In only a couple of days time, some of Albania’s biggest and most talented performers will be taking to the stage of Festivali i Këngës, where the Albanian public will choose who will carry the Albanian flag to Malmö, Sweden, as their representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. 31 participants will be competing for this honour, and one of those is Andi Tanko who appears at Festivali i Këngës. In the past he’s been the frontman of Urban Band but this time he returns as a soloist. He will be competing with his entry “Herë pas here”. We had the pleasure of catching up with Andi ahead of his upcoming performance.

Check out our interview below to find out more!

D: Firstly, a huge welcome back to the Festivali i Këngës stage! You’re definitely no stranger to Festivali i Këngës with a few appearances under your belt, both solo in 2015 and more recently as part of Urban Band. What are you most excited about this year?

A: Hello, thanks for this interview! This year I’m really excited because the song is all mine, meaning I’ve done the lyrics, and the music! I’m very happy for this song and the way that it was created and from rehearsals with the orchestra I can say it will be a blast!

D: It’s been almost 10 years now since you last appeared as a solo artist at the music festival, and that was when you were at the start of your music career. How have you changed or grown as a performer since then, and what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned?

A: Well, I have performed all these years with my live music band and being part of live-shows really gives you the experience that you need to be confident on stage and be more in touch with the audience. One big lesson is that you must never miss a day of training and practicing music.

D: Tell us more about your song “Herë pas here” – it was self-composed so tell us a bit more about what the song means to you and the songwriting process that leads you to Festivali i Këngës 62.

A: This song is about my fiancée, and every word written is a living experience about our time together. We even wrote the lyrics together, laughing and arguing even at that. The music is influenced from a classic rock style, giving the words a more powerful meaning.

D: From your past performances we know that you are very much a showman on the stage! Can you tease us about your upcoming stage performance and anything that we can expect to see? How are rehearsals going?

A: Well, I’m counting on my voice and the whole orchestra to do all the work. I’m bringing my guitarist up on stage with me to play his crazy self-made solo and the stage appearance and the lights are up to the director. The rehearsals have been great! Not yet general rehearsals at Pallati I Kongreseve where the festival is being held but still I can hear the energy of the song and it is really great!

D: Moving away from Festivali i Këngës; you have released loads of music over the years either solo or as part of various bands; Urban Band, Elementium. Have you got any more music coming and is that solo or part of a band?

A: For the meantime I’m going to be Solo. I have plenty of songs ready to be released and I have the objective to not miss a single festival, even in Kosovo over the next years.

D: I imagine you’ve performed a lot of times and to a lot of people and places over the years – what is your favourite ever memory or performance and why?

A: For starters it has been really fun, driving all around the cities and performing on different stages and for different people, but one of the best of concerts that I can remember is on “Sheshi Skenderbej” about two years ago. It was a big stage , me and my band played hard rock covers and the crowd was raving like crazy!

D: The winner of Festivali i Këngës will go on to represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, to be hosted in Malmö, Sweden. Are you a fan of the contest, and if so what would winning and representing Albania in front of over 150 million people worldwide mean to you?

A: Well it would be the beginning of a new era of my career. Being part of the Eurovision team and singing on it’s stage is not about just giving good vibes for that 4 minutes, It’s about giving a message, and supporting causes. You should be ready for that kind of responsibility. And representing my country would make me really proud and glad for the happiness it would bring to my family.

D: Do you have any other music projects or personal projects coming up? Let us know what is next for you after Festivali i Këngës.

A: To be honest, as I said before I have about 4 new projects consisting mostly of rock music but I have still not decided which is the next one to be released

D: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer the questions above. Finally, do you have a message for our readers and your fans?

A: It was my pleasure and my message for everyone is to enjoy themselves and their loved ones by putting on some good music and singing or dancing with it, that is what will make your day better!

Thank you to Andi! You can watch him perform his entry “Herë pas here” for the first time live on Tuesday 19th December during the first semi final of Festivali i Këngës 62. The winner will be decided during the fourth night of the music festival, on Friday 22nd December, and we will find out who will be taking the baton from last years winner, Albina & Familja Kelmendi with “Duje”.