Jonida Maliqi will represent Albania at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. She was declared the overall winner of the 57th Festivali i Këngës with her song “Ktheju tokes”.
14 acts competed for the prize with the result being decided by a jury of music ‘experts’. The winning song scored 228 points. Lidia Lufi came a close second singing “Rrëfehem” and picking up 219 points using one of the most bizarre voting systems ever seen (10-20, 22, 25 and 30 points).
Traditionally, the Festivali i Këngës winner undergoes radical surgery ahead of Eurovision, though Maliqi stated after the show this evening that she plans to perform her song in Albanian when she gets to Tel Aviv.
Jonida Maliqi began her singing career at Festivali i Këngës aged 13. She’s entered three times, coming second in 1999. She’s worked in stage musicals, hosted ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and served as a judge on ‘The Voice of Albania’.
| Song | Artist | Jury | Televote | Total | Psn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Dust | Ella Hooper | 12 | 6 | 18 | 10 |
| 2000 and Whatever | Electric Fields | 44 | 70 | 114 | 2 |
| This Is Not the End | Mark Vincent | 19 | 19 | 38 | 7 |
| Dust | Aydan Calafiore | 38 | 10 | 48 | 6 |
| Fight for Love | Courtney Act | 26 | 26 | 52 | 4 |
| Set Me Free | Leea Nanos | 10 | 11 | 21 | 9 |
| On My Way | Sheppard | 41 | 46 | 87 | 3 |
| To Myself | Alfie Arcuri | 35 | 14 | 49 | 5 |
| Zero Gravity | Kate Miller-Heidke | 48 | 87 | 135 | 1 |
| Piece of Me | Tania Doko | 17 | 6 | 23 | 8 |
