We have our first confirmed Eurovision track as the Albanian national selection show ‘Festival i Këngës’ chose Arilena Ara and her track Shaj to represent the nation in Rotterdam 2020.
The twenty-one year old singer shot to fame in her native nation after winning The X Factor Albania’s second season in 2013. She found chart success with her single Nëntori which has gone on to rake in 34 million views. The success of this has lead to her performing internationally in festivals in the likes of Russia and Kazakhstan.
After competing in semi-finals at Festival i Këngës, twelve artists are selected by jury to progress onto a final. The jury is comprised of music experts from around Europe. The jury subsequently chose Ara and her ballad Shaj to represent Albania at the 2020 ESC. The track is a rousing number, despite not being the general fan favourite – with that honour going to Elvana Gjata’s Me tana which was the runner up.
Listen to Arilena’s Shaj below.
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