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Zjerm (song)

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"Zjerm"
Single by Shkodra Elektronike
from the EP Shndrit!
LanguageAlbanian (Gheg)
English title"Fire"
Released10 December 2024
Genre
Length3:04
LabelNUDA
Composer(s)
  • Beatriçe Gjergji
  • Kolë Laca
Lyricist(s)
  • Beatriçe Gjergji
  • Lekë Gjeloshi
Producer(s)Kolë Laca
Shkodra Elektronike singles chronology
"Vaj Si Kenka Ba Dynjaja"
(2023) 		"Zjerm"
(2024)
Music video
"National Final Performance" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2025 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Shkodra Elektronike
Languages
Composer(s)
  • Beatriçe Gjergji
  • Kolë Laca
Lyricist(s)
  • Beatriçe Gjergji
  • Lekë Gjeloshi
Finals performance
Semi-final result
2nd
Semi-final points
122
Final result
8th
Final points
218
Entry chronology
◄ "Titan" (2024)

"Zjerm" (Gheg Albanian pronunciation: [zjeɾm]; transl. Fire) is a song by Albanian duo Shkodra Elektronike. It was written by Beatriçe Gjergji, Kolë Laca, and Lekë Gjeloshi, with production handled by Laca, as the lead single from the duo's extended play (EP) Shndrit!. The song represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and entered the charts in Sweden, Greece, Lithuania and Switzerland.

Background and composition

[edit]

"Zjerm" was written by Beatriçe Gjergji and Lekë Gjeloshi, composed by Beatriçe Gjergji and arranged by Kolë Laca.[1] Gjergji described the song as a "personal work with lyrics exploring human compassion", also calling it "an Albanian song with a modern touch".[2]

The central motif of the song is Fire, Zjerm, symbolizing power, purification, and renewal. It is described as falling on tribal dances, as a link between tradition and change.[3]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Yle10/10[4]

Rob Picheta of CNN ranked "Zjerm" as the best entry of the 2025 edition of Eurovision, praising its uniqueness and describing it as unlike anything else in the competition, noting the duo's unconventional style and the growing acclaim from fans.[5] Glen Weldon of NPR ranked "Zjerm" among the ten best songs of Eurovision 2025, describing it as a "powerful" Balkan ballad with contrasting vocal performances and "vivid" imagery, and noted its "strong" potential with professional juries.[6] Carl Petersson Moberg of Göteborgs-Posten highlighted the song as a standout in the first semifinal, praising it for offering a "bold and dramatic" folktronica performance that stands apart from "typical pop and novelty" acts, and predicted that Albania would advance and make a strong impact in the final.[7]

Eva Frantz of Yle rated "Zjerm" 10 out of 10, praising its "originality", "bold" fusion of regional folk music with electronic elements, and "compelling" stage presence, and noted that if Finland or Sweden did not win, she hoped Albania would.[4] Jon O'Brien of Vulture ranked "Zjerm" second among all 2025 entries, praising its blend of Middle Eastern strings, tribal rhythms, and distinctive vocals, and described the song as a strong contender capable of securing Albania's best-ever result in the contest.[8] A writer for Spanish El Confidencial described "Zjerm" as a work of "striking" originality and cultural depth, portraying it as more than a song and emphasizing its "powerful" message rooted in tradition and contemporary vision.[9] Kiel Egging of Rolling Stone included the song among the ten Eurovision 2025 acts to watch, describing it as a surprise fan favourite with a super-authentic sound rooted in tradition, and noted its strong potential for a high placement, particularly as it closes the grand final.[10]

Betting odds

[edit]

Albania experienced a notable rise in the betting odds of the Eurovision Song Contest, starting at number 21 on 23 February.[11] By 2 March, the country had climbed to number 17, reaching the top ten by 16 March.[12][13] Albania peaked at number 9 on 23 March and remained in the top ten throughout April, ranking number 10 as of 27 April 2025.[14][15] In addition, Albania finished number six in the annual OGAE poll, in which Eurovision fan organisation from across Europe within the OGAE network cast their votes.[16]

Eurovision media

[edit]

The Wiwi Jury, an international panel of Eurovision reviewers from Wiwibloggs, ranked the song second among the 2025 entries, awarding it an average score of 8.40.[17]

Eurovision Song Contest

[edit]

Festivali i Këngës 63

[edit]
Main article: Festivali i Këngës 63

Albania's broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) officially announced their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 on 30 September 2024, using its longtime method for choosing the participant, Festivali i Këngës.[1] The edition was the 63rd iteration of the national final. The 30-entry competition was organized into two semi-finals that culminated into one grand final.[18] The jury selected 15 finalists, with the final result determined by a combination of votes from a professional jury, votes from abroad cast through an online platform (entitled the "diaspora's votes") and SMS voting in Albania and Kosovo.[19]

"Zjerm" was officially announced to compete in Festivali i Këngës 63 on 7 October 2024.[20] The song competed in the first semi-final on 19 December, qualifying for the final, winning both the jury and televote on the final held on 22 December 2024, and gaining the right to represent Albania at Eurovision.[21]

At Eurovision

[edit]
Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 took place at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 13 and 15 May and the final on 17 May 2025.[22] During the allocation draw held on 28 January 2025, Albania was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the second half of the show.[23] The performance and, more specifically, Gjergji's costume were inspired by the legend of Rozafa.[24] The song eventually placed second in the semi-final, scoring 122 points and qualified for the Grand Final.[25] In the Grand Final, Zjerm performed in position 26 (last) and placed 8th with 218 points, including 45 points from the professional juries and 173 points from the public, achieving the third-best result ever and best result for Albania since 2012.

Track listing

[edit]

Digital download/streaming[26]

  1. "Zjerm" – 3:04

Digital download/streaming – Clap! Clap! remix[27]

  1. "Zjerm" – 3:04
  2. "Zjerm" (Clap! Clap! remix) – 4:28

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Zjerm"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Greece International (IFPI)[28] 8
Lithuania (AGATA)[29] 29
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 78

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Zjerm"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various 10 December 2024
Original Self-released
[26]
2 May 2025 Clap! Clap! remix
[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Farren, Neil (30 September 2024). "Albania: Eurovision 2025 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  2. ^ Festivali i Këngës në RTSH ndez motorët, grupi "Shkodra Elektronike": "Është një himn, lirikë mbi…" [Festivali i Këngës at RTSH fires up the engine, the group "Shkodra Elektronike": "It's an anthem, lyrics about..."] (Video) (in Albanian). Radio Televizioni Shqiptar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Ilay Gaist (24 December 2024). "Albania: Shkodra Elektronike to Perform "Zjerm" in Full Albanian Language at Eurovision!". Euromix. Retrieved 9 January 2025..
  4. ^ a b Frantz, Eva (13 May 2025). "Både bottennapp och tiopoängare i Eurovisionens första semifinal – så här ser låtarnas betyg ut" (in Finnish). Yle. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ^ Picheta, Rob (16 May 2025). "The good, the bad and the raunchy: All 26 Eurovision songs, ranked from worst to first". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ^ Weldon, Glen (16 May 2025). "The 10 best songs of Eurovision 2025 — and their chances to win". NPR. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  7. ^ Moberg, Carl Petersson (13 May 2025). "Bidragen att ha koll på i semifinal 1 i Eurovision 2025". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Jon (13 May 2025). "Every 2025 Eurovision Entry, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Esta es la letra de 'Zjerm' de Shkodra Elektronike, la canción que representará a Albania en Eurovisión 2025". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 13 May 2025. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  10. ^ Egging, Kiel (17 May 2025). "Eurovision 2025 Grand Final: The 10 Acts You Need To Know". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  11. ^ Granger, Anthony (23 February 2025). "Betting Odds: Sweden Favourite to Win Eurovision 2025 As Chance of Victory Improves". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 28 February 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  12. ^ Granger, Anthony (2 March 2025). "Betting Odds: France, Netherlands & Austria Rise Up The Odds". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  13. ^ Granger, Anthony (16 March 2025). "Sweden, Austria & Israel Top Three Favourites to Win Eurovision 2025 After All 37 Songs Released". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  14. ^ Granger, Anthony (23 March 2025). "Austria Closes in on Sweden in the Betting Market to Win Eurovision 2025". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 April 2025). "Betting Odds: Netherlands Rises to Fourth & Czechia Up to Seventh Favourite to Win Eurovision 2025". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Sweden wins the Ogae poll for Eurovision 2025: See how the fans voted". Eurovisionworld. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025.
  17. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (14 April 2025). "Eurovision 2025: Reviews and rankings by the Wiwi Jury". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  18. ^ Granger, Anthony (10 December 2024). "Albania: Festivali i Këngës 63 Winner to Eurovision & Diaspora Vote Introduced". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Fest 63–Emrat e jurisë profesionale që do të përzgjedhin finalistët" (in Albanian). Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). 19 December 2024. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  20. ^ Conte, Davide (7 October 2024). "🇦🇱 Albania: Festivali i Këngës 63 Artists Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  21. ^ Ljuština, Stevan (23 December 2024). "Evrovizija 2025 | Shkodra Elektronike putuje u Bazel" [Eurovision 2025 | Shkodra Electronics to travel to Basel]. Evrovizija.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Basel will host Eurovision Song Contest 2025". Eurovision.TV. European Broadcasting Union. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2025: Semi-Final Draw Results". Eurovision.TV (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  24. ^ Adams, William Lee (5 May 2025). "Albania: Shkodra Elektronike nod to the Legend of Rozafa with breast outlined on dress". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Eurovision 2025: The First Semi-Final Qualifiers". Eurovision.TV. European Broadcasting Union. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Zjerm - Single - Album by Shkodra Elektronike". Apple Music. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Zjerm (Clap! Clap! Remix) - Single - Album by Shkodra Elektronike". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 21/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  29. ^ "2025 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 21, 2025". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
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