It has been announced that Kalush Orchestra & Gala Dragot will be performing as interval acts at the upcoming Festivali i Këngës 61.
The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest Winners, Kalush Orchestra will be one of the headline names to perform in the interval at the upcoming Albanian national selection. Since their victory in Turin in May they have performed across Europe, including at the Glastonbury Music Festival.
Also performing will be Gala Dragot, the winner of The Voice Kids Belgium and an artist who will be taking part in the upcoming Belgian national selection to find their Eurovision entry for Liverpool.
There are 26 acts participating in the 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës, in which Albania will choose their participant for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. For the first time since 2010 it will take place over four days between December 19th to December 22nd. There have been a number of changes this year, including, the victor being chosen only by the public and not by a jury. There will, however, still be some prizes awarded by the jury including:
- First, Second and Third in the jury vote
- First for young artists and alternative groups
- First for established artists
The full list of songs and participants have been released already, but it has been announced that the songs themselves will not be released until they perform on the stage in a move similar to that of the San Remo festival in Italy.
Albania were represented in 2022 by the Festivali i Këngës winner Ronela Hajati with the song Sekret which unfortunately failed to qualify for the Grand Final in Turin.
Source: Eurovision Albania via Facebook /Eurovoix // Image Source: MAXIM FESENKO