Ticket to Tel Aviv: Meet Jonida Maliqi from Albania
13 April 2019 at 10:00 CESTOn 22 December 2018, Albania was the very first country to announce both its artist and song for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Jonida Maliqi won the televised Albanian national selection Festivali i Këngës and became the country's representative.
Who is Jonida?
Jonida is a graduate of the University of Arts in Tirana and studied the violin and guitar. She won many prizes and awards, including the first place in several national children festivals in Albania and Albania's musical event Kënga Magjike.
She participated in the televised music competitions Top Fest and Festivali i Këngës in Albania and took part in various international festivals all over Europe. Jonida not only performs as a solo artist, but has also starred in various musicals in Albania. Besides being a singer, she is also a presenter, hosting several musical and dancing shows on Albanian television. With her 435,000 Instagram followers she is a well known influencer and fashion icon in her home country.
READ MORE: Jonida Maliqi's participant profile
You can follow Jonida Maliqi on the following social media platforms:
Jonida's song
Jonida Maliqi will sing Ktheju tokës (Return to your land), a song with emigration as its main topic.
LISTEN: Ktheju tokës via your favourite music service
At the end of December last year, Jonida won Festivali i Këngës, the Albanian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Jonida left 21 acts behind her and won the contest at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. You can watch her winning performance below.
Albania at Eurovision 2018
Last year, Albania finished 11th in the Grand Final. Eugent Bushpepa received 184 points for his song Mall.
READ MORE: Albania's country page
What do you think about Jonida Maliqi's song for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments!
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