Albania (ⁱ/ælˈbeɪniə/ al-BAY-nee-ə, Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria; Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia), officially known as the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë pronounced Albanian pronunciation: [ɾɛpuˈblika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs]), is a country in Southern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.

Albania is a member of the UN, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and one of the founding members of the Union for the Mediterranean. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009.

Miriam Cani (30 May 1985 in Elbasan) is a German singer and television host of Albanian descent. At the age of six she moved together with her family to Heidelberg, Germany were she soon attained German citizenship along with the rest of her family. She was a member of the successful German pop girl group Preluders. She hosted the Albanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Cani made her first TV appearance in Germany in 1993 in the show "Interaktiv".

In 2003, Miriam Cani along with 13.000 other participants auditioned for a spot in the German version of the talent show Popstars and in the end was voted one of the winner and became a member of the girl group Preluders.

She hosted the Albanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Cani herself participated in the Albanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with the entry "Ende ka shpresë" in a duet with singer Alban Skënderaj.