ESC 2022: Albania: Ronela Hajati - "Sekret"

Well, we've got our third entry on our road to Eurovision 2022. Albania held their national selection and selected Ronela Hajati's "Sekret" as the song to represent them in this year's contest... And, unfortunately, I think the wrong song advanced.

Now, I'll be honest, I understand some of the allure to "Sekret." As far as production is concerned, there are some really interesting choices here. Even in terms of being current, I feel this is the most "current" song from Albania's national selection... But, my God, the structure of the song is an absolute mess. I think voters were distracted by the performance and army of dancers (which will not be on the Eurovision stage), and missed out on having a truly good song to represent Albania and actually qualify.

What song is that, you ask? "Theje" by Alban Ramosaj. Head and shoulders, this is not only a better song, but would've served Albania much better when the contest hits. It's our first miss-step of ESC 2022 as far as the national selection is concerned, and I suspect it won't be the last.

There are a number of national selections that are currently taking place, so we'll definitely have multiple updates landing over the next few weeks as we race towards May's contest. As of now, the Czech Republic is still my favorite, but we still have another 40 songs that need to enter the contest, and that means that anything can change at any moment.

What did you think of Albania's selection? Do you think "Sekret" will qualify for the ESC final? Time will tell. Until then, let me know what's POPPING your culture!