Festivali i Këngës 62 was the 62nd edition of the annual Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës. The contest was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, Albania. It consisted of two semi-finals held on 19 and 20 December, followed by a nostalgia night on 21 December and concluded in the grand final on 22 December 2023. The four live shows were hosted by Adriana Matoshi, Kledi Kadiu, Krisa Çaushi, and Xhuliano Dule. Mal Retkoceri emerged as the winner of the contest with his song "Çmendur." The selection of the Albanian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was determined by public voting, with Besa Kokëdhima and her song "Zemrën n'dorë" being chosen to represent Albania.
Format
The 62nd edition of Festivali i Këngës was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and took place from 19 to 22 December 2023.[1] The contest consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, followed by a nostalgia night on 21 December and concluded in the grand final on 22 December.[2] The four live shows were hosted by Adriana Matoshi, Kledi Kadiu, Krisa Çaushi, and Xhuliano Dule, and were held at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, Albania.[1] The contest was under the artistic direction of Bojken Lako, with Enkel Demi serving as the screenwriter.[3]
Voting
As in the preceding edition of the contest, the determination of the winner of Festivali i Këngës was conducted through a jury vote.[1] The winner would not receive an invitation to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[4] Instead, a separate televoting was designated to select the Albanian representative for the 2024 contest.[1] Eligible participants in the televoting system included the audiences from both Albania and Kosovo.[5]
Contestants
The schedule for musical submissions to the RTSH was opened on 1 September and closed on 10 October 2023.[6][7] During this period, the broadcaster received over 80 submissions from a diverse group of artists and composers, encompassing participants among others from Albania, Kosovo, Italy and the United States.[8][9] For the first time, the selection panel was only informed of the identities of the applicants after the submission process had concluded aimed to ensure a fairer outcome in the selection.[10] On 17 October, RTSH published a provisional list of 31 participants selected for the contest.[11][12] Subsequently, on 1 November, it was announced that artists Samanta Karavella and Kejsi Tola would withdraw from the context.[13] Their participation was subsequently replaced by Irma Lepuri and the PeterPan Quartet.[13] Further changes to the participants occurred on 1 December, when Sardi Strugaj also announced his withdrawal from the contest.[14] In his place, Eden Baja was designated as a replacement participant.[15]
The semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës took place on 19 and 20 December 2023 and were broadcast live at 21:00 (CET) on the respective dates.[18][19] The running order for both semi-finals of the contest was determined during a press conference held on 1 November.[3] The first semi-final presented Albanian singer Viola Gjyzeli, who represented Albania in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, and Italian singer Umberto Tozzi as special guests.[20][21] Albanian musicians, including Rachelle Andrioti, Aleksandër Gjoka and Indrit Mesiti, performed in the second semi-final.[22]
Kosovo-Albanian artist Adelina Ismaili performed her song "Zemrën nuk ta fal" during the nostalgia night as a special guest.
The nostalgia night of Festivali i Këngës took place on 21 December 2023 at 21:00 (CET).[23] Prominent Albanian artists provided accompaniment to some of the contestants in performing renditions of historical popular songs.[24] Following the conclusion of the show, a jury evaluated the performances and selected eight out of 17 contestants from the New artists category to advance to the grand final.[25] The remaining 14 contestants from the Established artists category automatically qualified for the grand final without the need for further evaluation.[25] Kosovo-Albanian artist Adelina Ismaili was a special guest of the show, where she performed her song "Zemrën nuk ta fal".[26][27]
The grand final of Festivali i Këngës took place on 22 December 2023 at 21:00 (CET).[28] Despite the participation of 22 finalists in the grand final, all 31 contestants, including those who were eliminated, were eligible for the selection of the Albanian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[29] Several influential figures attended the live show, among whom were the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, Speaker of the Parliament, Lindita Nikolla, as well as the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.[30] Performing guests included Albanian singer Aurela Gaçe, actor Nik Xhelilaj, and Kosovo-Albanian singer La Fazani, who was the winner of the inaugural edition of Festivali i Këngës in Kosovo.[31][32][33]
The jury determined Mal Retkoceri as the winner of the contest with his song "Çmendur".[34] Tiri Gjoci secured the second place with "Në ëndërr", while Shpat Deda took third place with "S'mund t'fitoj pa ty".[34] The PeterPan Quartet was awarded the Best Newcomer Award for their song "Edhe një herë", and Martina Serreqi received the Critic's Choice Award for her song "Vetëm ty".[34] Additionally, the winner of the televoting was Besa Kokëdhima with her song "Zemrën n'dorë", which concurrently designated her as the Albanian representative for Eurovision 2024.[34]
The four live shows of Festivali i Këngës were broadcast from 19 December to 22 December 2023 on RTSH in Albania.[35] Each evening comprised a dedicated program on RTSH 24 and Radio 2, wherein participating artists shared insights into their behind-the-scenes experiences.[36] Furthermore, the shows were transmitted through Radio Televizioni i Kosovës (RTK) in Kosovo.[36] The grand final was also broadcast on Radio i Televizija Crne Gore through the Radio Crne Gore channel in Montenegro, as well as on Makedonska Radio Televizija through the MRT 2 channel in North Macedonia.[36]
