Lorela Sejdini is coming back to Festivali i Kenges this year for the second time. After last years participation with “Pritëm edhe pak”, she is back in the competition this year, with the song called “Vetmi” (Loneliness).

We were pleased to catch up with Lorela before she takes to the stage later this week to talk to her about why she’s decided to enter Festivali i Kenges once again this year.

Hey, Lorela! Welcome back in the game! We’re so excited to see you back on the Festivali i Këngës stage!
Hello Jan! Thanks a lot! I’m so happy to be back on the Festivali i Këngës’stage.

We met you last year, when you made your debut in Festivali i Këngës with your uptempo track Pritëm edhe pak. This year you’re ready for your comeback with entry Vetmi. Tell us more about your song.
This year will be a bit different since the last, as I’m participating with a ballad. The title of the song “Vetmi” in Albanian means “Loneliness”. The song expresses the delusion of an ended love story and the main subject is trying to find her/himself too in the song. Basically, to me this is what love represents, true love is tough and a bit dramatic because of misunderstandings but is very passionate and full of care. I really hope that the public will enjoy and appreciate the song as much as I do.

We cannot pass the fact that you’ve been competing in The Voice of Albania, what kind of experience was that for you?
My experience in this talent show was crucial to me, as it made me decide what I wanted to get from my passion for music and singing. I was very young at the time, only 15 years old, and I never had studied any kind of singing theory until then. So, I can say that it was a raw experience, without any kind of preparation except the one for the outfits. I also had the opportunity to cope with my shyness at the time and it helped me a lot. I have to thank my singing passion and exhibitions for that, in fact, now I feel better when talking or singing in front of a lot of people. Even if my experience there was not that long I learned a lot and I developed a huge respect for this one.

Since you’ve tried for the second time – can you call yourself Eurovision fan? You’ve also covered 2016 winning song ‘1944’ by Jamala. Do you have any favourite song from the past?
I can call myself an Eurovision fan for sure! I can remember myself at a very young age in 2003, watching with my cousins the show and I loved the winning song, representing Turkey, “Every Way That I Can” performed by Sertab Erener, that I love and follow also nowadays. I also love “Lane Moje” by Željko Joksimović, his song gives me goosebumps. Another song that I particularly loved since the first time I heard it is “Euphoria” by Loreen. I am not kidding you – when I say that the first time I heard her performance at Melodifestivalen, I said that she was absolutely going to win! As for Jamala’s cover, I heard the song at the final night at Eurovision and I got so emotional that I decided the next morning to improvise the song. Her song is very beautiful because touches a very discussed topic nowadays which is human rights violation. I’m very sensitive to this subject as I am an international law student. Other artists that I really appreciate are Justs and Dihaj. As for Albanian entries, I like them all, especially “Suus” by Rona Nishliu that i like to sing a lot.

FiK 57 is getting closer and closer – have you started with the preparations for your stage performance?
Yes, of course, I’ve been working on my performance with my singing theory teacher, Elis Prodon a lot and with an amazing actress whose name is Elisabetta Coraini. I also want to mention the fundamental advises given me from my dear cousin Altin Kaftira (a very famous former Albanian ballet dancer) about the staging and choreography as he works in this field. I really hope that my performance will make justice to their advice.

Last but not least – language question. In case you win this years’ contest, are you going to leave the songin Albanian or do you want to translate it to English? 
I really love how Albanian sounds in the song, but I have to admit that I am opened to translate it in English. Because if we are talking about Eurovision, this contest is with a bigger audience coming from various countries, so the message has to be understood by people that speak other languages and English is more direct.

Thank you so much Lorela for your time you dedicated to us – do you have any final message for your internationalfans at ESCBubble.com?
Thank you Jan, for your interview, it was a big pleasure for me.
Yes, of course, I want to thank everyone that has supported me until now, I received a lot of heartwarming messages from Eurovision fanslast year and this gives me more motivation to participate this year at FIK 57.

If Lorela is one of your personal favorites in this year’s Festivali i Kenges, make sure you cast your vote for her and for up to two other acts in our poll right here: