Eurovision 2021 Albania profile: 'Karma' by Anxhela Peristeri

Guy Hornsey

Apr 28, 20212 min read

Albania in Eurovision

Albania first competed in the contest in 2004 and has placed in the Top 10 twice.

Their best result was in 2012 when Rona Nishliu came 5th with ‘Suus’, which was their best result since their debut when Anjeza Shahini came 7th with ‘The Image of You’.

They have qualified for the final 9 times out of their 16 years in the contest. In the 2010s they qualified 5 times.

2021 Entry: Anxhela Peristeri – ‘Karma’

Semi-final: Anxhela will compete in semi-final 2 in 11th position in the running order
My Eurovision Scoreboard fan ranking: 28th out of 39 entries
Odds to win ranking: 39th out of 39 entries
Odds to qualify ranking: 9th out of 17 entries

(Rankings from 24 April 2021)

About the Artist

Anxhela is a 35 year-old singer songwriter from Albania. She grew up in the city of Korçë and studied in the capital Tirana. She also spent time living in Greece, having a grandfather with Greek heritage.

In 2001 she entered Festivali i Këngës, the renowned Albanian music festival and selection process for Albania’s Eurovision entry. Also working as a model, that year she participated in the Miss Albania pageant. In 2004 she released an album called ‘Anxhela për ju’.

Anxhela took part and won the Albanian edition of the TV show ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ in 2016. She then went on to enter the Kënga Magjike music contest, where she came second. The following year she entered the contest again and won with the song ‘E Çmëndur’. In 2019 she entered again, coming third.

In 2020 Anxhela made her return to Festivali i Këngës, winning with ‘Karma’ and picking up her ticket to Rotterdam.

About the Song

‘Karma’ is a Balkan pop ballad that incorporates traditional eastern elements and modern pop, which is a popular style at Festivali i Këngës.

It was composed and produced by Kledi Bahiti and the lyrics were written by Olti Curri. The team again proved to be a winning combination, also being behind Anxhela’s winning song at Kënga Magjike.

After winning the festival, Anxhela quickly confirmed that she would be keeping the song in Albanian for Eurovision. The song underwent a revamp with some additional production by Kledi Bahiti and Greek producer Dimitris Kontopoulos, and was released with a music video on 1st March.