Anjeza Shahini is an Albanian singer. She is best known for representing Albania at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul, after winning the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës.
Feminnem was a girl group from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina composed of three members. They represented both countries at the Eurovision Song Contest; Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005 and Croatia in 2010. On 21 February 2012 Pamela, Neda and Nika decided to start solo careers and leave Feminnem and effectively disbanded the group. They were named after American rapper Eminem.
Hajrudin "Hari" Varešanović is a Bosnian musician. Known for his impassioned lyrical tenor vocals, distinct stage presence and specific brand of poetic lyrics, Varešanović remains the vocal soloist, primary composer and lyricist for the musical group Hari Mata Hari.
Nina Badrić is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. She began performing in the early 1990s, and competed in "Dora" – the Croatian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 4 times. She won 7th place in 1993 with "Ostavljam te", 10th place in 1994 with "Godine nestvarne", 18th place in 1995 with "Odlaziš zauvijek", and second place in 2003 with "Čarobno jutro". Badrić eventually represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan with the song "Nebo". She finished 12th in the second semi-final and failed to qualify for the grand final.
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years. Hosted by Katrina Leskanich and Renārs Kaupers, the event took place at Forum, in Copenhagen on 22 October 2005. The host broadcaster was Danmarks Radio (DR). Fourteen songs from the Contest's first half-century, chosen through an internet poll and by a jury, contested the event.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 by the group Feminnem and the song "Call Me". The song is written and composed by Andrej Babić.
Andrej Babić is a Croatian songwriter who has written many Eurovision songs since 2003. He has written songs for four countries: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Portugal.
Croatia selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest through the Dora contest, which was held on 5 and 6 March 2010, organised by the Croatian national broadcaster Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT). The winner of Dora was the girl group Feminnem with "Lako je sve".
"Lako je sve" is a Croatian song, written by Branimir Mihaljević, Pamela Ramljak and Neda Parmać and sung by girl group Feminnem. This song represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, after winning the 2010 Dora festival on 6 March, getting full marks from both the professional jury and the televoting public.
Alban Skënderaj is an Albanian singer, songwriter, composer, actor, producer and television personality. Born in Lushnjë and raised in Vlorë, he has established himself as a viable artist in Albania and the Albanian-speaking world. Skënderaj rose to essential prominence following his victory in Top Fest (2005). His success continued with the release of his debut albums Melodi (2008) and Fllad Ne Shkretirë (2009). He and his future wife Miriam Cani participated in Festivali i Këngës in 2010 with the song "Ende Ka Shpresë" whereas they finished second.
Ne zovi me, ne traži me is the twelfth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 1996.
Elvana Gjata, also known mononymously as Elvana, is an Albanian singer, songwriter, actress, composer and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Tirana, she has been referred to as the "Diva of Albanian music" and is noted for her versatility in music, performance and presentation. She rose to recognition in the Albanian-speaking Balkans following the release of her two albums, Mamës (2007) and Afër dhe larg (2011), both of which were influenced by r&b and dance-pop. Her success was further solidified with the later released extended play 3 (2018), which incorporated more pop-rock and folk elements. Gjata has received numerous awards and accolades, including two Balkan Music Award, a Festivali i Këngës Award, four Kënga Magjike Awards and a Top Fest Award.
Arilena Ara, also known mononymously as Arilena, is an Albanian singer. Ara rose to national recognition in the Albanian-speaking Balkans upon her victory of the second season of X Factor Albania in 2013. After her participation in the 18th edition of Kënga Magjike, "Nëntori" found commercial success in Romania, Russia and Eastern Europe, peaking at number-one in the Romanian Airplay chart. In 2019, after her forthcoming success at the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës, she was designated to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 before the contest's cancellation.
"Ktheju tokës" is a song by Albanian singer Jonida Maliqi. It was released as a single on 8 March 2019 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and Universal Music. The song was composed and written by Eriona Rushiti, and produced by Enis Mullaj. It is musically an authentic and rhythmic Albanian-language folk-electronic ballad backed by traditional Albanian instruments. Lyrically, the song addresses the theme of migration, particularly to that of the Albanian people during the Kosovo War in the late 20th century.
The Festivali i Këngës 2019 was the 58th edition of the annual Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës. It was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) at the Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana, Albania, and consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, respectively, and the final on 22 December 2019. The three live shows were hosted by Alketa Vejsiu. The winner of the contest was Arilena Ara with the song "Shaj", after receiving 67 points with two points ahead over Elvana Gjata with the song "Me tana". Ara was then scheduled to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before its cancellation related to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
"Me tana" is a song by Albanian singer and songwriter Elvana Gjata released as a single on 10 December 2019 by East Music Matters (EMM). The song was written and composed by Gjata herself and produced by German-Greek producer UNIK. Musically, "Me tana" was described as an Albanian-language ethnic dance-pop song, which lyrically explores the theme of unconditional and hopeless love. Music critics and reviewers applauded the song upon its release, with praise concentrated on the song's composition, lyrics and Gjata's vocal delivery.
Kanita Suma, also known mononymously as Kanita, is an Albanian-Macedonian singer.
Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Karma" performed by Anxhela Peristeri. Its entry was selected through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2020. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and various television and radio appearances in Albania, Greece, Kosovo and San Marino.
Anxhela Peristeri, also known mononymously as Anxhela, is an Albanian singer, songwriter and model. Peristeri emerged as the winner of the 19th edition of Kënga Magjike in 2017. After winning the 59th edition of Festivali i Këngës, she represented Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
"Karma" is a song by Albanian singer Anxhela Peristeri released as a single on 9 March 2021 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and Universal. The song was written by Olti Curri, composed by Kledi Bahiti and produced by the latter alongside Dimitris Kontopoulos. Musically, "Karma" is an Balkan-inspired pop ballad incorporating modern and traditional Albanian elements in its instrumentation. The Albanian-language song lyrically finds inspiration in the principle of karma and portrays a inner turmoil of a woman who blames herself for her world falling apart.
