During her performance on the first night of the Song Festival, Sheila Haxhiraj had an eagle-like accessory placed near one shoulder as part of her costume. Given its realistic appearance, people criticized Sheila for that choice of accessory, thinking that it was created with real bird body parts, or that it was a real, embalmed bird.
However, Sheila explained below one of her posts, where the photo showed the process of creating the eagle, how the truth stood:
"A small clarification, with love. For all those who have asked me about the bird in the performance: the bird is not real and it is not embalmed. It is simply an artistic accessory.
I have used it symbolically, to express freedom, strength and authenticity, just as I feel the figure of the eagle in my artistic interpretation."
The singer further emphasized that she would never actually hurt an animal for her stage attire and reiterated that it was simply a form of expression for her art:
"I want to make it very clear: I am a person who loves and protects animals. Anyone who knows me personally knows how important this is to me.
"I sincerely regret that this has been misinterpreted by some, because my intention was never to harm or hurt any creature, but only to express myself through art."
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