Albania - Night two - Eric S

What a celebration of Albanian pop music. December 21 was night 3 of the 63rd Kenges music festival. The winner of the 4-day event would be the Albanian representative at Eurovision in Basel in May.  

 Nights 1 and 2 featured the 30 acts that were selected for the festival. Night 3 paired up all of the competitors to perform 15 Albanian songs of historical significance. At the end of the event, the 15 finalists for Night 4 would be announced. 

 Most of the songs paired up male / female duets on ballads. It was remarkable how many of the songs were reminiscent of James Bond theme songs from the 60s and 70s. Many, more ballad-like than energetic. 

 The songs were fairly uniform in terms of their style without vibes of hip-hop, jazz, or dance rhythms. Not surprising given the nature of the songs being performed. 

 Overall, three performances stood out: Mal & Epos performed Jetoj (Live) which had more energy than most of performances with more interaction with each other and the audience.

 Elvana Gjata  and Shkodra Elektronike performed Margjelo, which was a crowd-pleaser with more elaborate costuming and good harmonies.

Elvana Gjata and Shkodra Elektronike

 The stand-out to me was Gresa Gjocera & Ronaldo Mesuli - Askush s’do ta besojë (No one will believe it) which had the best chemistry between the performers, engagement of the audience, and a general feeling of fun. Their notes were perfect; and it was surprising to me that neither made the national final given their ability to perform and captivate the audience. 

Gresa Gjocera & Ronaldo Mesuli

 Other notable performances included Mihallaq Andrea singing from his wheelchair and Orgesa Zaimi & Devis Xherahu receiving a massive ovation for Shqiperi O Vendi Im (Albania, my country).

 At the end of the night 3, the finalists were revealed as:

• Jet – “Gjallë”
• Kejsi Jazxhi – “Kur bota hesht”
• Vesa Smolica – “Lutem”
• Stine – “E kishim nis”
• Djemtë e Detit – “Larg”
• Nita Latifi – “Zemrës”
• Gjergj Kaçinari – “Larg jetës pa ty”
• Orgesa Zaimi – “I parë”
• Ardit Çuni – “Amane”
• Algert Sala – “Bosh”
• Shkodra Elektronike – “Zjerm”
• Lorenc Hasrama – “Frymë”
• Elvana Gjata – “Karnaval”
• Mal Retkoceri – “Antihero”
• Alis Kallacej – “Mjegull”

Onward to the Albanian finals!