Identitet

"Identitet" (Albanian pronunciation: [idɛntitɛt]; transl. Identity) is a song by Albanian singers Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko. It was first released on 12 March 2013 as a music video release which were uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest, and then, it were therefore released as a single as part of a CD compilation on 29 April 2013 by Universal Music. The Albanian-language folk-inspired heavy rock song was composed by the latter singer and written by Eda Sejko.

"Identitet"
Single by Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko
LanguageAlbanian
Released12 March 2013 (2013-03-12)
StudioKingside, Gnesta, Sweden
GenreHeavy rock
Length3:01
LabelUniversal
Composer(s)Bledar Sejko
Lyricist(s)Eda Sejko
Music video
"Identitet" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2013 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
Composer(s)
Bledar Sejko
Lyricist(s)
Eda Sejko
Finals performance
Semi-final result
15th
Semi-final points
31
Entry chronology
◄ "Suus" (2012)   
"One Night's Anger" (2014) ►

The song represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, after winning the country's pre-selection competition Festivali i Këngës. It failed to qualify for the grand final in fifteenth place marking the country's fourth non-qualification in the contest. During their rock and roll-themed show, the duo was accompanied by four instrumentalists and a variety of flashing red and orange colours displayed on the LED screens in the background.

Background and composition

In 2012, Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko were among the contestants selected to compete in the 51st edition of Festivali i Këngës, a competition to determine Albania's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. As part of the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the Albanian language. They took part with "Identitet" written by Eda Sejko and composed by Bledar Sejko himself.[1] For the purpose of their Eurovision Song Contest participation, the song was remastered and shortened at the Kingside Studios in Gnesta, Sweden.[2]

Musically, "Identitet" is an Albanian-language folk-inspired heavy rock song, which lyrically discusses about the concepts of freedom, cohesion, brotherhood and identity.[3] In an interview, Sejko stated that the song is inspired by Albanian folk music from the cultural regions of Tropojë and Çamëria.[4] The rhythm of the tupan is borrowed from that of southern Albania, whereas the guitar work is borrowed from the sounds of northern Albania's çifteli.[4] Meanwhile, the traditional southern Albanian iso-polyphony is remembered through the use of violins, whereas the northern Albanian call "hey" is also present in the chorus.[4]

Reception and plagiarism accusation

After winning Festivali i Këngës, the song received mixed reviews from music critics. In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from individual critics, it was given a score of 2.86 out of 10 points.[5] The reviewers negatively noted that the song was "old-fashioned" and anticipated it cannot qualify for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Although, various reviewers expressed praise towards the song's instrumental and folklore-inspired sound.[5] "Identitet" was accused of plagiarising the Bajaga's "Plavi safir" from 1988 by different medias and websites throughout the Balkans.[6][7] Although, music experts have reported that both "Identitet" and "Plavi Safir" are influenced by Balkan folk music, which is similar in many countries in the region.[8] According to Bledar Sejko, the starting notes of "Plavi safir" are a plagiarism from those of "Kur bie fyelli e çiftelia" by Albanian singer and songwriter Vaçe Zela from the middle of the 20th century.[4]

Promotion and release

For promotional purposes, the singers made various appearances to perform the song on different occasions, including in Amsterdam's Eurovision in Concert.[9] The song were first released on 12 March 2013, when it were premiered as a music video release on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest.[10][11] The song was therefore than initially issued as a single on 29 April 2013 as part of the Eurovision Song Contest: Malmö 2013 compilation album on CD through CMC Records and Universal Music.[12] On 14 February 2018, it was released as a standalone download through Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH).[13]

At Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës

The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 51st edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine the country's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.[14] It opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries between 8 and 9 October 2012 to the competition.[15] Following the grand final, Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko were chosen to represent the country in the contest after the votes of an expert jury were combined, resulting in 74 total points.[16]

Malmö
Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013
Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko performing during a rehearsal before the second semi-final.

The 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on 14 and 16 May, and the grand final on 18 May 2013.[17] According to the Eurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the "Big 5", consisting of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final, although, the top ten countries from the respective semi-final progress to the grand final.[18] On 17 January 2013, it was announced that "Identitet" would be performed in the second half of the second semi-final of the contest.[19] During the live show, Albania performed third, following Norway and preceding Georgia, and failed to qualify for the grand final in fifteenth place with 31 points, ranking twelfth by the jury's 11.78 points and fifteenth by the televote of 9.10 points.[20][21]

Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko were accompanied by a drummer, bass guitarist, percussionist and keyboard player during their rock and roll-themed performance.[3] Behind the singers, the LED screen displays flashing red, orange and white lights, while pyrotechnics and fog were also used throughout the performance.[22]

Track listing
  • Digital download[13]
  1. "Identitet (Festivali i Këngës)" – 4:02

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various
 12 March 2013 Music video release
29 April 2013 CD
  • CMC
  • Universal
 [12]
14 February 2018 Digital download
  • Broken AL
  • RTSH
 [13]
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References
  1. "Malmö 2013 Participants Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. Sahiti, Gafurr (12 March 2013). "Albania: Listen to the final version of Identitet (video)". ESCToday. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  3. "Heavy ethno-rock sounds from Albania". European Broadcasting Union. 11 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  4. "Sejko: Serbët vodhën melodinë shqiptare" (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  5. Adams, William Lee (20 April 2013). "Wiwi Jury: Albania's Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko with "Identitet"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. "Albanci za Evrosong pokrali Bajagu" (in Serbian). Kurir. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  7. ""Plavi safir" iz Albanije na Eurosongu u Švedskoj!?" (in Bosnian). Haber. 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  8. ""Identitet", prova e parë në skenën e Eurosongut" (in Albanian). Panorama. 10 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. "17 acts confirmed so far for Eurovision In Concert". European Broadcasting Union. 8 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  10. "Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - Identitet (Albania) 2013 Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  11. "Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - Identitet (Albania) 2013 Eurovision Song Contest | Official Music Video". YouTube. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  12. Eurovision Song Contest - Malmö 2013 (Compilation CD). European Broadcasting Union. Europe. (Barcode: 0602537357529): CMC and Universal. 2013.CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. Citations regarding the digital release of "Identitet" by Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko in various selected countries:
  14. "Tonight: Festivali i Këngës Final in Albania". European Broadcasting Union. 22 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  15. Sahiti, Gafurr (21 July 2012). "RTSH call for songs, deadline 9th of October". ESCToday. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. "Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko win Festivali i Këngës!". European Broadcasting Union. 23 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  17. "Eurovision Song Contest–Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  18. "Eurovision Song Contest–Rules". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  19. "Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". European Broadcasting Union. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  20. "Eurovision 2013: Semi-Final running order revealed". European Broadcasting Union. 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  21. "Malmö 2013: Second Semi-Final Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  22. "Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - Identitet (Albania) - LIVE - 2013 Semi-Final (2)". European Broadcasting Union. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
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