final on 22 May 2021, it performed as number two and placed 21st out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 57 points.
Prior to the 2021 contest, Albania had participated in theEurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in2004.[1] The nation's highest placing in the contest, to this point, had been the fifth place, which it achieved in2012 with the song "Suus" performed byRona Nishliu.[1] The first entry was performed byAnjeza Shahini with the song "The Image of You" and finished in the seventh place, Albania's second-highest placing to date.[1] During its tenure in the contest, the nation failed to qualify for the final seven times, with both the2016 and2017 entries being the most recent non-qualifiers.[1] The country qualified for the final in2018 and2019, withEugent Bushpepa finishing 11th place with "Mall" andJonida Maliqi placing 17th with "Ktheju tokës", respectively. In2020,Arilena Ara was set to represent Albania with the song "Fall from the Sky" before the contest's cancellation.[1] In September 2020, the national broadcaster of Albania,Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), officially confirmed Albania's participation in theEurovision Song Contest 2021 inRotterdam, the Netherlands.[2] RTSH broadcasts the contest within Albania and organises the selection process for the nation's entry.[3] Since its debut in 2004, it has consistently selected its entry through the long-standing competitionFestivali i Këngës.[3]
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Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) organised the59th edition ofFestivali i Këngës in order to select the nation's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.[6][7] The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 21 and 22 December, respectively, and the final on 23 December 2020.[8][9] The three shows took place at the Italy Square inTirana instead of thePalace of Congresses (the regular venue of the festival) due to COVID-19 restrictions, and were hosted by Albanian actressJonida Vokshi and host Blendi Salaj.[10][11] From August 2020 to 2 October 2020, interested artists were able to submit their entries to the broadcaster.[12] An artistic committee, consisting of Agim Doçi, Alma Bektashi,Eugent Bushpepa,Jonida Maliqi and Klodian Qafoku, reviewed the received submissions and chose 26 artists and songs shortlisted to compete in the semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës.[4][13][14] On 16 November, RTSH released all of the competing songs on its officialYouTube channel.[15]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Agim Poshka | "Vendi im" | Agim Poshka |
| Anxhela Peristeri | "Karma" |
|
| Devis Xherahu | "Peng" |
|
| Enxhi Nasufi | "Njësoj" |
|
| Era Rusi | "Zjarri im" |
|
| Erik Lloshi | "Jo" |
|
| Evi Reçi | "Tjerr" |
|
| Fatos Shabani | "Ty" | Fatos Shabani |
| Festina Mejzini | "Kush je ti dashuri" |
|
| Florent Abrashi | "Vajzë" | Bledi Shishmani |
| Franc Koruni | "E morën botën" | Franc Koruni |
| Gigliola Haveriku | "E lirë" |
|
| Gjergj Kaçinari | "Më jep jetë" |
|
| Inis Neziri | "Pendesë" |
|
| Kamela Islamaj | "Kujtimet s'kanë formë" |
|
| Kastro Zizo | "Vallja e jetës" | Klevis Bega |
| Klint Çollaku | "Do t'ja dal" |
|
| "Ora e jetës" | Eriona Rushiti | |
| Mirud | "Nëse vdes" | Durim Morina[18] |
| Orgesa Zaimi | "Valixhja e kujtimeve" |
|
| Rosela Gjylbegu | "Vashëzo" |
|
| Sardi Strugaj | "Kam me t'ba me kajt" |
|
| Stefan Marena | "Meteor" |
|
| Viktor Tahiraj | "Nënë" | Viktor Tahiraj |
| Wendi Mancaku | "Vesi i shpirtit tim" | Rozana Radi |
| Xhesika Polo | "Më mbron" |
|
The two semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës took place on 21 December and 22 December 2020 and were broadcast at 21:00 (CET) on the respective dates.[9][19] As a result of theongoing pandemic ofcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the performances of the semi-finals and final were pre-recorded prior to the scheduled dates.[20] During the first semi-final, the competing participants performed the official studio version of their entries, while on the second semi-final, they presented their acoustic versions.[20] Prior to the second semi-final, the votes of an expert jury panel selected eighteen songs to advance to the final.[21]
The final ofFestivali i Këngës took place on 23 December 2020 and was broadcast at 21:00 (CET).[9][19] 18 songs competed and the winner was determined by the combination of the votes from a seven-member jury panel consisting ofAndri Xhahu, Kastriot Çaushi, Prec Zogaj, Rame Lahaj, Robert Radoja, Vasil Tole and Zana Shuteriqi.[22] Before the end of the show,Anxhela Peristeri with "Karma" emerged as the winner of the competition and was simultaneously announced as the country's representative for theEurovision Song Contest 2021.[23][24]
Key: Winner Second place Third place
| Draw | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sardi Strugaj | "Kam me t'ba me kajt" |
| 2 | Xhesika Polo | "Më mbron" |
| 3 | Orgesa Zaimi | "Valixhja e kujtimeve" |
| 4 | Wendi Mancaku | "Vesi i shpirtit tim" |
| 5 | Era Rusi | "Zjarri im" |
| 6 | Gjergj Kaçinari | "Më jep jetë" |
| 7 | Rosela Gjylbegu | "Vashëzo" |
| 8 | Devis Xherahu | "Peng" |
| 9 | Mirud | "Nëse vdes" |
| 10 | Gigliola Haveriku | "E lirë" |
| 11 | Viktor Tahiraj | "Nënë" |
| 12 | Kamela Islamaj | "Kujtimet s'kanë formë" |
| 13 | Florent Abrashi | "Vajzë" |
| 14 | Inis Neziri | "Pendesë" |
| 15 | Evi Reçi | "Tjerr" |
| 16 | Anxhela Peristeri | "Karma" |
| 17 | Festina Mejzini | "Kush je ti dashuri" |
| 18 | Kastro Zizo | "Vallja e jetës" |
Amusic video for "Karma" premiered on the officialYouTube channel of theEurovision Song Contest on 1 March 2021 at 20:00 (CET).[25][26] Prior to the scheduled live shows, Peristeri went on to promote the song in her native Albania and Kosovo with television appearances onABC News,[27]Klan Kosova,[28]Ora News,[29] andTelevizioni Klan (TV Klan)[30][31] as well as for radio interviews onRadio Televizioni 21 (RTV21) andTop Channel.[32][33] Her promotional phase on European television and radio stations continued on GreekHellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) andOpen TV as well as on SammarineseRTV.[34][35][36] For further promotion, Peristeri also performed the song during the virtual concerts in the British Wiwi Jam, Croatian Adriatic Pre Party and Spanish PrePartyES.[37][38][39]
As according to theEuropean Broadcasting Union's (EBU) prevention plan against a COVID-19-cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, each participant was required to record alive-on-tape performance of their planned entry in a location of their choice prior to the event.[40][41] The tape was set to be broadcast during the live shows of the contest in case the artist was unable to travel to the contest venue to perform their song due topandemic restrictions or related reasons.[41] A large portion of the mostly unused live-on-tape performances, including Peristeri's, were unveiled after the contest on 28 May and 29 May 2021 as part ofEurovision Song Celebration shows.[42]
TheEurovision Song Contest 2021 took place atRotterdam Ahoy inRotterdam, the Netherlands, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 18 and 20 May and the grand final on 22 May 2021.[46] According to theEurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Five", consisting ofFrance,Germany,Italy,Spain and theUnited Kingdom, are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from the respective semi-final progress to the grand final.[47] On 17 November 2020, theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that the semi-final allocation draw for the 2021 contest would not be held.[48] Instead, the semi-finals featured the same line-up of countries as determined by the draw for thecancelled 2020 contest, which was held on 28 January 2020 at the Rotterdam City Hall.[48] Albania was drawn to participate in the second half of the second semi-final, which was held on 20 May 2021.[48]
Once all the competing songs for the 2021 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the producers of the contest rather than through another draw, to prevent similar songs from being placed next to each other.[49] Albania was set to perform at position 11, succeedingGeorgia and precedingPortugal.[49] At the end of thesemi-final, the nation was announced among the top 10 entries and therefore qualified to compete in thegrand final.[50] The results of the show were determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from each participating country's professional jury panel and public televote.[47] Soon after, it was announced that Albania would be performing second in the grand final, succeedingCyprus and precedingIsrael.[51]
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with a diversity in gender and age represented. The judges assess each entry based on the performances during the second Dress Rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show, against a set of criteria including vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.[52] Jury members may only take part in panel once every three years, and are obliged to confirm that they are not connected to any of the participating acts in a way that would impact their ability to vote impartially. Jury members should also vote independently, with no discussion of their vote permitted with other jury members.[53] The exact composition of the professional jury, and the results of each country's jury and televoting were released after the grand final; the individual results from each jury member were also released in an anonymised form.[54][55]
The tables below visualise a breakdown of points awarded to Albania in the second semi-final and final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, as well as by the nation on both occasions. In the semi-final, Albania finished in 10th place, being awarded a total of 112 points, including 10 by the televoters fromGreece and the same number of points by the juries fromDenmark.[56] In the final, Albania reached 21st place with 57 points, including 10 by the televoters fromItaly andNorth Macedonia, and 12 by the juries fromMalta.[57] The nation's televoters and juries awarded its 12 points toSwitzerland on both occasions the semi-final and final.[56][57]
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The following members comprised the Albanian jury:[54][55]
| Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  San Marino | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| 02 |  Estonia | 8 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 15 | ||
| 03 |  Czech Republic | 16 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | ||
| 04 |  Greece | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 05 |  Austria | 9 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| 06 |  Poland | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | ||
| 07 |  Moldova | 5 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 16 | |
| 08 |  Iceland | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 09 |  Serbia | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 10 |  Georgia | 12 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 11 | Albania | |||||||||
| 12 |  Portugal | 11 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 13 |  Bulgaria | 4 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 14 |  Finland | 13 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 15 |  Latvia | 10 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 13 | ||
| 16 |  Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 17 |  Denmark | 14 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 2 | |
| Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  Cyprus | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| 02 | Albania | |||||||||
| 03 |  Israel | 13 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 22 | ||
| 04 |  Belgium | 23 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 25 | ||
| 05 |  Russia | 15 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | ||
| 06 |  Malta | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 12 | |
| 07 | Portugal | 21 | 12 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 23 | ||
| 08 | Serbia | 11 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 16 | |
| 09 |  United Kingdom | 24 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 14 | 24 | 20 | ||
| 10 | Greece | 4 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | Switzerland | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 12 | Iceland | 8 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 21 | ||
| 13 |  Spain | 12 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | ||
| 14 | Moldova | 25 | 24 | 11 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 4 | 7 | |
| 15 |  Germany | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 13 | 15 | ||
| 16 | Finland | 6 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
| 17 | Bulgaria | 22 | 25 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 5 | |
| 18 |  Lithuania | 9 | 18 | 15 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 13 | ||
| 19 |  Ukraine | 20 | 16 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 4 | |
| 20 |  France | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| 21 |  Azerbaijan | 14 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 14 | |
| 22 |  Norway | 19 | 20 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 19 | ||
| 23 |  Netherlands | 17 | 23 | 24 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | ||
| 24 |  Italy | 16 | 4 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 25 |  Sweden | 10 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 1 | |
| 26 | San Marino | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | |
