Continuing the tradition of having a December national final (Montenegro stole the first spot this year), Albania chose unexpected duo Shkodra Elektronike and their song “Zjerm.” Shkodra Elektronike performed 12th in the first semi-final, and will perform 26th, the final spot, in the Grand Final on Saturday. 

In classic Eurovision style, this duo is made up of Beatrice Gjergji, the singer with incredible stage presence and stellar choreography, and Kolë Laca, the producer who just seems to hit a pad with a single drumstick and zero charisma until he jumpscares us with a spoken verse part way through the song. The juxtaposition between the two stage presences is fun and feels distinctly Eurovision.

“Zjerm” means “Fire” in Albanian, and that is what this song is. While many Eurovision acts claim to be reinterpreting traditional songs and folk sounds from their country in a contemporary style, Shkodra Elektronike does actually seem to be following through. The traditional instrumentation blends seamlessly with a more contemporary melody and sounds.

You might think since this song came out in December that we would be tired of it by now. But this song actually took us a while to warm up to and now we, along with many Eurovision fans, remain obsessed with this fire song. Given this fire song was a bit of a slow burn, it will be interesting if first time viewers enjoy it as much as we do now.