The work has started for the Junior Fest which will select the song representing Albania at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The Director of Programs at Radio Tirana, Bojken Lako, who is leading the team working on this year’s edition of the Junior Fest, in an interview with the journalist Andri Xhahu explains that a special strategy will be adopted for this year edition, revealing that “from here to Junior Fest, it will be a bridge of new talents in the field of vocals, who through various promotional programs due to start soon at RTSH, to arrive at the main musical event which is the “Song Festival.”

The novelty of this edition of the Junior Fest is that the attention will not be paid only to young performers but also to talents of music composing. “The creations of young people should contain a new feeling, and created by young people. Our focus for this year, while we have more conceptual material, even unfinished yet, is to create a taste of music created by young people and orchestrated by experienced orchestrators. This is how we can nurture new music composing talents with good and affirmed orchestrators to bring a slightly different musical material originating from young people. We will provide help to young artists with technical assistance. Radio Tirana will be a great supporter in the technical part for the realization of the songs.”

According to Bojken Lako, the new spirit in music is not created by means of a magic wand. “This is a long-term strategy to create a very good solid music industry chain. New composers and orchestrators, with new sensibilities, oriented towards the new spirit and the new tunes, must be introduced to the market. We will empower the music market with new composers and new products.”

The slogan of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest this year is “Heroes”. The singer Ana Kodra is picked up as the image. She has represented Albania at the European Festival for Children and Young People in 2017.

“Ana is a ‘heroine’ in her own right, a model created thanks to her work and talent. It is a symbol of youth and its peers. It is Anna’s call for young people to participate in these programs that promote talents and give them opportunities to bridge the gap between the popularity in their country and the one abroad. Ana is one of the most extraordinary talents. Its starting point and springboard was Junior Fest”.

Another innovation, part of the defined strategy, is for Junior Fest to be more interactive in social networks. Young artists will have also promotional spaces in the RTSH.

“Radio Tirana’s strategic its platform has transformed the second channel only for the promotion of young people. Young people who want to be promoted, to show themselves, to sing different cover song live from the studio of Radio Tirana 2, so as it is a database to promote opportunities for young artists.”

The race to elect the songs for the Junior Fest competition is opened and lasts until August 25. “The young people who will be selected will have the opportunity to rehearse in the studios of Radio Tirana to improve their ‘live’ performance, where they will work with a vocal coachto perform as well as possible on the final night.”

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 26 in Nice, France. Albania participated for the first time in 2012 with the singer Igzidora Gjeta. The best result is the fifth place in 2015 with the Mishela Rapo. This year marks the ninth participation of Albania at this festival.

/a.p./