Festivali i Këngës në RTSH, commonly known as ****Festivali i Këngës and also referred to as simply FiK or Fest, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, the festival has determined the country's representative to the Eurovision Song Contest since 2004. Various singing presentations have been used throughout its history, beginning with radio-only performances in the first few years, then expanding to live performances, playback, remakes, and duets featuring other singers. The winners have traditionally been selected by a jury. However, other voting methods have also been applied, such as televoting or regional juries. At times, the head juror has carried twice the voting power of other jurors. Vaçe Zela holds the record for most victories in the competition with eleven wins followed by Tonin Tërshana with four wins and Aurela Gaçe, Manjola Nallbani, and Elsa Lila with three wins. The most recent winner is Mal Retkoceri, who won the 62nd edition of the contest.

History

The first edition of Festivali i Këngës took place on 21 December 1962 at the High Institute of Arts in Tirana and was won by Vaçe Zela performing the song titled "Fëmija i parë". The contest's entries, under communism, were strictly centered around light music. Over time, neutrally-themed entries started to be used as a tool for the governing Communist Party of Albania in promoting its ideals. The 1972 edition was a turning point for the contest, in which dictator Enver Hoxha prosecuted the organisers of Festivali i Këngës 11 after declaring them "enemies of the public". They were accused of endangering the country with "immoral aspects" in their songs and performances. This incident began a period of extreme pressure and censorship, with the ruling Communist Party imposing numerous sanctions on the contest's creativity and strict censorship on anything deemed inappropriate by the government. This ranged from limiting the type of clothes artists could wear, to restricting their range of movement while performing. The main organisers of the show were accused of conspiring against the country and corrupting its youth. The songs were highly monitored and the topics were generally related to the country's development or the government and its main figures. After Hoxha's death in 1985, the change in lyrics was very abrupt and censorship began to relax. Nertila Koka and Anita Bitri quickly became known for their songs about love, while Parashqevi Simaku, Irma Libohova and Morena Reka also engaged the youth with progressively more liberal political entries year after year. Rock groups such as Tingulli i Zjarrtë had a considerable impact with the message of their songs and the introduction of rock music to the Albanian music scene, a genre which has endured successfully to this day and can easily be spotted even in modern FiK entries, many of which feature electric guitars. This liberalisation was allowed by the silent consent of the Communist Party leadership all along, primarily as a result of their realisation that the days of communism in Eastern Europe were coming to an end. The general public, however, was less aware of the imminence of such changes to the political order, making the performances have a puzzling effect that provoked both feelings of outrage and hope. Although Albania was the last country in Eastern Europe to part with communist rule in 1992, FiK entries were ringing the bells of change already by 1988. After the fall of communism, Festivali i Këngës had a temporary boost in both quality and diversity. The winning songs reflected the transitional period that the country was undergoing. The 1991 winner, Ardit Gjebrea with "Jon", and the 1992 winner, Osman Mula's entry sung by Aleksandër Gjoka, Manjola Nallbani and Viktor Tahiraj titled "Pesha e fatit" ("The weight of fate") were centred on immigration and freedom, coinciding with the state of affairs in Albania at the time. During this period, the contest was also introduced to the word "God" for the first time. Prior to that, religion was illegal and the word was not allowed to be pronounced in public. The participation of Albanian singers from outside the country's borders was also an addition to the history of the festival during this decade. Before that, the country was in a period of isolation. The clothing and performances of the singers became more extravagant as time went by, with singers such as Bleona Qereti, Ledina Çelo and Adelina Ismajli being among the most notable trendsetters of the new era. In 1996, the stage of Festivali i Këngës welcomed newcomer Elsa Lila, who won the contest with "Pyes lotin" ("I ask the tear") in 1996 and again the following year with "Larg urrejtjes" ("Away from the hatred") in 1997. These songs mirrored the country's difficult reality following the collapse of the pyramid schemes, an event which wreaked havoc all throughout Albania. Despite the difficult times, Festivali i Këngës never stopped its broadcast and went ahead as scheduled during the final weeks of December, as it has done for every year since its inception. In 1998, Albërie Hadërgjonaj became the first Kosovar-Albanian singer to win the contest with the ballad "Mirësia dhe e vërteta" ("Goodness and truth"). The song had a humanitarian anti-war message and is often referred to locally as a song for Kosovo, relating to the 1998–99 war. Up until 1999, Festivali i Këngës was the biggest music event in Albania. Its popularity began to waver after the introduction of other competitions such as Top Fest and Kënga Magjike, which were more liberal with their entry and singer selections, and eventually began to produce higher ratings. However, with Albania's introduction to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, Festivali i Këngës quickly began producing a greater degree of national and international interest. The festival also received a boost of audience with the participation of newcomers from said competitions, such as Anjeza Shahini, who had won the Ethet e së Premtes Mbrëma (Albanian Idol) talent show a few months prior to competing in FiK and was popular with the public for her voice and stage presence.

Eurovision Song Contest

Anjeza Shahini won the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës, placing hopeful professional singer Mariza Ikonomi in second place. Mariza boycotted the stage when the results were announced in a sign of disappointment. Much was at stake in this edition, as the winner would be the first ever representative of Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest. Anjeza went on to sing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, finishing in 7th place with the song "The Image of You". Ever since, more international interest in the festival has emerged, with Eurovision fans from Europe and beyond increasingly following the contest through live internet streams and satellite feeds. Every year, hashtags related to Festivali i Këngës have trended on Twitter in many European countries during the live final. Festivali i Këngës is usually the first national selection process of the Eurovision season, where countries reveal their competing entries for the main contest in May. Due to it commonly being held around Christmas week, Eurovision fans refer to this time period as "FiKmas". Albania's Eurovision journey has produced many memorable entries and performances by both established and emerging musicians. Its best result to date has been by Kosovo-Albanian singer Rona Nishliu with the song "Suus", ranking 2nd in the semi-final and 5th in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.

Trivia

Incidents

Presenters and venues

Winners

Recurring winners

As of 2022, Vaçe Zela holds the record for the highest number of wins having won the contest eleven times followed by Tonin Tërshana with four wins, Aurela Gaçe, Manjola Nallbani, and Elsa Lila with three wins respectively.