Anjeza Shahini won the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës , placing hopeful professional singer Mariza Ikonomi in second place . Mariza boycotted the stage when the results were announced in a sign of disappointment . Much was at stake in this edition , as the winner would be the first ever representative of Albania in Eurovision . Anjeza went on to sing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 , landing herself in a respectable 7th place with the song " The Image Of You " . Ever since , a more international interest around the festival has emerged , with Eurovision fans from Europe and beyond increasingly following the contest through live internet streams and satellite feeds . Year after year , FIK tags have trended in the top places of many European countries on Twitter during the live final show . Festivali i Këngës is usually the first national selection process jumpstarting the Eurovision Song Contest season , where countries reveal their competing entries for the show in May . Due to it commonly being held around Christmas week , fans refer to this time period as " FIKmas "
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Festivali i Këngës