Eurovision 2026: Meet Albania's Alis and his song Nân
- Srdjan Savic
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 20
We profile the 2026 entry from Albania, including details on the artist, song, how it was chosen, odds, fan reaction, and how the nation has fared at Eurovision.
Albania has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest 20 times since their debut in 2004.
They tasted success straight away with their debut entry, Anjeza Shahini's song The Image Of You achieving seventh place in the Grand Final.
This remained as Albania's best result at Eurovision until Suus by Rona Nishliu finished in fifth place in the Grand Final in 2012, their only top-five finish to date. Albania then went through a rough patch filled with non qualifications with not a single entry reaching the top 10, that is until 2025.
Shokdra Elektronike reignited Albania's success at the Contest last year by coming 8th in the Grand Final, Albania will be hoping that success continues into 2026.
Competing for Albania at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna and hoping to keep his country's top 10 streak alive is Alis with his song Nân.
You can find out more about Alis and his entry below!
2026 entry: Alis - Nân
Alis will perform in slot 13 in semi-final 2
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 12th
Odds to win ranking: 25th
(Rankings as of 16 April 2026)
About the artist
Alis, like Shokdra Elektronike last year, comes from the Albanian city of Shkodër. He plays both the piano and guitar which has allowed him to experiment with different musical genres, enabling him to establish his own unique identity. He came into prominence when he won the fifth season of X Factor in 2024, coached by Arilena Ara (Albania's 2020 Eurovision representative).
In that same year, he was selected to compete in the 63rd edition of Festivali i Këngës, an annual music competition through which the Albanian broadcaster RTSH chooses its Eurovision entry. Alis ended up placing 3rd in the final that year with his song Mjegull. He was once again selected to compete in the 64th edition of the competition with the song Nân and went on to win.
About the song
Nân is a deeply emotional orchestral ethnic ballad that deals with the theme of the pain and sorrow of migration, focusing on a mother's longing for her children that have emigrated. The song was inspired by a dream Alis had and also explores the theme of eternal love that is still there despite the long distance and time away.
The song reflects a widely common Albanian experience of children leaving home in search of a better life, with many moving abroad while their parents wait at home.
The lyrics are once again completely in Albanian, written by Desara Gjini, with the song composed by Alis himself. It is a very personal and cultural song, with the music video for the song featuring Alis's own mother.
How was Alis chosen for Eurovision?
The Albanian participating broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), once again selected its entry for the Contest through the 64th edition of it's annual music contest Festivali i Këngës 2026.
Nân by Alis won the contest ahead of 27 other songs (Alis qualified directly for the Final as part of the established artists group that did not have to compete in the semifinals) .
In the Final, Nân had a landslide victory, finishing first with both the juries (68 points) and televoters (84 points) to win by 50 points with a total score of 152 points.
Albania will compete in the second semi-final of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest on 14 May 2026 in Vienna.
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The article provides a great overview of Albania's Eurovision journey and Alis's emotional song. I tried the trees hate you online and it's a fun rage game too.
It’s fascinating to see Albania building momentum at Eurovision, especially after a period of struggling to qualify – Shokdra Elektronike’s success must be a huge boost! The story behind “Nân” is particularly moving; tying the song to the very real experience of Albanian families and having his own mother featured in the video adds a beautiful layer of authenticity. It will be interesting to see if that emotional resonance translates to votes, even with the odds currently against him.
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