Exclusive: Interview with Agim Poshka!

"Could imagine representing Macedonia at Eurovision ... in Albanian"

Agim Poshka

Agim Poshka should be a familiar name to fans and followers of the Festivali i këngës. For more than a decade he has to do with the festival now, sometimes as composer, other times as songwriter and at times as participant himself, for example in 2007 with the song "Kujt i them të dua?". In last years Festivali i kënges #48, he took part as a composer with the song "Gëzuar", interpreted by Guximtar Rushani. In the duet night it was Agim, who sang with him. Surprisingly, his name is nowhere in the line up for FiK 2010. As our following interview took place before the announcement of the participants, we had no possibility to ask about the reasons.
We are very glad to have had a talk to Agim Poshka about topics conserning the Eurovision, the Festivali i këngës and personal questions.
Read the full interview tranlated from Albanian into English below. (by Arben Bacaj)

Hello Agim, can you tell us, when was your first participation at the festivali i këngës and what makes it so different to other festivals to you?

My first participation was in the Nota Fest of 1999. From then on since 2000, in Tvsh.

Maybe I felt a much greater emotion on my first attempt, yet I feel the same tension after 10 years, because that is the handycap and at the same time advantage of every festival that is live.

You have already participated in the Festivali I kënges as a singer and as a composer, which seems more interesting to you?

I think both create a proper own feeling. But your emotions on stage are doubled if you are singer and composer at the same time, because not only your creation is judged, but also your interpretation. To compose music is something unimaginable and in case that a song turns out to be really good and you recognize that it fills people with happiness, the happiness that I or any other composer feels then is indescribable.

Would you like to represent us one day on the Erupean stage? 

Of course I'd love to represent my country at the Eurovision Song Contest. But it would also be my pleasure to represent Macedonia with a song in Albanian language, because that would also reflect the violated Albanian identity in Macedonia. Meanwhile the Netherlands is represented with songs in the language of small and rare, local languages and there is not any problem with that. Switzerland got represented by Celine Dion, who was Canadian back then. Now why can't I, as a resident in the Macedonian Territory, take part for them at ESC? The organizators for the Macedonian National Final suffer from their xenophobia, because it is absurd to take part in an multi-ethnic festival and keep the own National Final mono-ethnic for people with Macedonian origin only in Macedonian language.

Edmond Zhulali said in an interview to Shekulli, that a CD of the festivali I këngës will be released after the 3 nights. Last year such a CD did not exist, when Guximtar Rushani took part with a song you composed. Is there a studio version of that song “Gëzuar”?

Yes, somewhere around November the videoclip to “Gëzuar” which is currently in the editing phase is going to be released. It is a song I have composed with much love and the songwriter Olsa Poshka captured that feeling and converted it into lyrics. The song was received very well, also in the Festival and that was the greatest gift that I could have gotten for that end of year.
(See the duet performence at FiK 2009 on the right)

If the unknown Arben from the Diaspora asks you to create him a song for the next festivali i këngës, what would you reply?

I would tell him to come along with an idea first. Then I'd challenge him to see his singing skills. But I don't respond to it, I'd just demand him to sing any song to find out about his vocal affinities. This way I see if there is really an artistic world inside the person. That is a procedure that all composers practice.

At last something you want tell your fans on AlbaVision.tk (other musical plans for the future)?

Feel like doing a rebellion?

These days my new video clip for the song “Dita ime do te vije - feat. Kastro Zizo” (Eng.: My day will come) has been released. It's a rock song that expresses that rage of the youth against the injustices, that happen in this world and the lenghty transition, which our politcans are not able to turn into values. This rebellion would have no sense without the energy of Kastro Zizo who worked very well on the song and gave it a fantastic rhythm and I'd like to thank him in public for that. Personally, I had my musical commencements with a guitar. I've always loved rock music and this was a very good possibility to make some social or antisocial project, in which everyone could identify himself in the one or the other moment. I suggest to all readers who want a little taste of rebellion to watch the video clip.

Success AlbaVision and thank you very much for the interview :D 

Agim Poshka feat. Kastro Zizo - Dita ime do të më vij