Rona Nishliu

Last updated

Rona Nishliu
Rona Nishliu (cropped).JPG
Rona Nishliu performing at a jazz concert in Pristina, Kosovo
Background information
Born (1986-08-25) 25 August 1986 (age 38)
Titova Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia
(present-day Mitrovicë, Kosovo)
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • radio personality
  • philanthropist
InstrumentVocals
Years active2004–present

Rona Nishliu (born 25 August 1986) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter. [1] She came to international prominence after representing Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she placed fifth and achieved the best placement for Albania to date. [2]

Contents

Early life and career

2004–2012: Early life and beginnings

Rona Nishliu was raised in her birth town Mitrovica, but moved with her family to Pristina at the age of thirteen due to the political situation in her hometown. In 2004 she entered "Ethet e së premtës mbrëma" (Friday night's fevers), a similar show to Idols . She successfully passed the first rounds and entered the live shows, where she finished Top 5. After the show, she worked on Radio Blue Sky in Prishtina as a presenter. [3]

In 2004, Rona teamed up with Vesa Luma and Teuta Kurti to enter the 43rd edition of Festivali i Këngës, for a chance to represent Albania in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest with "Flakareshë". The trio were qualified for the final night held on 18 December 2004 but lost to Ledina Çelo who was declared the winner. [4]

2012: Eurovision Song Contest

Nishliu represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan after winning the national selection on 29 December 2011 with the entry "Suus". [5] She is the first singer from Kosovo to represent Albania in the contest. Because of the Qafa e Vishës bus tragedy, RTSH deferred the first semi-final by more than two hours on 22 May, resulting in low ratings during Nishliu's appearance. [6] Albania used its jury votes to vote for the other 17 countries in the semi-final, and it used the jury votes again on 26 May. [6] RTK also did not air highlights from the first semi-final due to the bus crash. She ended up winning fifth place in the final with 146 points; Albania's best result to date. [7] She received Albanian citizenship on 12 January 2012. [8]

2013–present

Nishliu was committed to her humanitarian work immediately after Eurovision. She became a member of a project called "Bonu cool, mos bjer shpullë" (Be cool, don't slap!), a project that raises gender awareness. She released a song especially for this occasion called "Se vetëm zemra flet saktë" (Because only the heart speaks right) which speaks against adolescent gender violence, produced and penned by Rona herself. [9] The song is part of a wide public awareness campaign led by the Kosovo Gender Studies Centre. It was supported and financed by the European Union. [10]

On 18 September 2014, Rona Nishliu held a concert in Belgrade, Serbia to promote the Kosovar culture, part of the "Mirëdita, dobar dan" festival. [11] [12] She received a standing ovation from the public. [13] [14]

In 2017, she became a coach on the sixth series of The Voice of Albania . [15]

Public image

In Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, she is known as a pop singer/musician. The audience in Pristina and Tirana know her also as an experimental jazz singer. Her interpretation is characterized with nuances of soul music influences as well. Her vocal range and interpretative power are her strongest points. [16]

Philanthropy

Nishliu is depicted for her humanitarian spirit, taking part in numerous humanitarian concerts for the people in the need. While being a student, she organised few Humanitarian Concerts, including the one entitled to help displaced Kosovo Albanian families of Mitrovica living in poverty. In 2009 she took place as a guest lecturer in UNDP Kosovo's activity on Awareness Raising on the Importance of Volunteerism for the Youngsters in Vushtrri. She is an activist of the National Association of Autism in Kosovo, she is also a Chairperson of the Institute for Sustainability and Development of Youth in Kosovo. [16]

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

Kënga Magjike

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2006"Shenja"TV Klan PrizeWon
2009"Humbja"Best VocalWon

Poli Fest Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2007"Veriu"First PrizeWon

Video Fest Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2008"Shko pastro pas saj"Best PopNominated

Festivali i Këngës

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2011"Suus"First PrizeWon
Best InterpreterWon

Eurovision Song Contest 2012

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2012"Suus"Contestant5th

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anjeza Shahini</span> Albanian singer

Anjeza Shahini is an Albanian singer. She is best known for being the first representative of Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, after winning the 42nd edition of Festivali i Këngës.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Albania has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 20 times since its debut in 2004. The Albanian participant broadcaster in the contest is Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), which select its entrant with the national competition Festivali i Këngës, a long-standing song contest that organises every year since 1962.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece, with the song "Zjarr e ftohtë" performed by Luiz Ejlli. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2005. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest two times since its first entry in 2004. Due to the non-top 11 result in the previous contest, Albania was drawn to compete in the semi-final of the contest, which took place on 18 May 2006. Performing as number six, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's first non-qualification in the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomorrow I Go</span> 2005 song by Ledina Çelo

"Tomorrow I Go" is a song by Albanian singer Ledina Çelo composed by Adi Hila and written by Pandi Laço. The song was released as part of a CD compilation on 29 April 2005 by CMC Records. Musically, it is an English-language folk-influenced dance song that incorporates traditional Albanian sounds in the instrumentation. Lyrically, the song discusses the themes of love and marriage, while also reflecting the story a story of a woman's wedding. "Tomorrow I Go" represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv, Ukraine, after Çelo won the pre-selection competition, Festivali i Këngës 43, with the song's Albanian-language version "Nesër shkoj". The country reached the 16th place in a field of 24, gathering a total of 53 points. During her Albanian-themed performance of the song, Çelo was accompanied by four female backing violinists and a male drummer.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland, with the song "Hear My Plea" performed by Frederik Ndoci and Aida Ndoci. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2006. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest three times since its first entry in 2004. Due to the non-top 11 result in the previous contest, Albania was drawn to compete in the semi-final of the contest, which took place on 10 May 2007. Performing as number 11, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's second non-qualification in the contest.

Festivali i Këngës në RTSH, commonly known as Festivali i Këngës and also referred to as simply FiK or Fest, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, the festival has determined the country's representative to the Eurovision Song Contest since 2004.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the song "Suus" performed by Rona Nishliu. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2011. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eight times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances in Cyprus, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania and the Netherlands.

X Factor is an Albanian television music competition to find new singing talents. The first season began on 8 January 2012 on TV Klan.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, with the song "Identitet" performed by Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2012. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nine times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and a live performance, the latter of which was in the Netherlands. Albania was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 16 May 2013. Performing as number 14th, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the final, marking Albania's fourth non-qualification in the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suus</span> 2012 song by Rona Nishliu

"Suus" is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter Rona Nishliu. It was released as part of a CD compilation on 4 May 2012 by Universal Music. The song was written by the singer herself and composed by Florent Boshnjaku. Musically, it is an Albanian-language folklore-inspired ballad, which lyrically addresses an emotional circumstance reflecting the moments that occurred in the past and the expectations of insecure tomorrows.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the song "One Night's Anger" performed by Hersi. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2013. Up until this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest ten times since its first entry in 2004.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna, Austria, with the song "I'm Alive" performed by Elhaida Dani. Dani was chosen through the national selection competition, Festivali i Këngës, organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2014. Dani emerged as the winner of contest with the song "Diell"; however the song withdrawn as the Albanian entry at the request of one of the song's songwriters and replaced with "I'm Alive". Prior to the 2015 contest, Albania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 11 times since its first entry in 2004.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine, with the song "World" performed by Lindita Halimi. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2016. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 13 times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances in Israel, the Netherlands and Spain. Albania was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing as number fourth, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's seventh non-qualification in the contest.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel, with the song "Ktheju tokës" performed by Jonida Maliqi. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2018. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifteen times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances in the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Albania was scheduled to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Fall from the Sky" performed by Arilena Ara. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2019. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. In March 2020, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its rapid spread across Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festivali i Këngës 58</span> 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës

The Festivali i Këngës 58 was the 58th edition of the annual Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës. It was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) at the Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana, Albania, and consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, respectively, and the final on 22 December 2019. The three live shows were hosted by Alketa Vejsiu. The winner of the contest was Arilena Ara with the song "Shaj", after receiving 67 points with two points ahead over Elvana Gjata with the song "Me tana". Ara was then scheduled to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before its cancellation related to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Karma" performed by Anxhela Peristeri. Its entry was selected through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2020. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and various television and radio appearances in Albania, Greece, Kosovo and San Marino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duje (song)</span> 2022 song by Albina & Familja Kelmendi

"Duje" is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer Albina Kelmendi and five members of her family. Composed by Enis Mullaj with lyrics written by Eriona Rushiti, it is an Albanian-language pop song that tells the tale of a family's struggle to stay united through a difficult time. The song was released as a single on Spotify on 29 December 2022 and on Apple Music on 20 March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festivali i Këngës 62</span> 62nd edition of Festivali i Këngës

Festivali i Këngës 62 was the 62nd edition of the annual Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës. The contest was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, Albania. It consisted of two semi-finals held on 19 and 20 December, followed by a nostalgia night on 21 December and concluded in the grand final on 22 December 2023. The four live shows were hosted by Adriana Matoshi, Kledi Kadiu, Krisa Çaushi, and Xhuliano Dule. Mal Retkoceri emerged as the winner of the contest with his song "Çmendur." The selection of the Albanian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was determined by public voting, with Besa Kokëdhima and her song "Zemrën n'dorë" being chosen to represent Albania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festivali i Këngës (Kosovo)</span> Kosovan song contest

Festivali i Këngës në RTK, simply known as Festivali i Këngës and informally as Fest, is an annual music competition in Kosovo organised by the national broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) since 2023. It is broadcast on RTK 1, RTK 2 and Radio Kosova 1, as well as on RTSH in Albania and on MRT 2 in North Macedonia.

References

  1. ↑ "Rona Nishliu Biografia" (in Albanian). Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "ESC 2012 Final Results". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Radio Blue Sky
  4. ↑ "Vesa Luma, Teuta Kurti & Rona Nishliu – Flakareshë". 29 December 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2014– via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Rona Nishliu to represent Albania in Baku". 29 December 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Albania to broadcast tonight's Semi-final deferred | Eurovision Song Contest – Baku 2012". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Grand Final | Eurovision Song Contest – Baku 2012". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "Artistët nga Kosova me pasaportë të Shqipërisë" (in Albanian). Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  9. ↑ Nuhiu, Rinor. "Rona Nishliu releases a new single!". escxtra.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
  10. ↑ Sahiti, Gafurr. "Rona Nishliu releases new music video". ESCToday. esctoday.com.
  11. ↑ Komarčević, Dušan (20 September 2014). "Festival "Mirdita – Dobar dan": Dijalog kroz umetnost (Serbian)". Radio Slobodna Evropa.
  12. ↑ "Zëri i Rona Nishliut jehon në Beograd për një botë pa paragjykime".
  13. ↑ "Feature: Kosovo singer makes breakthrough with performance in Belgrade". Archived from the original on 28 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Express 25.09.2014 – Miredita, Dobar Dan!". YouTube. 25 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rona Nishliu to join 'The Voice of Albania' as a coach". 11 October 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Rona Nishliu's official ESC profile" . Retrieved 29 March 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest
2012 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.