Festivali I Këngës Në RTSH

Festivali i Këngës is one of the main musical events in Albania.

Other forms are also used when referring to this event, such as:

* Festivali i Këngës Në RTSH (The Song Festival In The Albanian Radio-Television)
* Festivali i Muzikës Së Lehtë Në Radio Televizionin Shqiptar (The Song Festival Of Pop Music In The Albanian Radio-Television)
* Festivali i Dhjetorit (The December Festival)
* Festivali i Fundvitit (The End-Year Festival)

Because the broadcaster has always been RTSH (Albanian Radio-Television), this part of the title is assumed and often omitted.

Festivali i Këngës is a long standing tradition in the Albanian music industry. It has been through a lot of difficult stages as well as many glorious moments. The singers have always been required to sing live, though some of the 90s editions have had a mixture of playback being used. Songs are usually revealed when the semi finals take place, however small previews might be made available before hand. There have also been many disappointments and sometimes even outrage at some of the results. During the time of dictatorship in Albania (before 1990), the government had an immense power on the creativity of FIK. Censorship was very strict, and many songs have been disqualified if they have been deemed inappropriate by the government's standards. The government also had absolute power on the outcome of the results and the winners, therefore some of the victories have been "politically" arranged, rather than decided by the jury.

Up until 1999 it used to be the biggest musical activity in the country, however its popularity decreased as other competitors like Top Fest and Kënga Magjike started to produce more viewers and a higher quality of songs. The competition was again the center of attention when Albanian Idol winner and crowd favorite Anjeza Shahini won Festivali I Këngës 42, landing herself a ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest. This was Albania's first participation in this event. Ever since, FIK has been shadowed by many controversial debates regarding the strategies behind the song selections and the lack of transparence concerning the winner. Such allegations are not new to this contest, however they intensified as the Eurovision participation became a factor. On the other hand, the genre of songs remained the same and has now become outdated compared to the mainstream Albanian music industry. Some critics have recommended a change in the style of songs admitted in the competition, some have been in favor of using a televote instead of a jury or a combination of both, while others advocate the use of a different contest to select a Eurovision entry. The controversial voting and discontent over the winners have been the primary sources of these sentiments.

It is important to note that after the decision to make Festivali I Këngës the National Pre-Selection round for Albania's representative to Eurovision, the traditional point award ceremony was eliminated and replaced by the announcement of only the Top 3 places. Some claim this was a controversial move to facilitate any underground deals between the festival authorities. This claim was prompted by the fact that neither the points of the jury nor the televoting results are made public. In 2006, plans for televoting were announced but they were canceled. However, the jury announced its votes at the end of the show. The 2007 edition was marred by extreme discontent at the results and particularly two members of the jury, as allegations of fraud, corruption and even racism scattered frantically through the internet and media.

History

Impressive Record

Festivali I Këngës, began in December 21, 1962 in the ILA Venue in Tirana, Albania. 20 songs competed in its semifinal round, but only 12 made it through to the final. The first winner of Festivali I Këngës was the legendary Vaçe Zela with her famous song "Fëmija I Parë" (The First Child). Vaçe Zela is the singer with the most victories in FIK history to date, an impressive 10 times.

Singers with consecutive wins include:

* 1. Vaçe Zela (1966, 1967, 1968 duet; 1976 & 1977)
* 2. Alida Hisku (1974 & 1975)
* 3. Manjola Nallbani (1992 trio & 1993 solo)
* 4. Elsa Lila (1996 & 1997)

Harsh Censorship

Before 1972, the songs had a neutral nature, covering many topics of life. However, after Festivali I Këngës 11, dictator Enver Hoxha intervened by murdering many organisers of the show and unjustly accused them of consipiring against the country and corrupting its youth. The contest dwelled in a period of extreme pressure and censorship. The songs were highly monitored and the topics were generally related to the country's development and even the government. This oppression continued all the way until 1984 when the dictator died. The following year, the change in lyrics was very abrupt, and censorship was not as strict.

The Winds Of Change

With the fall of dictatorship during the 1990s, Festivali I Këngës had a temporary boost in both quality and diversity. The winning songs reflected the status of the country at the time. The 1991 winner "Ardit Gjebrea - Jon" and the 1992 winner "Aleksandër Gjoka, Manjola Nallbani & Viktor Tahiraj - Pesha E Fatit" were both songs with an "immigration/freedom" theme, which was the reality at the time in Albania as well. During this period, the contest was also introduced to the word God for the first time. Prior to that, religion was illegal in Albania and the word God was not allowed to be pronounced in public. The participation of Albanian singers from outside the borders was also an addition to the history of the festival in this decade. Before that, the country was in a period of isolation.

Troubled Times

In 1996, the stage of Festivali I Këngës welcomed newcomer Elsa Lila, a sweet and innocent girl that stole the hearts of everyone with her wonderful voice. She won the contest with "Pyes Lotin" in 1996, and she pulled off another victory the following year with "Larg Urrejtjes" in 1997. These songs were also a mirror to the country's difficult reality in those years after 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 in the final weeks of December every year since its start.

In 1998, Albërie Hadërgjonaj became the first Kosovar-Albanian singer to win the contest with the ballad "Mirësia Dhe E Vërteta". The song had a humanitarian anti-war message and is often referred to as a song for Kosovo, relating to the 1998–1999 turmoil.

Cool Off

By the year 2000, Festivali I Këngës had lost a lot of its admirers to the competition of Kënga Magjike, a similar song contest taking place in the Fall, as well as Top Fest, which started a few years later as a reality series on Top Channel leading to a big Spring finale. However, another talented newcomer graced the stage of FIK in 2003, idol winner Anjeza Shahini. She had just won the "Ethet E Së Premtes Mbrëma" talent show a few months before competing in FIK and the public was madly in love with her voice, her beautiful stage presence and her charming ways.

Eurovision Era

Anjeza Shahini won the 42nd edition of Festivali I Këngës as everyone expected, putting hopeful professional singer Mariza Ikonomi in second place. Mariza ended up leaving the stage when the results were announced in sign of protest. Much was at stake in this edition because the winner would be the first ever representative of Albania in Eurovision. Anjeza went on to sing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, landing herself in a respectable 7th place with the song "The Image Of You".

In December 2004, Ledina Çelo won the 43rd edition of FIK but failed to create the same success in the 2005 contest, and in December 2005 Luiz Ejlli won the 44th edition of FIK, but he also failed to impress in the 2006 contest, failing to qualify in the semi-final. In 2006, Frederik Ndoci & Aida Ndoci were the winners of Festivali I Këngës, making this the second time Frederik wins this contest, the first one being in 1989. He also failed to reach the final in Eurovision Song Contest 2007. FIK 2007 was won by Olta Boka who performed in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. She was able to qualify for the final by a thin margin, however the final scoreboard did not work in her favor, placing 17th of 25.

Hosts

Eurovision Results

* Best Semi-Final: 4th (Anjeza Shahini - The Image Of You)
* Worst Semi-Final: 17th (Frederik Ndoci & Aida Ndoci - Hear My Plea)

* Best Final: 7th (Anjeza Shahini - The Image Of You)
* Worst Final: 17th (Olta Boka - Zemrën E Lamë Peng)

Trivia

* In the early editions of Festivali I Këngës, some singers would interpret more than one song.
* In 1980, rumor has it that the government intervened in the winner selection process, giving the victory to "Vaçe Zela - Shoqet Tona Ilegale". The winner would have been "Alida Hisku - Njerëzit E Agimeve".
* In 1987, it was said that "Kozma Dushi - Lot Me Ty O Djalë" was set to be the winner, however minutes before the jury made that decision, the dictator's wife Nexhmije Hoxha did not want the song to win, so another song was chosen.
* In 1994, Mariza Ikonomi became the youngest singer to compete in the festival at the age of 12 in a duet with Françesk Radi and their song "Telefonatë Zemrash".
* In 1995, the song "E Doni Dashurinë" by Luan Zhegu & Ledina Çelo was reported to be the most applauded song in Festivali I Këngës history to date, a total applause time of 7 minutes and 11 seconds.
* In 1997, singer Alma Bektashi had a wardrobe malfunction on stage and her dress fell off on the side, revealing her breast. The cameras managed to avoid the incident, however the audience received a great view.
* In 1998, Avni Mula, head of the jury, declared "Albërie Hadërgjonaj - Mirësia Dhe E Vërteta" the winner, making Albërie the first Kosovar-Albanian singer to ever win Festivali I Këngës.
* In 1999, the song Apokalipsi by Irma & Eranda Libohova was claimed to be the real winner instead of "Aurela Gaçe - S'jam Tribu".
* In 2004, winner Ledina Çelo was the center of attention when it was rumored that she had not done any stage practice before her presentation in Kyev, Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Scandals

* In 1972, paranoid Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha deemed the organisers of Festivali I Këngës 11 to be "Enemies Of The Public", a name given to all the subjects who he considered a danger to the country. Unluckily, many of them were murdered after being accused of endangering the country's mentality by introducing an immoral aspect to the show, and plotting against the government by influencing the Albanian youth at the time. The claims were out of context and these murders were used as an example and a statement for future organisers. There is a whole book dedicated to this event: "Skifter Këlliçi - Festivali I Njëmbëdhjetë (The 11th Festival.)"
* In 1999, Irma & Eranda Libohova protested against the jury by leaving the Palace Of Congresses when it was announced that their song had come in 2nd place.
* In 2003, the same scenario happened, this time with singer Mariza Ikonomi, who was eager to represent Albania for the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest. She lost to Anjeza Shahini.
* In 2004, the producers of the song "Nesër Shkoj" filed a law-suit against Ledina Çelo because she had signed contracts with a phone company without previously consulting them. She was also accused of not attending the conferences set up the producers and that she had not rehearsed the song enough. The suit was dropped within the week that it was filed.
* In 2006, Greta Koçi was so disappointed from her 5th placing with the song "Eja Zemër" that she burst out in tears, while her mother faced off the festival's 7 member jury with allegations of corruption and incompetence.
* In 2007, Blero dropped out of the competition, claiming that he was asked for a large amount of money in exchange of a victory by an anonymous caller. He also claimed that the first three positions were already decided by the organizers prior to the event. The jury and the festival administration replied in a press statement that it was Blero who had asked for the first prize by sending an SMS which stated that he would withdraw if his victory was not guaranteed.
* Also in 2007, Manjola Nallbani accused the festival authorities that they had sabotaged her song. Her voice was not heard at all in the hall, instead the public only heard the orchestra and the playback. This was confirmed by the general director of the festival Zamira Koleci. Manjola Nallbani declared that she would no longer participate in this event and called certain organizers mafiosos.
* The 2007 edition also provoked a huge public reaction and massive press attention after the song of "Flaka Krelani & Doruntina Disha - Jeta Kërkon Dashuri" placed second, prompting corruption accusations about the jury, namely Gjergj Xhuvani and Alban Skënderaj. These two judges did not give any points to this song, while four judges awarded it maximum points and Rudina Magjistari awarded it the second highest points. General Director Zamira Koleci in a press interview called the two judges "gangsters and racists" after their boycott of the song from the Kosovo Albanian singers Flaka Krelani & Doruntina Disha. Edmond Zhulali, composer of the song and artistic director of FIK, submitted a request to the RTSH council for the jury's votes to be disqualified. The council however turned down this request after 2 hours of debate.

Twin Contests

* Kënga Magjike
* Sanremo Music Festival
* Eurovision Song Contest

Links

* http://www.eurovision.tv

Sources

* [http://www.rtsh.al/ RTSH]