ALBANIA: Albanian diva Aurela Gace will take the stage in Duesseldorf in May to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest

Record ID: 561930

  • Title: ALBANIA: Albanian diva Aurela Gace will take the stage in Duesseldorf in May to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest
  • Date: 22nd April 2011
  • Summary: TIRANA, ALBANIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) VIDEO CLIP DIRECTOR, ALBERT MALLTEZI, SAYING: "Now we are facing the next challenge which is the Eurovision 2011 in Duesseldorf where Albania will be able to use additional scene effects for the first time, which the viewers can see during the transmissions." STUDENTS IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) SARA RUSHITI, STUDENT, SAYING: "Aurela Gace was always my favourite singer because she is one our music diva's, because we are Albanians we would like for her to do well and I hope that everyone supports her like I do."
  • Embargoed: 7th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Albania, Albania
  • Country: Albania
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA6V6G1VF7SBIPU61UKIWNRZ58G
  • Story Text: The flaming-haired Albanian diva Aurela Gace will represent her country in Eurovision 2011.
    Gace has won many Albanian song contests but this will be the first time she will represent her country at the international song contest that is in Duesseldorf in May this year.
    Her song "Feel the Passion" was the winner of "Festivali I Kenges 49". Originally performed as '"Kënga ime' ('My Song'), this tune was Aurela Gace's third winner of the music festival.
    Revamped and translated into English for Eurovision 2011, it has a very Mediterranean feel, and features frenetic strings.
    Thirty-seven year-old Aurela Gace, started singing when she was just 4 years-old but her real success came in the 90's.
    "I am very happy that this opportunity of representing my country Albania was given to me, in such an important event as the Eurovision," said the singer. "I am happy because there will be millions of viewers from Europe that will have a chance to get a piece of Albanian spirit and passion, to get a bit of the love that I will give through music because to me music is love and I sing to it in this song."
    As the director of the video clip for "Feel the Passion", Albert Malltezi said it is the first time that Albania will be using on-scene effects.
    "Now we are facing the next challenge which is the Eurovision 2011 in Duesseldorf where Albania will be able to use additional scene effects for the first time, which the viewers can see during the (Television) transmissions," said Malltezi.
    Gace has already toured Turkey, Greece and Kosovo to promote her song. Her fans are absolutely loyal to her. "Aurela Gace was always my favourite singer because she is one our music diva's," said Sara Rushiti, a student from Tirana, "because we are Albanians we would like for her to do well and I hope that everyone supports her like I do."
    However, her chances of winning the European Song context are rather limited. She will have to oust 42 challengers, amongst them a Greek rapper, a peacenik from Austria, the much-talked about twins Jedward from Ireland and last year's winner Lena from Germany.
    After 55 years the Eurovision Song Contest has grown into a cultural and entertainment institution without peer, strongly embedded in Europe's collective mind and heart.
    Germany won the right to host Eurovision in 2011 after winning last year's contest in Oslo, Norway, and this year's motto is "Feel your heart beat!"
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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