Music
Eslin Kurti ready for Junior Eurovision in Malta as Gonxhja urges Albanians to vote for her
The 12-year-old represents Albania on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Ta’ Qali with the song “Kërce me mua” (Dance with me).
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 12:54 · Updated 19:45 · 1 min read
In brief
- Eslin Kurti, 12, represents Albania at Junior Eurovision 2026 with the song “Kërce me mua.”
- The contest takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali, with 16 participating countries.
- Culture Minister Blendi Gonxhja called on Albanians to support her with their votes and to share the song.
Albania is counting down the days to Junior Eurovision 2026, where it will be represented by 12-year-old Eslin Kurti. Culture Minister Blendi Gonxhja published an appeal to the Albanian public to support the young singer by voting for her song and sharing it as widely as possible. At Junior Eurovision, in addition to the juries, online voting by the public also affects the final ranking.
Eslin earned the right to go to Malta after winning the 64th edition of the National Children's Song Festival. She will sing “Kërce me mua” (Dance with me), with music by Enis Mullaj and lyrics by Eriona Rushiti, a song that, according to ATSH (the Albanian Telegraphic Agency), aims to convey energy, rhythm and a message of unity through music.
16 countries on the Ta’ Qali stage
The contest takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali. The live broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Central European Time. Sixteen countries are competing, with performers aged 9 to 14.
The young singer began preparing for Malta as early as July, when, according to the website Eurovoix, she traveled to Gothenburg, Sweden, and recorded the reworked version of “Kërce me mua” at Svenska Grammofon Studion, with the support of the song's creative team and her vocal coach, Olta Juba.
In search of the best result
Albania has never won the children's version of Eurovision. Its best result remains fifth place in 2015, when Mishela Rapo scored 93 points with the song “Dambaje.”
Gonxhja's appeal comes in a week when cultural activity in Tirana has been held back by recent events, with several institutions postponing their performances.
