EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: ALBANIA - Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokës

Time for a new review for Eurovision 2019!

Today we turn to the first entry to be chosen for this year's contest, which as usual came from Albania. Following a surprisingly quite good FiK with bops from Soni Malaj, Lidia Lufi and Orgesa Zaimi, Albania went for Jonida Maliqi's 'Ktheju Tokes'.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: This song really is quite special! It straddles the line perfectly between being dramatic but still classy, unlike Moldova which went a little too hard on the drama. It also manages to combine experimental with traditional Balkan ballad elements while managing to stay elegant. Jonida is made to be on stage, too. Her FiK performance showed she can perform and still draw me in despite the staging. I also have no worries about her vocal. I just know she'll continue to belt the heck out of this with her haunting vocal and that excites me. The visuals in the music video are incredible too. The shots of Jonida in her nude dress being soaked by the rain creates a fantastic atmosphere. Basically, this is getting a lot of things right for me.

Also, let's state the obvious: Jonida is a QUEEN. Her FiK postcard of her driving around town was such a serve, I'm lowkey as excited for her postcard as her performance in Tel Aviv because she's that iconic.

What I Don't Like: The staging we saw in FiK was... not it. Drop the interpretive dancers! The video manages to portray the lyrical depth of this song in a way more dramatic and understanding way that interpretive dance ever will. I also thought the LED with the traffic lights were messy. I don't think they'll choose to visually represent the song this way in Tel Aviv, but its still a minor worry until we hear otherwise. I also don't go back to this one that often, but when I do I enjoy it regardless, so that's not a huge issue.

What I also don't like is that this is TOO LOW IN THE ODDS! Anyway...

Prediction: Okay, this is tricky. For me, Albania is blowing all the other ballad queens out of the park with this one, but I just don't know if the casual viewer will hold the same opinion. Her vocal power is undeniable but will they get the staging right to present that message on stage in May? 'Ktheju Tokes' is one of the many SF2 borderline acts that are tough to call. I believe that this could still pull through though, so I'll say its a qualifer for now until we see rehearsals.

Final Score: 8/10

Summary: A classy and powerful Albanian entry with a more than competent performer, just like last year. If they get this right, they're onto something special.

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