Elvana Gjata (Albanian:[ɛlˈvanaˈɟata]; born 3 February 1987) is an Albanian singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur.[4][5][6] Born and raised inTirana, she has been referred to as a "Diva of Albanian music".[7][8][9][10] She rose to recognition in Albania and other Albanian-speaking territories in the Balkans following the release of her two studio albums,Mamës (2007) andAfër dhe larg (2011). The singer saw further success through many acclaimed singles, as well as her extended plays3 (2018) andÇelu (2021), and has achieved multiple number one singles in the Albanian singles chart. Gjata has also received numerousawards and accolades, including twoBalkan Music Awards, aFestivali i Këngës Award, fourKënga Magjike Awards and aTop Fest Award.[11][12][13][14]
Elvana Gjata was born to Fatmir and Donika Gjata on 3 February 1987 into an Albanian family of theCatholic faith inTirana, then part of thePeople's Socialist Republic, present Albania.[4][15][16][17] Her father served in theAlbanian Armed Forces for more than two decades.[18] Migena, her elder sister, is also a musician andsoprano with a career based in Germany.[19] Gjata studied at theUniversity of Arts in Tirana to become a film director.[20][21][22] Defining her youth, Gjata stated that she was raised in a poor but happy household.[15][23] At the age of 14, Gjata auditioned for the Albanian talent showEthet e së premtes mbrëma and began dedicating herself to music.[15][24][25] The singer unsuccessfully participated in the 42nd edition ofFestivali i Këngës in December 2003, with the song "Pranë teje".[26] "Të kam xhan", her follow-up single, was released in 2004, with whom the singer competed in that year's edition ofKënga Magjike. Following this, she started to work on her debut studio album,Mamës.[15] Gjata has since then participated in two subsequent editions of the contest, including in 2007 and 2009 with the songs "Ku jeton dashuria" and "Dhe zemra ndal", respectively.[27] In June 2011, Gjata won the 8th edition ofTop Fest with the song "Me ty", which she dedicated to her friendElsina Hidersha who died following a car accident that year.[28][12][29]
In August 2011, Gjata released her second studio album,Afër dhe Larg, with fifteen tracks, comprising the eponymous single "Afër dhe Larg".[30] Due to its success, the single received Gjata's first international award of her career at the2012 Balkan Music Awards inSofia, Bulgaria.[31] Later that year, the singer was featured on the advertising campaign ofTürk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) in Kosovo.[32] In February 2012, she was announced as one of the contestants for season three of Albania'sDancing with the Stars.[33] Considered one of the favourites to win, Gjata received high scores during the course of her tenure on the show and ultimately won the competition in the final.[34] The follow-up single "Gjaku im" was released in April 2012 to commemorate the100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania, which she also dedicated to theAlbanian people.[35][36] Shortly thereafter, she was chosen as the face of the Albanian television platform Tring Digital.[37] In March 2013, in a collaboration with Albanian rapper 2po2, Gjata released the well-received single "Beso".[38]
In February 2014, Gjata released "Disco Disco" featuring Kosovo-Albanian duo Kaos, followed by the release of "Puthe", which peaked at number 37 in Poland.[39][40][41] That year, she released her first extended play,Acoustic Live Session, showcasing live performances of five songs, including "Anonim", "As ti", "Mëngjesi i kësaj here", "Pak nga pak" and "Si une".[42] Also in 2014, she was announced as the official face of the Albanian telecommunication company,Albtelecom.[43][44] In March 2015, she collaborated with Albanian musicianFlori Mumajesi on "Kuq e zi je ti", which was selected as the official supporters song forAlbania's participation at the2016 UEFA European Championship in France.[45][46] A year after its release, "Love me" featuring Albanian singer Bruno was nominated for the Song of the Year at the2016 Top Music Awards.[47] In July 2016, she unexpectedly released her follow-up number one single "Njësoj" without any prior announcement or promotion.[48] In October 2016, she scored her second number one single with "Lejla", a collaboration with Albanian rappersCapital T and 2po2.[49][50]
Following several months spent in the United States, Gjata came into close liaison with American producerPoo Bear and French disc jockeyDavid Guetta with whom she started to work with.[51][52][53][54] In February 2017, she attended the59th Annual Grammy Awards inLos Angeles upon the invitation of Poo Bear.[55] By June 2017, her first English-language single, "Forever Is Over", became a number-one single in Albania.[56][57] Gjata's second extended play,3, was released on her 31st birthday on 3 February 2018, and also included the two number one chart-topping songs, "Më fal" and "Xheloz".[58][59][60] In April 2018, she was featured on Poo Bear's single "Shade" and collaborated with American singerTy Dolla Sign on her follow-up single "Off Guard".[61][62][63] After Gjata's return to Albania in the same year, the follow-up releases, "Ku Vajti" and "Mike", both attained success in her native country as they reached number 2.[64][65][66][67] In February 2019, following a certain commercial hiatus, she released her next number one single, "Tavolina e mërzisë"[68][69] In June 2019, Gjata collaborated a second time withCapital T on the follow-up single "Fustani", which went on to peak at number one in Albania.[70][71] "Fustani" was succeeded by "Meine Liebe" featuring German-Albanian singerArdian Bujupi, reaching number 73 in Switzerland.[72]
In August 2019, Gjata premiered "A m'don", and went on to perform at theSunny Hill Festival inPristina, sharing the stage with other acclaimed artists, such asMiley Cyrus,Calvin Harris andDua Lipa.[73][74] In October 2019, the Albanian broadcaster,Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), announced that Gjata would compete in the58th edition ofFestivali i Këngës, the country's national selection competition for theEurovision Song Contest 2020, with the song "Me tana".[75] Gjata became the bookmakers' and fans' favourite to win the competition, though in the grand final she finished in second place.[9] Returning after a year of absence, she released her follow-up single "Thirr" to coincide with her 34th birthday on 3 February 2021, which debuted at number one.[76][77][78] The singer's third extended play,Çelu, was issued in April 2021.[79] "Drandofilat", "Kunadhe" and "Mos u ngut" from the record peaked at number one on the Albanian Top 100, while both "A po vjen" and "Kur jemi dasht" reached the top 20.[80] In June 2021, Gjata's next single, "Loti", went on to reach number one in Albania and continued its success abroad, peaking at number 55 in Switzerland.[81] Nevertheless, the singer's chart success ensued into July 2021 with the single "E di" featuring Kosovo-Albanian singerYll Limani.[82] In August 2021, the follow-up single "Papa", a collaboration with Romanian artistsSickotoy andInna, had peaked at number 327 in theCommonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and number 18 on theRomanian Airplay 100 chart in November 2021.[83][84]
From January to March 2022, Gjata's follow-up singles "Ska" with Kosovo-Albanian rapperMozzik, "Pow" and "Ex" with German-Albanian disc jockey Gimi-O and Macedonian-Albanian rapperBardhi, attained commercial success in selected territories.[85][86][87] In April 2023 she released a collaboration with the singer Dhurata Dora "Rrotullo". The song was produced by Panda Music. "Synin" was her next single that she released on 16 June 2023. Elvana Gjata held her grand concert at the "Air Albania" stadium on 22 June 2023, under the name "Decade", which is related to the fact that this is a key moment of her musical journey of two decades.[88] In July 2023, she released "Si Na" and "Pak". In October 2024, RTSH announced that Gjata would compete in the63rd edition of Festivali i Këngës, the national selection competition for theEurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "Karnaval".[89][90] She finished second place in the final.
In 2023, Elvana Gjata held a concert titled Dekada at theAir Albania Stadium inTirana. The event was sold out, with approximately 25,000 attendees, making it the most attended concert by a solo artist in Albania to date.[91]
A year later, Gjata performed at theLanxess Arena inCologne. This concert was also sold out, drawing an audience of around 20,000 people. It stands as the most attended concert by an Albanian artist abroad.[92]
Throughout her career, Gjata has ventured into other businesses and industries, including film, fashion and design. In 2014, she has posed for the cover of the British Velvet and Albanian Anabel magazines, respectively.[102][42] In 2016, she first entered the fashion industry partnering with international Albanian fashion designer Valdrin Sahiti to launch the exclusive gown collection line "Lejla".[103][104][105]
In 2023, Gjata declared her adherence topescetarianism andveganism, emphasising that her dietary proportion consists of being "90% vegan and 10% pescetarian".[106]
^ab"Elvana Gjata" (in Albanian).Top Channel. 2 December 2017. Archived fromthe original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved28 December 2019.Stili i muzikës së Elvanës përmban frymat R&B, Hip Hop dhe Pop.
^"Elvana Gjata".balkanika.tv. Balkanika TV.In 2012, Elvana Gjata's song "Afer dhe Larg" won at the Balkan Music Awards for Best Albanian Song of the Year and Best Music Video of the Year.
^"Elvana Gjata–Biografia".festivali-rtsh.al (in Albanian).Festivali i Këngës. Retrieved25 November 2019.Nëse bie tërmet, mos u shqetësoni… është Elvana që rikthehet në Festivalin e Këngës pas 17 vitesh!
^"Elvana Gjata – Me tana" (in Albanian).Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Archived fromthe original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved28 December 2019.Një vit më pas, Elvana merr pjesë për herë të parë në Festivalin e Këngës me këngën e shkruar nga vetë ajo, 'Pranë teje'.
^"Elvana Gjata" (in Albanian).Top Channel. 2 December 2017. Archived fromthe original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved28 December 2019.Stili i muzikës së Elvanës përmban frymat R&B, Hip Hop dhe Pop.
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