Era Istrefi

Era Istrefi
Also known as Era
Born (1994-07-04) 4 July 1994
Pristina, Kosovo
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active 2012–present
Labels
Associated acts

Era Istrefi (born 4 July 1994), sometimes known as simply Era (stylized as ERA), is an Albanian Kosovar singer and songwriter.[1] She rose to fame after releasing her debut single "Mani për money" in 2013, which gained positive feedback and attention from the public.[2] Her following songs "A po don" and "E dehun", gained the same success. In June 2014, she won three Videofest awards for her music videos, including "Best New Artist" for her work in 2013.

In 2015 Era gained success with her song "Njo si ti" with over a million views on YouTube in a week.[3][4] Her first duo featuring well-known Kosovo rapper Ledri Vula, "Shumë pis", became a summer hit.

In January 2016, Istrefi began achieving international attention due to the release of her single "BonBon", reaching 30 million views on YouTube and drew comparisons to the work of Sia and Rihanna.[5] Following the single's success, she was signed to American record labels Sony Music Entertainment and Ultra Music in February 2016.[6]

Life and career

Era Istrefi was born on 4 July 1994 in Pristina to Suzana Tahirsylaj, a well known Albanian singer in the 80s and 90s and Nezir Istrefi, a journalist.[1][7] After her father's death in 2004, her mother quit singing, and her older sister Nora Istrefi shortly became one of the most popular singers in the Albanian-speaking territories. Istrefi made her television debut in 2013, with her single "Mani për money", a reggae-pop song, new to the national music industry. The song received mainly positive criticism from the audience, becoming an instant hit. A few months after her first single, she released "A Po Don?", another song with a different style, accompanied by a provocative music video.[8] The song received mixed criticism to negative. Her third single, "E Dehun", inspired by Nexhmije Pagarusha's song of the same name, which also samples the lyrics and some parts of the instrumental, also became a success, which assured her three Videofest Awards (Albanian Music Awards), including "Best New Artist" for her work in 2013.

In December 2014, she released her newest single "13", a pop-ballad produced in the United States.[9] The music video received almost 200,000 viewers within 24 hours.[10] The song was featured on V Magazine as well.[11] In December 2015, she released the single "BonBon" with its music video shot in Kosovo.[12] One month later the song went viral on social media such as Instagram and Facebook, and Istrefi began gaining international fame with support from Chloë Grace Moretz.[13] In February 2016, she signed to American labels Sony Music Entertainment and Ultra Music.[6]

Discography

Era's songs are mainly written in Gheg dialect, rather than using Standard Albanian. She is among the fewest singers in the Albanian-speaking territories to use and mix reggae, dubstep and pop.

Singles

Personal life

Istrefi has two older sisters, Nora Istrefi, one of Republic of Kosovo's biggest pop-stars and Nita Istrefi, a stylist. She has a younger brother, Bledi. Her Bob Marley influence has become very prominent in her songs. She often uses his name, and quotes his songs. Besides Gheg Albanian, she often uses English phrases, as well. Istrefi lives in Pristina with her mother and siblings. She is also a supporter of the LGBT rights.[14]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.