Friday, February 17, 2023

Albania - Mall - Eugent Bushpepa

Digital release image
11 - 184 pts, 8 - 162 pts in semi 1

Mall by Eugent Bushpepa is the winner of the 56th Festivali i Këngës, the Albanian music contest that also serves as the selection for Eurovision.

Mall (Desire) is a song in Albanian.
The song remained in Albanian for the contest and a new version was revealed on March 16.
Watch and listen here. It was released as a digital single on April 6.

The Eurovision version was produced by Jim Lowe, known for his work with the Stereophonics and Dandy Warhols.
In Lisbon Eugent Bushpepa is joined by Greta Radovani and Erinda Agolli on backing vocals
and instrumentalists Denis Hima, Besnik Nikolli and Gerti Himado.

A Live Night
On June 25 Eugent Bushpepa released a digital EP A Live Night with Mall as the first track Live at A Live Night TAR (don't know what the TAR stands for though)
It's a live recording but no audience is heard. 

RTSH uploaded videoclips with studio recordings of all FiK songs prior to the Festivali.
Here's the Mall original. (Youtube)

Versions
Mall - Eurovision version
- digital release, promo
Mall - Eurovision karaoke
- digital release on the official karaoke album, promo
Mall - Original version
- RTSH website, promo
Mall - Eurovision instrumental
- promo
Mall - Live at A Live Night Tar
- digital EP A Live Night (2022)

Promo info
RTSH have published details on the promo set Eugent will be talking with him to Lisbon.
Photo taken from RTSH 
The CD includes the original Festivali i Këngës version, the Eurovision version and instrumental and karaoke of the Eurovision version. It has the same four tracks twice.
The DVD features info, lyrics, photos and videos.
The English title Yearning is used but there is no English version.

Links and sources:
Thanks to Nigel, Thanks to Rick
Eugent Bushpepa: Facebook, Instagram
RTSH: FiK pages, Mall original clip
Albania's recent Eurovision history: 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 2011 2010 - 2009
Festivali i Këngës at Wikipedia


The old Festivali's
* The Festivali I Këngës (FiK) has been used as the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest ever since Albania entered with Anjeza Shahini's The Image Of You in 2004. But the Festivali i Këngës already started in 1962 and is of course an acclaimed music festival in its own right.
Check your Wiki's and see the end of this post for some FiK history.
In 2016 RTSH released most old Festival i Këngës entries through digital shops (Amazon ,iTunes) and Spotify.
I made a spotify playlist (below) with all the Albanian Festivali I Këngës winners up to 2015  (so you don't have to). It starts in 1962.
The 1967 winner is missing and some songs are in versions by the second (non winning) singer. (up to 1984 most songs were performed twice by different singers).
It's a magnificent trip through Albania's amazing and sometimes grim Festival history. 
A special thanks to Thomas!


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note: I know Spotify can be a bit crappy. Sometimes it plays the playlist in a mixed order, or mixes it with other songs, don't blame me, I did my best.
I just think Spotify can be a handy tool to preview some music and do some vault-digging.

And in the end it's buying music that supports your artists (or in this case, RTSH), not streaming.