It’s April and we have less than 60 days till the annual Eurovision contest that will happen next month. Get excited! If you don’t know what Eurovision is, I wrote a detailed post about the contest a couple of years ago. Basically, it is a singing contest where various countries around the world, mostly in Europe, compete in a week-long competition. It started in 1951 with only seven countries participating. But now in 2022, there will be forty countries competing in Turin, Italy. It is a huge event in the music world and across the globe.
(The US is currently running their own version of the contest called the American Song Contest right now on NBC. I might do a recap during Golden Week if I am lucky.)
I am back with my series “Road to Eurovision”, predicting who will win this year’s contest. Each day, I will feature a song from one of the countries. Then, I will make my own predictions of who will make it to the finals and win the competition. Good luck to those who are competing!
Ronela Hajati’s “Sekret”
Ronela Hajati’s “Sekret” is the first song to be featured in this year’s “Road to Eurovision” series. The singer is representing Albania with this mixture of modern and traditional elements. This upbeat pop song is coined as an ethno-pop song as it includes folk instrumentation. However, listeners can hear reggaeton, funk, and moombahton mixed into the soundscape. And that mixture of dancey genres and traditional folk elements makes “Sekret” such an irresistible track that people will want to get up and dance to. Of course, Hajati’s vocals are another reason what makes this song so fantastic as they are sultry, powerful, and full of range.
I can’t wait to see this on stage, especially seeing the music video. Hajati will deliver a splendid performance at Turin with this super catchy tune! (I really want to see if he wears that gorgeous Albanian queen dress) “Sekret” will be one song that will be in the finals!
Fun Fact; The music video was filmed in Gjirokastër and Tepelenë. And, is a tribute to the Albanian mythological snake of Bistricë.
