15 songs, one prize—who will win the golden ticket to Eurovision?
After three nights of festivities, the annual Festivali i Kenges, or FiKmas as it’s affectionately referred to by ESC fans, had finally reached grand final night. Thirty artists had been whittled down to fifteen, and Albanians both at home and abroad would cast their votes alongside the (infamous) jury to determine who would win the festival and the honour of representing Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
Though there were many favourites, two names had emerged as the frontrunners throughout the festival—Elvana Gjata and Shkodra Elektronike—and it was expected that one of them would emerge victorious.
Under the guise of artistic director Elhaida Dani, a former Eurovision participant herself, the festival has modernised and been praised for a diverse and contemporary lineup of songs, perhaps the strongest Albania has seen in years.
Rapper MC Kresha opened the show, all fifteen acts performed again and after a litany of interval acts and reklama (or lack of, if you were watching the Youtube livestream), we would finally find out who would become the next Albanian Eurovision representative.
Before the results, two non-competitive prizes were awarded. Shkodra Elektronike won the critics prize, whereas Vesa Smolica, whose song was composed by Eurovision 2019 and 2023 composer Eriona Rushiti, won the prize for best lyrics.
On to the results!
The voting sequence was as tense as it was chaotic, with each juror—among them, 2019 representative Jonida Maliqi—revealing their points individually. A summary of the jury’s votes were shown… only for the head juror, Zana Cela, to reveal her votes afterward. Odd.
As expected, Shkodra Elektronike and Elvana Gjata were first and second, with Shkodra Elektronike having a four point margin over Elvana.
The diaspora vote (which also included sneaky Eurofans’ votes) was then revealed. Over half the acts received zero points, but Elvana won the diaspora vote with nineteen points more than Shkodra Elektronike, and a fifteen point margin as it stood.
Finally, the televote was revealed. Elvana, perhaps the biggest pop star in Albania, was expected to win the televote handily—but if audience reaction was anything to go by, this would be close.
In a massive shock, Shkodra Elektronike won the televote, with over double the points received by Elvana—enough to win, with an eight point margin over Elvana.
Perhaps a fitting end to a tense and chaotic voting sequence, Shkodra Elektronike emerged victorious, with fan favourite Elvana Gjata finishing in second, and newcomer Alis, the winner of the most recent season of X Factor Albania, in third.
Thus, Shkodra Elektronike, with their song Zjerm, will fly the flag for Albania in Basel. Good luck