Albania: Festivali i Këngës 64 - Night 2 highlights

This morning, Australian time, Albania's week-long music event Festivali i Këngës (FiK) kicked off its second night, being semi-final 2.

Festivali i Këngës takes place at the Palace of Congresses in the capital Tirana over four nights and will decide who represents Albania at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

The second night saw 14 of the 28 participants take part and Aussievision has picked out some of the highlights.

Our top picks

Fifi & Tiri Gjoci – Rri 

Fifi and Tiri are big names in Albania and have competed in FiK before and it’s easy to see why they were the crowd favourites. It’s – well-sung and well-performed song, and got the loudest reception from the audience.  Although, the performance could be further refined as shots of the camera men detracted from the intense intimacy of the staging. 

ThreeX – Vite

The trio dressed in fur and leather singing atop a platform, as they were complemented by bursting flames of fire while dancers thrust and twirl below them.  

It’s not hard to see why they are fan favourites as their performance was polished, like something you would see at an awards show.  The dancers, as well as the multitude of camera cuts and angles, elevate this high-energy song.  

The girls joining the dancers in the last thirty seconds of the song in a piece of choreographic genius, and their rousing audience reception was well-deserved.

 Potentials

Erik Lloshi – Dy pika dashuri 

Confidently striding to the stage, Erik delivers a solid vocal to a solid pop song, with the best male vocal of the night.  Bold and dramatic, the camera work and lighting definitely elevate Erik’s confidence and delivery of the song as he passionately delivers this straight down the barrel of the camera.  The chanting and the claps at the end of the song reinforce the anthemic nature of the performance. A stunning song performed by a stunning man.

Endri Kaçaçi – Si unë

Dressed all in white, Endri walks onto stage surrounded by mist and initially veiled dancers.  

A confident performer that knows how to work and deliver down the camera, the dramatic ballad was delivered with emotive flair.  The dancers around him elevated the performance, giving movement and involvement with Endri.  A solid overall performance that could be further elevated with fixing the sound mixing.

Luna Çausholli – Pa kufij

As four drummers appear on stage, Luna comes in rocking up in a headset microphone and rocking out to an electric guitar – it’s evident that she’s got stage presence.  While the song wildly changed tempo throughout the performance, Luna’s presence and charm were evident as she used her hands for choreography, emoting, and occasionally playing the guitar and drums. Although there were some vocal issues, the frenetic dancers and camera angles elevated the performance and could be a shoo-in for the finals as the crowd went wild after the song ended.  

 Frensi – Tresh 

Dressed in red, Frensi is backed up by two contemporary dancers dressed in black completing the ‘trio’ she’s singing about, which gives the performance movement and clarity.  The vision for the performance is cohesive and easy to understand, and the camera work perfectly complements her flawless vocals.  In a night riddled with technical difficulties and nervous starts, this stands out as a polished and confident performance.

 Kamela Islamaj – Pa pretendime

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Coming out initially alone on stage with a shiny gold hooded jumpsuit, the song was a happy reprieve from all the moody and dramatic songs that were presented.  Kamela’s delivery of this subtle funk-disco track was pure joy as gave solid vocals and energy.  The sole dancer, dressed like a young 70s Elvis Presley, was an initial distraction – and more dancers, rather than just the one could have made the use of dancing more purposeful.  Nonetheless, the song and performance were a ray of sunshine.

The WTF

2Farm – Valle mbi hi

An intense song from start to finish, it’s difficult what to make of this performance.  The performance ranged from speak-singing, rapping, chanting, yelling, and a few off-key notes.  The intensity geared up with their red steampunk long jackets, guy-liner, and zombie-like dancers, climatically finishing the song holding a plant within a plastic bubble.  The performance stood out – though, it might not have been in quite a palatable (or understandable) way. However, they have surprised before so could be a surprise contender.

The Aussie!

Sihana Haxhnikaj - Horizont

Among the entries was Aussie Sihana Haxhnikaj!

Sihana was born in Sydney to Kosovo refugees and appeared on The Voice Australia in 2023 being chosen for Rita Ora’s team. She performed Horizont in a slick black dress and delivered a fine performance of a Bond-esque song. As one of the ‘newcomers’ she will be hoping to qualify for Sunday morning’s final. 

The finalists will be revealed tomorrow ahead of this weekend's final.

Where to watch FiK64:

You can watch Festivali i Këngës 64 on the Albanian broadcaster RTSH's official YouTube channel and through the “FiK – Festivali i Këngës” app.  The four-night schedule for FiK64 is as follows:

• Nostalgia Night: Friday 19 December 21:00 CET (Saturday morning 7:00am AEDT in in Australia)

• Grand Final: Saturday 20 December 21:00 CET (Sunday morning 7:00am AEDT in in Australia).

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