| "Identitet" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byAdrian Lulgjuraj andBledar Sejko | |
| Language | Albanian |
| Released | 12 March 2013 (2013-03-12) |
| Studio | Kingside,Gnesta, Sweden |
| Genre | Heavy rock |
| Length | 3:01 |
| Label | Universal |
| Composer | Bledar Sejko |
| Lyricist | Eda Sejko |
| Music video | |
| "Identitet" onYouTube | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2013 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artists | |
| Language | |
| Composer | Bledar Sejko |
| Lyricist | Eda Sejko |
| Finals performance | |
| Semi-final result | 15th |
| Semi-final points | 31 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Suus" (2012) | |
| "One Night's Anger" (2014) ► | |
"Identitet" (Albanian pronunciation:[idɛntitɛt];transl. Identity) is a song by Albanian singersAdrian Lulgjuraj andBledar Sejko. It was first released on 12 March 2013 as amusic video release which was uploaded on the officialYouTube channel of theEurovision Song Contest, then it was released as a single as part of aCDcompilation on 29 April 2013 byUniversal Music. TheAlbanian-languagefolk-inspiredheavy rock song was composed by Bledar Sejko and the lyrics were written by Eda Sejko.
The songrepresented Albania in theEurovision Song Contest 2013 inMalmö, Sweden, after winning the country's pre-selection competitionFestivali i Këngës. But, it failed to qualify for the grand final, as it was ranked in fifteenth place, thus marking the country's fourth non-qualification in the contest. During theirrock and roll-themed show, the duo was accompanied by fourinstrumentalists and a variety of flashing red and orange colours displayed on theLED screens in the background.
In 2012,Adrian Lulgjuraj andBledar Sejko were among the contestants selected to compete in the 51st edition ofFestivali i Këngës, a competition to determine Albania's participant for theEurovision Song Contest 2013. As part of the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in theAlbanian language. They took part in the contest with the song "Identitet" written by Eda Sejko and composed by Bledar Sejko himself.[1] For the purpose of their Eurovision Song Contest participation, the song was remastered and shortened at the Kingside Studios inGnesta, Sweden.[2]
Musically, "Identitet" is anAlbanian-languagefolk-inspiredheavy rock song, which lyrically discusses about the concepts offreedom,cohesion,brotherhood andidentity.[3] In an interview, Sejko stated that the song is inspired byAlbanian folk music from the cultural regions ofTropojë andÇamëria.[4] The rhythm of thetupan is borrowed from that of southern Albania, whereas theguitar work is borrowed from the sounds of northern Albania'sçifteli.[4] Meanwhile, the traditional southernAlbanian iso-polyphony is remembered through the use ofviolins, whereas the northern Albanian call "hey" is also present in thechorus.[4]
After winningFestivali i Këngës, the song received mixed reviews frommusic critics. In aWiwibloggs review containing several reviews from individual critics, it was given a score of 2.86 out of 10 points.[5] The reviewers negatively noted that the song was "old-fashioned" and anticipated that it could not qualify for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Although, various reviewers expressed praise towards the song's instrumental and folklore-inspired sound.[5] "Identitet" was accused of plagiarising theBajaga's "Plavi safir" from 1988 by different medias and websites throughout theBalkans,[6][7] although music experts have reported that both "Identitet" and "Plavi Safir" are influenced byBalkan folk music, which is similar in many countries in the region.[8] According to Bledar Sejko, the starting notes of "Plavi safir" were plagiarised from the lyrics of "Kur bie fyelli e çiftelia" by Albanian singer and songwriterVaçe Zela from the middle of the 20th century.[4]
For promotional purposes, the singers made various appearances to perform the song on different occasions, including inAmsterdam's Eurovision in Concert.[9] The song was first released on 12 March 2013, when it premiered as amusic video release on the officialYouTube channel of theEurovision Song Contest.[10][11] The song was then issued as a single on 29 April 2013 as part of theEurovision Song Contest: Malmö 2013compilation album onCD throughCMC Records andUniversal Music.[12] On 14 February 2018, it was released as a standalone download throughRadio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH).[13]
The national broadcaster of Albania,Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 51st edition ofFestivali i Këngës to determine thecountry's participants for theEurovision Song Contest 2013 inMalmö, Sweden.[14] It opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries between 8 and 9 October 2012 to the competition.[15] Following the grand final,Adrian Lulgjuraj &Bledar Sejko were chosen to represent the country in the contest after the votes of an expert jury were combined, resulting in 74 total points.[16]
The58th edition of theEurovision Song Contest took place inMalmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on 14 and 16 May, and the grand final on 18 May 2013.[17] According to theEurovision rules, each participating country (except the host country and the "Big Five", consisting ofFrance,Germany,Italy,Spain and theUnited Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final, although the top ten countries from the respective semi-finals progress to the grand final.[18] On 17 January 2013, it was announced that "Identitet" would be performed in the second half of the second semi-final of the contest.[19] During the live show, Albania performed fourteenth, followingNorway and was precedingGeorgia, and failed to qualify for the grand final in fifteenth place with 31 points, ranking twelfth by the jury's 11.78 points and fifteenth by the televote of 9.10 points.[20][21]
Adrian Lulgjuraj andBledar Sejko were accompanied by adrummer,bass guitarist,percussionist andkeyboard player during theirrock and roll-themed performance.[3] Behind the singers, theLED screen displays flashing red, orange and white lights, whilepyrotechnics andfog were also used throughout the performance.[22]
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 29 April 2013 | CD |
| [12] |
| 14 February 2018 | Digital download |
| [13] |
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