Through an official statement published on the website of the Albanian Radio Television, it was announced that preparations for the 59th ART Song Festival have started today (July 1).
"Despite the situation created by the coronavirus, it is certain that even this year-end the biggest song event in the country will be held. The Deputy General Director of ART, Martin Leka, held today the first consultative meeting with the creators, who have left their mark on this festival, musicians and songwriters, "reads the announcement. "During the meeting, issues related to the quality of the festival were discussed, starting from the establishment of an evaluation commission for the selection of songs to the criteria for participation in the festival."
According to the announcement, the creators are expected to submit competing songs for the 5th edition in September. Meanwhile, regarding the winner of the last edition, Arilena Ares, there is no decision, but as long as the Song Festival will take place, chances are that to continue the tradition of the past years, where the singer or the last group that is declared the winner of the Song Festival goes to Eurovision. We also recall that in an interview on Report Tv in May, the representative of Albania in Eurovision, Kleart Duraj, said :
"Since, as I told you, the cancellation of Eurovision took place in a period after the meeting of the heads of delegations, as if after the submission of the necessary documentation for the development of the European Song Festival, of course the EBU [European Broadcasting Union] and Universal Music, who deal with song rights, considered these songs that would exploit themselves, would be exploited by the media [sic]. ?
Following the conversation, Duraj said that "consequently the songs cannot participate for next year."
