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National Final Updates

Fik58 kicked off the national final season with a bang last night, and there are many more shows in store to decide the artists competing in Eurovision next year! Here are some updates for the finals next year: ARMENIA- Devi Epratesil is back to choose the Armenian representative this year. We don’t have any more […]

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Eurovision Update- Internal Selections

Last night we saw Arilena from Albania take the trophy at the 58th edition of Festivali i Kenges, and we have our first song of Eurovision 2020- Shaj. We’ve also had updates from many countries about participants in National Finals, so I thought I’d write a post with all the updates and news we’ve had […]

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FiK58 TOP 20 Pre-Final

I hope you all enjoyed the reviews (well, reactions) of the songs competing to be Albania’s entry in Rotterdam next year. Here are my top 20 songs, with tonight’s finalists in bold. Elvana Gjata – “Me tana” Albërie Hadërgjonaj – “Ku ta gjej dikë ta dua” Arilena Ara – “Shaj” Wendi Mancaku – “Ende” Devis […]

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REVIEWS

Final Reviews of FiK Songs

Robert Berisha – “Ajo nuk është unë” This song has some stunning musical moments in it, but doesn’t really work for me as a whole. Whilst the backing singers do a lovely job of introducing the song, creating a mysterious vibe, they take valuable time away for musical development later on. Robert has a lovely […]

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Second Semi Final of FiK- First Reviews

Kastro Zizo – “Asaj” This is not really my cup of tea. Kastro has a very unusual style of singing- he speak-sings with his raspy voice- and while the emotion is palpable, it’s not easy on the ears and the mood behind the song feels extremely forced to the point where the intended effect is […]

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REVIEWS

5 More Reviews from Semi One of FiK

Bojken Lako- Malaseen I have very mixed feelings about this song. I’ll start with what I loved- the chorus is catchy and the melody has a nostalgic feel to it without seeming too dated. The clarinet over the top gives an ethnic vibe which works absolute wonders with the song, and Bojken’s vocals in the […]

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REVIEWS

Festivali i Këngës 58- First 5 Reviews

Tungjatjeta! Happy start of Eurovision Season everyone! The first national final is well and truly underway, and by tomorrow, we will know the first song of ESC 2020. The Albanian selection show began on Thursday night, and the first 10 artists competed. The reviews will be fairly short, and my initial reaction is what I’m […]

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The Importance of A Song’s Initial Impact- and why it is crucial to its chance of success

Brief update: It’s been a while since this blog was updated, and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the Albanian line-up of songs this year. However, I am aware that I’ve not updated this blog in a long while- for that I apologise, it’s been a busy few weeks. Given that this is […]

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Artists for Festivali i Kenges 58

The Albanian national final is back for its 58th edition, and the 20 artists competing have been announced by broadcaster RTSH. With the first semi final less than a month away, let’s take a look at the list, featuring some familiar names. Albërie Hadërgjonaj Aldo Bardhi Arilena Ara Bojken Lako Devis Xherahu Eli Fara & […]

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Eurovision song selections- what we know so far

With the first national final just a month away, Eurovision season really is just around the corner, and the delegations are busy preparing. Two artists have already been revealed- Hooverphonic for Belgium and Blas Canto for Spain- and Bulgaria are revealing their artist next week. But how are the other countries selecting their entrant? Here’s […]