Mystical Song Contest 30

The Mystical Song Contest #30 (also known as MSC 30) is the thirtieth edition of the Mystical Song Contest. It took place in Tirana, 🇦🇱 Albania after Elvana Gjata won in Gothenburg, 🇸🇪 Sweden.

The 30th edition was a special edition where contestants had to send an entry which already competed for their country from editions 1-29. The previous Big 6 members can't send their song of edition 29.

It was confirmed that 48 countries participated in the 30th edition. 🇲🇹 Malta returned while 🇸🇰 Slovakia withdrew.

The top 6 of last edition 🇦🇱 Albania, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇪🇸 Spain and 🇸🇮 Slovenia were automatically pre qualified for the Grand Final of this edition. The 42 other countries that participated were split into 2 semi finals.

The running orders were made by the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås.

Tirana
Tirana (/tɪˈrɑːnə/ (listen); Albanian pronunciation: [tiˈɾaːna]; Gheg Albanian: Tirona) is the capital and largest city by area and population of the Republic of Albania. The city was awarded the title of the European Youth Capital of 2022.

Tirana is located in the center of Albania and is enclosed by mountains and hills with Mount Dajt elevating on the east and a slight valley on the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location within the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

Tirana flourished as a city in 1614 but the region that today corresponds to the city's territory has been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age. The city's territory was inhabited by several Illyrian tribes but had no importance within Illyria. Indeed, it was annexed by Rome and became an integral part of the Roman Empire following the Illyrian Wars. The heritage of that period is still evident and represented by the Mosaics of Tirana. Later, in the 5th and 6th centuries, a Paleochristian basilica was built around this site.

After the Roman Empire split into East and West in the 4th century, its successor the Byzantine Empire took control over most of Albania, and built the Petrelë Castle in the reign of Justinian I. The city was fairly unimportant until the 20th century, when the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed it as Albania's capital, after the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912.

Tirana is the most important economic, financial, political and trade center in Albania due to its significant location in the center of the country and its modern air, maritime, rail and road transportation. It is the seat of power of the Government of Albania, with the official residences of the President and Prime Minister of Albania, and the Parliament of Albania.

Host of the show
On January 19, 2020 it was announced that Alketa Vejsiu was the host of Mystical Song Contest 30.

Alketa Vejsiu (Born 19 January 1984 in Tirana ). She grew up in a loving family where her parents "sinned" with her love for art and beauty, believing that good things come when you choose to pursue your dreams and passion.

Her talent has been prominent since childhood, when she was involved in modest children's festivals. When she was only 10 years old, she longed for art and television and was involved in several children's activities and shows that featured talent.

When the era of private radio explosion arrived in Albania, Alketa Vejsiu found herself at Top Albania Radio, where she directed the first music programs that brought revolution in the concept of music and presentation in Albania. Called the icon of Albanian radio, always distinguished for its eloquence and quick and error-free speech, Alketa Vejsiu is a model that is still followed today.

It soon proved that television and the stage would be its "safe" terrain, where it would be affirmed over the years as one of the most prominent presenters of the Albanian screen.

It would mark its biggest professional turn at the age of 17, when famous filmmaker Vera Grabocka entrusted the presentation of the show "12 Dreams of a Summer Night", a format dedicated to European sporting dance. Her career would only have known climbing, because within a short time, Alketa Wejsiu proved that presentation and television were the path to secure and consolidated success thanks to hard work, sacrifice, and most of all, unconditional love for television.

In addition to working and engaging in television, Alketa Vejsiu began her undergraduate studies in 2003 by choosing to profile her skills at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tirana in the Business Administration branch. The managerial and communication skills made Alketa Vejsiu more oriented towards marketing and business. After completing her undergraduate studies in 2007, she engages in some of the most powerful business companies in the country as key project managers in marketing and communications. Later, she qualifies for leadership programs at Harvard University.

Debuting/Withdrawing
On January 19, 2020 it was announced that 1 country won't participate in the 30th edition.


 * 🇸🇰 Slovakia: Since Slovakia has 2 songs in the contest only and both of them didn't reach the final, the broadcaster decided to withdraw just for this edition. The last participation of the country was in the 29th edition.

Returning Artists
As edition 30 was a special edition with songs and artists which already took part in the contest, all the countries had a returning artist.

Semi Finals
On January 19, 2019 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of both semi finals.

The big 6 members were assigned to a semi final where they had to vote.

A total of 21 countries competed in each semi final and 10 countries qualified in both.

Semi Final 1
In this semi final 🇦🇱 Albania, 🇨🇦 Canada and 🇪🇸 Spain had to vote.

Semi Final 2
In this semi final 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇳🇴 Norway and 🇸🇮 Slovenia had to vote.

Grand Final
On January 31, 2020 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of the Grand Final.