The Image of You

Background and composition

In late 2003, Anjeza Shahini was announced as one of the contestants selected to compete in the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës, a competition to determine Albania's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Following the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the Albanian language. Shahini took part with the song "Dua të jem imazhi yt", composed by Edmond Zhulali and written by Agim Doçi. For the purpose of the singer's Eurovision Song Contest participation, "Dua të jem imazhi yt" was remastered and translated to "The Image of You". Musically, the latter is a moderately-paced rhythm English-language electropop ballad. It lyrically explores the singer's emotions in what seems to be a whirlwind romance.

At Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës

Main article: Festivali i Këngës 42

The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 19 December, respectively, and the grand final on 20 December 2003. Anjeza Shahini emerged as the winner with "Imazhi yt" and was simultaneously announced as the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.

Istanbul

Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

The 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Istanbul, Turkey, and consisted of a semi-final on 12 May and the grand final three days later on 15 May 2004. For the first time, a semi-final round was introduced to accommodate the influx of nations that wanted to compete in the contest. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Four", consisting of , , and the , were required to qualify from the semi-final to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from the semi-final progress to the final.

A debuting country, Albania was set to compete in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 at position 13, following and preceding . At the end of the show, the nation was announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the grand final of the contest. In the grand final, it was announced that it would be performing ninth, following and preceding . Albania finished in seventh position, being awarded a total of 106 points. The latter result remained the highest placement for Albania in the contest before their successful participation in in Baku, Azerbaijan. During her minimalistic performance of the song, Shahini was accompanied on stage by four backing vocalists.

Track listings

• CD

1. "The Image of You"3:00

• Digital download

1. "Dua të jem imazhi yt (Festivali i Këngës)"4:25

Release history

References

References

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5. Bakker, Sietse. (17 December 2003). "Albanian national final this Saturday". ESCToday.
6. Rau, Oliver. (21 December 2004). "Anjeza Shahini wins Albanian final". ESCToday.
7. "Eurovision Song Contest–Istanbul 2004". [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU).
8. "Eurovision Song Contest 60th Anniversary Press Pack". [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU).
9. (12-15 May 2004). "Eurovision Song Contest 2004". [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU).
10. Baransi, Fouad. (11 June 2020). "Throwback To Istanbul – Eurovision 2004". ESC Bubble.
11. Bakker, Sietse. (23 March 2004). "Eurovision 2004: this is the running order!". ESCToday.
12. "Eurovision Song Contest–Istanbul 2004 Semi-final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
13. "Eurovision Song Contest–Istanbul 2004 Grand Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
14. (15 May 2004). "Results of the Final–Albania". [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU).
15. "Eurovision Song Contest–Albania". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
16. (25 February 2013). "Anjeza Shahini – The Image Of You (Albania) 2004 Eurovision Song Contest". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
17. (2004). "Eurovision Song Contest{{spaced ndash}}Istanbul 2004". CMC Entertainment.