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Albania’s national broadcaster RTSH has confirmed that Elhaida Dani will once again serve as Artistic Director of Festivali i Këngës, the country’s annual song contest and long-standing gateway to Eurovision. Dani, who represented Albania on the Eurovision stage in 2015, announced her renewed role in a message that set out both her ambition and her appeal to the country’s musicians.
“No Albanian artist should miss the chance to be part of the history of Albanian music,” she said, urging performers to see Festivali i Këngës not simply as a competition but as a cultural landmark. In the same statement she promised a festival that would be “bolder, more modern and unforgettable,” signalling a continuation of the creative overhaul she brought to last year’s edition.
RTSH has opened submissions for the 64th festival, with entries accepted from 1 to 30 September. Rules remain firmly in place: songs must run under four minutes, be accompanied by full orchestral arrangements and lyrics submitted in writing. The emphasis on live performance, a hallmark of the festival since its launch in 1962, remains central to the broadcaster’s vision.
Dani’s influence was felt strongly in the previous edition. Festivali i Këngës 63 saw changes to staging and presentation that were widely welcomed and coincided with Albania returning to the Eurovision top ten in Vienna. This year she has hinted at going further, with RTSH confirming plans for a larger production, a pre-show programme to introduce competing artists, and public voting via a dedicated app alongside the jury process.
