This morning, Australian time, Albania's week-long music event Festivali i Këngës (FiK) kicked off its first night, being semi-final 1.
Festivali i Këngës takes place at the Palace of Congresses in the capital Tirana over four nights and will decide who represents Albania at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
It was confirmed that this year, the winner of FiK63 will represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest. For the previous two editions, the Eurovision representative was selected separately to the overall winner of the Contest, with organisers opting to make the winner the representative as seen in earlier editions.
The results of the Final will be determined by jury voting and public voting. For the first time, the Albanian diaspora will be able to vote in the contest.
The first night saw 15 of the 30 participants take part and Aussievision has picked out some of the highlights.
Our top picks
Lorenc Hasrama – Frymë
An amazing, powerful and dynamic performance by Lorenc. A very strong ballad that was elevated further by the backing of the live orchestra compared to the studio version. His song was widely appreciated by both the audience and Eurofans.
Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm
I was very curious to see how the studio version would translate to performing live with the orchestra. It did not disappoint. The audience loved it and will be a definite qualifier for the Final of Festivali i Këngës on Sunday evening.
Ardit Çuni – Amane
An awesome way to finish off the evening. A very energetic Albanian dance banger that has the best Eurovision vibe of all the songs performed on the night. This will be a definite qualifier for the Final and may even go close to winning.
Potentials
Orgesa Zaimi – I parë
Orgesa was the first song for the night and she had very strong vocals accentuated by the live orchestra. She is a good chance to qualify for the final on Sunday evening.
Alis Kallacej – Mjegull
One of the best stagings on the night with the 13 white-robed women on stage. This will poll well with the jury vote. I can also see that this could be a qualifier for Sunday's Final.
The WTF
Jet – Gjallë
The discussion on Jet's performance was predominantly about his diamond-shaped sunglasses and his pearl encrusted outfit. Despite all the bling, his vocal performance with the live orchestra did not meet the vocal expectations of his studio version.
Kejsi Jazxhi – Kur bota hesht
One of the best vocal performances of the night, however, much of the talk was about Kejsi’s nose piece which extended under her eyes and across her face like a tree branch.
Night two will take place tomorrow with the second half of FiK63, with 15 more artists to perform.
You can watch all the songs via the Albanian broadcaster RTSH's YouTube account.
The Final of Festivali i Këngës 63 will take place on the morning of Monday 23 December (in Australia); and Sunday 22 December in Europe where 18 artists will compete to represent Albania in Basel.
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet