Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, with the song "Feel the Passion" performed by Aurela Gaçe. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2010. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seven times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances both in Belarus, Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands. Albania was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 10 May 2011. Performing as number three, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's third non-qualification in the contest.
Background.
Prior to the 2011 contest, Albania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seven times since its first entry in 2004. The nation's highest placing in the contest, to this point, had been seventh place, which it achieved in 2004 with the song "The Image of You" performed by Anjeza Shahini. During its tenure in the contest, Albania failed to qualify for the final two times, with the 2007 entry being the most recent non-qualifier. The nation's national broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), has organised Festivali i Këngës since its inauguration in 1962. Since 2003, the winner of the competition has simultaneously won the right to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Before Eurovision.
Festivali i Këngës.
RTSH organised the 49th edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 23 and 24 December, respectively, and the grand final on 25 December 2010. The three live shows were hosted by Albanian singer Jonida Maliqi, presenter Josif Gjinpali and actress Mirela Naska. The contest featured two categories, one dedicated to established artists and the other to newcomer artists. The two semi-finals each featured 16 competing entries performed by established artists and three competing entries performed by newcomers. The votes of a jury panel selected 11 entries from the established artists in each semi-final to advance to the final, while the votes of an alternate jury panel selected one entry from the newcomer artists in each semi-final to advance to the final. In the final, the 18 competing entries were voted upon by a jury panel in order to select the winner. As a result of technical issues with the orchestra, the music was presented through a pre-recorded playback, while the artists performed live.
Competing entries.
RTSH invited interested artists and composers to submit their entries between 12 September and 20 October 2010. The deadline was later extended to 6 November 2010 in order to give more time for the artists participating in Kënga Magjike to work on their entries. On 15 November 2010, RTSH announced the 38 artists and songs selected for the competition by a special committee consisting of Altin Goci, Fatmir Hysi, Hajg Zaharian, Kozeta Mamaqi, Mefarete Laze, Thoma Gaqi and Zef Çoba.
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Shows.
Semi-finals.
The semi-finals of Festivali i Këngës took place on 23 December and 24 December 2010 on the respective dates. Seventeen contestants participated in each semi-final, with the highlighted ones progressing to the grand final.
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Final.
The grand final of Festivali i Këngës took place on 25 December 2010 and was broadcast live at 20:30 (CET). Determined by the combination of the votes from a seven-member jury, Aurela Gaçe with "Kënga ime" emerged as the winner and was thus announced as Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.
Promotion.
A music video for "Feel the Passion" premiered via the Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel on 16 March 2011. For promotional purposes, Gaçe embarked on a small tour with live performances at various events related to the contest, including in Belarus, Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands.
At Eurovision.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 took place at Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, and consisted of two semi-finals held on 10 and 12 May, respectively, and the grand final on 14 May 2011. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Four", consisting of France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final. The top 10 countries from the respective semi-final progress to the grand final. On 17 January 2011, a special allocation draw was held that placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Albania was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 10 May, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. Once all the competing songs for the 2011 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the producers of the contest rather than through another draw, for preventing similar songs being placed next to each other. Albania was set to perform in position 3, following Norway and preceding Armenia. At the end of the first semi-final, the country was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's third non-qualification in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Voting.
The tables below visualise a breakdown of points awarded to Albania in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, as well as by the country for both the second semi-final and grand final. In the semi-final, Albania finished in 14th place with a total of 47 points, including 12 from Greece and 8 from both San Marino and Turkey. In the final, Albania awarded its 12 points to Turkey in the first semi-final, and to Italy in the final of the contest.
Points awarded by Albania.
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References.
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