Rotterdam, 11 May 2021
Prior to today, Albania were last in the odds. After today, they won’t be any longer. Read below why this will be the case.
Country: Albania (#ALB)
Act: Anxhela Peristeri
Song: “Karma”
Semifinal: Second (20/05/2021)
Position in Running Order: 11/17
Albania provided a very big surprise in the press centre today. “Karma” demanded our attention from the start and retained it until the end.
The song stars with the silhouette of Anxhela against a giant plume of CGI smoke, which will become a running theme for the remaining minutes. The staging cleverly uses smoke (in several colours, but mostly turquoise and scarlett), to accentuate the song’s dramatic beats. The trademark Sascha Jean-Baptiste elements are there: asymetrical camera angles and red light projection frame Anxhela quite well. If you liked “LoveWave” (Armenia 2016) and “Bulletproof” (Melfest 2020), you will like this as well. The only downside is the large amount of wide shots.
Anxhela herself is dressed in a silver baby doll embedded with crystals, and looks stunning. She’s standing by herself on the stage, accompanied by nobody but her smoke, and demands everyone’s attention with her good voice and miming. She’s delivered an excellent pair of rehearsals. If today is any indicator, Albania may be a dark horse in this competition after all.
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What do #YOU think of Anxhela’s rehearsal? Will the karmic odds be in her favour? Share your thoughts with us in the comments, on our forum HERE or on social media!
