Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015

Prior to the 2015 contest, Albania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 11 times since its first entry in . Its first entry was the song "The Image of You" performed by Anjeza Shahini, which finished in seventh place, the nation's second-highest placing as of 2023. The country's highest placing by 2015 had been fifth, which it achieved in with the song "Suus" performed by Rona Nishliu. Albania had previously failed to qualify for the final four times, most recently in 2014. (RTSH) was the Albanian broadcaster for the 2015 contest and was tasked with organising the selection process for its entry. The Albanian contest , which has been held every year since 1964, was once again used to select the entry, as had been customary since the nation's contest debut in 2004. == Before Eurovision ==

Festivali i Këngës co-hosted the 53rd edition of Festivali i Këngës. The national broadcaster of Albania, (RTSH), organised the 53rd edition of with the objective of determining the country's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 26 and 27 December, respectively, and the final on 28 December 2014. Shpetim Saraçi assumed the position of artistic director, while Bledar Laço directed the contest. Mira Tuci was responsible for the screenplay and the music production was led by Alfred Kaçinari and Edmond Zhulali. The broadcaster received approximately 50 submissions. On 30 October 2014, RTSH announced the thirty artists and songs selected for the competition by a special committee. Three entries were later withdrawn: "Më shiko drejt në sy" written by Andos Sinani and to have been performed by Andos Sinani, "Koha kalon" written by Besa Krasniqi and to have been performed by Besa Krasniqi and "Kënga jeta jonë" written by Enver Shëngjergji and Ylli Mestani and to have been performed by Kozma Dushi. "Kjo natë" performed by Estela Brahimllari was named as the only replacement entry. In each semi-final, a total of 13 songs competed, of which nine entries selected by a jury advanced to the final. Key: Qualifier Final The final of took place on 28 December 2014 and was broadcast at 20:45 (CET). The jury, consisting of Fatos Baxhaku, Genc Dashi, Agim Doçi, Alida Hisku, Rona Nishliu, Evi Reçi and David Tukiçi, determined Elhaida Dani as the winner of the contest for the song "". Key: Winner Second place Third place Song replacement On 23 February 2015, Dani announced the withdrawal of "Diell" in a social media statement, attributing the decision to one of its authors, Aldo Shllaku, who revoked permission for its usage. Martin Leka, the director of RTSH, explained that Shllaku declined to transfer the rights to the song to the broadcaster, citing his exclusion from subsequent involvement despite the song's success at . This prompted Dani to reconfirm her agreement with the broadcaster to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest, though with a different song. Promotion A music video for "I'm Alive" debuted on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 15 March 2015 at 20:30 (CET). As part of promotional efforts, both an Albanian-language rendition and an acoustic version were released on the same platform in May 2015. Preceding the scheduled live shows, Dani engaged in a tour between March and April. This included participation as one of 24 entries of 2015 in the Eurovision in Concert series in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 18 April, as well as performing at the London Eurovision Party. == At Eurovision ==

The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria; it consisted of two semi-finals held on 19 and 21 May and the final on 23 May 2015. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, apart from the host nation and the "Big Five", consisting of , , , and the , were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the final, with the top 10 countries from each semi-final progressing to the final. In the 2015 contest, also competed directly in the final as an invited guest nation. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into five different pots based on voting patterns from previous 10 years. On 26 January 2015, an allocation draw was held that placed each nation into one of the two semi-finals and determined which half of the show they would perform in. Therein, it was announced that Albania was scheduled to perform in the second half of the first semi-final of the contest. Albania was set to perform at position 14, succeeding and preceding . Performances performing "I'm Alive" at a dress rehearsal for the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Preceding the first semi-final, Dani participated in technical rehearsals held on 12 and 15 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 18 and 19 May. These also included the jury final, during which professional juries from each country, responsible for 50 percent of their respective votes, observed and evaluated the entries. The stage show featured Elhaida Dani dressed in a black costume with an attached cape that had embedded crystals. Dani delivered the song from the centre of the stage while three female backing vocalists were set to her side, dressed in black outfits. The stage lighting created a dark atmosphere with the background LED screens displaying moving rays and shapes in yellow and cream colours. Immediately after the first semi-final, a winner's press conference convened for the ten countries that qualified, allowing their artists to participate in a draw determining their performance segment in the final. Albania was designated to compete in the second half. Following this draw, the show's producers, akin to their role in the semi-finals, arranged the running order for the final; Albania was positioned to perform in position 26, succeeding and preceding . At the 23 May final, the nation placed 17th out of the 27 finalists with 34 points. Voting Voting during the three live shows of the Eurovision Song Contest consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represented, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. During the first semi-final, Albania achieved the eighth place in the televote, with 66 points, and ninth place in the jury vote, with 61 points. In the final, Albania was ninth place in the televote, with 93 points, and 26th in the jury vote, with four points. Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Albania and awarded by Albania in the first semi-final and final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows: Points awarded to Albania Points awarded by Albania Detailed voting results The following members comprised the Albanian jury: • Bojken Lako (jury chairperson) • Klodian Qafoku • Olsa Toqi • Arta Marku • Zhani Ciko == References ==