Albania has made it to the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 which is due to take place tonight in Rotterdam.
Representing the country is Anxhela Peristeri, with her song “Karma”. Performed in the Albanian language, it draws on some traditional elements, mixed with more contemporary ones.
Peristeri is from Korce, a city known for its musical and talented citizens. She studied in Tirana but has also lived in Greece, claiming Greek heritage from her grandfather. The artist has performed in the famous Albanian contest Festivali i Kenges which is also the national selection process for the country’s Eurovision entry. She has also worked as a model and competed in the Miss Albania pageant. Throughout her career, she has released several songs and albums and competed in song contests.
The music to ‘Karma’ was written and produced by Kledi Bahiti and the lyrics are by Olti Curri. Peristeri confirmed she would keep the song in Shqip for the duration of the event, much to the approval of her Albanian supporters.
Albania is joined by other countries from the region including Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. Unfortunately, Albania doesn’t seem set to win with bookies giving a 999/1 chance along with Belgium, Moldova, Germany, and Spain. Top contenders for walking away with the top prize include Italy, France, Malta, and Switzerland
The previous Eurovision Song Contest was held in 2019 and won by Dutch singer Duncan Laurence. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some acts will perform in person in the Netherlands, others will perform from their countries and live stream it to the event.
The theme of this year’s contest is “Open Up”. Sietse Bakker, executive producer said he hoped people will “feel the freedom to interpret the theme in their own way…we warmly invite people to open up to others, to different opinions, to each other’s stories, and of course, to each other music.
Albania first took part in Eurovision in 2004 and since then, they have reached the top 10 on two occasions. In the first year, Anjeza Shahihi came in 7th place, and in 2012, Rona Nishliu came in 5th place. This year is the 9th time they have qualified for the final.
