Albanian Radio Television (RTSH) confirmed for ESCToday the participation in the next Eurovision Song Contest 2021, which will be held in the Netherlands. RTSH confirmed for ESCToday that Albania will not be represented by Arilena Ara, the winner of the last edition of the Song Festival, but by this year's winner.

The Song Festival will be held in December, while the dates have not been specified yet. Albania is one of the countries , such as Sweden, Estonia, Finland, France, Croatia, etc., which have decided not to be represented by the previous winner. We add that countries like Spain, Georgia, Greece, Switzerland, etc., will participate with the representative of 2020. Gjon's Tears, the singer of Albanian origin, will represent Switzerland with "Répondez-moi".

In early July, RTSH announced that preparations for the 59th Song Festival have begun.

"Despite the situation created by the coronavirus, it is certain that this year, 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. "Issues related to the quality of the festival were discussed at the meeting, ranging from the establishment of an evaluation commission for the selection of songs to the criteria for participation in the festival," the statement said.

According to the announcement, it is expected that this month, the creators will present the competing songs for the 59th edition.