"Duje" (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈdujɛ]; transl. "Love it") is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer Albina Kelmendi and five members of her family.[1] Composed by Enis Mullaj with lyrics written by Eriona Rushiti, it is an Albanian-language pop song that tells the tale of a family's struggle to stay united through a difficult time. The song was released as a single on Spotify on 29 December 2022 and on Apple Music on 20 March 2023.
| "Duje" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_Eurovision_cover.webp) | ||||
| Single by Albina & Familja Kelmendi | ||||
| Language | Albanian | |||
| English title | Love it | |||
| Released | 10 March 2023 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Fole | |||
| Composer(s) | Enis Mullaj | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Eriona Rushiti | |||
| Albina Kelmendi singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
_cover.jpg) Cover of the song's original version | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Duje" on YouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) | Albina & Familja Kelmendi | |||
| Language | ||||
| Composer(s) | Enis Mullaj | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Eriona Rushiti | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 9th | |||
| Semi-final points | 83 | |||
| Final result | 22nd | |||
| Final points | 76 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Sekret" (2022) | ||||
| "Titan" (2024) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Duje" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube "Duje" (Grand Final) on YouTube | ||||
The artists competed with "Duje" in the 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës and won the televote of the competition, which resulted in them representing Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. A revamped version of the song was released as a single for streaming and digital download on 10 March 2023, accompanied by a music video.
Background and composition
edit"Duje" was composed by Enis Mullaj and its lyrics were written by Eriona Rushiti.[2] Albina and Familja Kelmendi competed with the song in the 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës and won the "second prize".[3] They also won the televote of the competition which was Albania's selection for that year's Eurovision Song Contest.[4] After they were selected to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Albina Kelmendi "stated that the song would undergo a revamp but it would remain in the Albanian language".[5]
Musically, "Duje" is an Albanian-language pop[6] song telling the story of a family's struggle to stay united through a difficult time.[5] The song was released as a single by Acromax Media GmbH on Spotify on 29 December 2022[7] and on Apple Music on 20 March 2023.[8] A revamped version, which represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, was released as a single for streaming and digital download by Fole Publishing on 10 March 2023.[6]
Eurovision Song Contest
editFestivali i Këngës 61
editThe 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in order to determine Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[9] In early September 2022 it was reported that RTSH had decided to select the winner of the festival using a system containing a public vote.[10] On 28 October 2022, the voting system of Festivali i Këngës was confirmed: the top three and two prizes would be, as usual, selected by the jury, but the winner of the festival would not receive an official invitation to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, as in the previous years. Instead, the Albanian Eurovision representative would be selected by a separate televoting system.[11]
"Duje" competed in the first semi-final of that year's contest. As Albina was considered an Established artist, she would automatically move onto the final of the contest. Heading into the final, the song was a fan favorite to win the televoting, winning fan polls on Eurovision fansites Wiwibloggs[12] and ESCUnited.[13] In the final, "Duje" would come second in the jury voting, being beaten by Elsa Lila's song, "Evita" as the overall winner of Festivali i Këngës 61. However, "Duje" would come first overall in the televote, earning the Albanian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[14]
At Eurovision
editAccording to Eurovision rules, all participating countries, with the exception of the host nation and the "Big Five", consisting of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.[15]
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various
|
29 December 2022 | Festivali i Këngës | Acromax | [7] | |
| 20 March 2023 | [8] | ||||
| 10 March 2023 | Eurovision Song Contest 2023 | Fole | [6] |
References
edit- ^ "The first night of Festivali i Këngës 61". Eurovision Fun. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Albina & Familja Kelmendi". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Vendimi i jurisë për çmimin e dytë të Festivalit të 61-të të Këngës në RTSH" [The jury's decision for second prize at Festivali i Këngës 61 in RTSH] (in Albanian). Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 23 December 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "'Festivali i Këngës' chooses Albina & Familja Kelmendi for Albania". Eurovision Song Contest. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ a b "ALBANIA: Listen to the revamp of 'Duje'!". OGAE Greece. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Citations regarding the release of the revamped version of "Duje" by Albina Kelmendi and five members of her family (credited as "Familja Kelmendi") in various selected countries:
- "Duje – Single by Albina Kelmendi & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (Kosovo). 10 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- "Duje – Single di Albina Kelmendi & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (Italy). 10 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- "Duje – Single by Albina Kelmendi & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (United Kingdom). 10 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Duje – Single by Albina & Familja Kelmendi". Spotify. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b Citations regarding the release of the original version of "Duje" by Albina Kelmendi and five members of her family (credited as "Familja Kelmendi") in various selected countries:
- "Duje – Single by Albina & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (Kosovo). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- "Duje – Single di Albina & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (Italy). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- "Duje – Single by Albina & Familja Kelmendi". Apple Music (United Kingdom). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (3 June 2022). "Albania: RTSH confirms participation at Eurovision 2023: FiK 61 preparations kick off". Eurovision News, Polls and Information by ESCToday. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Adams, William Lee (11 September 2022). "Albania: Report says RTSH will add televote to Festivali i Këngës 61". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (28 October 2022). "🇦🇱 Albania: Public Will Select Entry for Eurovision 2023". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Adams, William Lee (22 December 2022). "Albina & Familja Kelmendi win our Festivali i Këngës 61 poll — our readers want them at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Tarbuck, Sean (22 December 2022). "#YOU want Albina & Familja Kelmendi to represent Albania in Eurovision 2023!". escYOUnited. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Christou, Costa (22 December 2022). "Albina & Familja Kelmendi to represent Albania at Eurovision 2023". ESCXTRA. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Rules–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2021.