Era Istrefi | |
|---|---|
 Istrefi performing at the2018 FIFA World Cup Final | |
| Born | (1994-07-04)4 July 1994 (age 31) |
| Citizenship |
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| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Works | Discography |
| Relatives | Nora Istrefi (sister) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
Era Istrefi (/ˈɛrɑːɪˈstrɛfi/;Albanian:[ˈɛɾaisˈtɾɛfi]; born 4 July 1994) is a Kosovar singer.[1][2] Born and raised inPristina, she rose to international recognition with the breakthrough single "BonBon", which experienced commercial success worldwide and received various certifications. She later signed contracts with record labelsSony Music andUltra Music.[3][4] In 2018, Istrefi performed theofficial song for the2018 FIFA World Cup, alongsideNicky Jam andWill Smith, at theclosing ceremony of the grand final inMoscow.[5] Her discography includes works inAlbanian andEnglish, among others "Shumë Pis", "Redrum", "Nuk E Di" and "Live It Up". Istrefi has received a number of awards and nominations, including theEuropean Border Breakers Award andTop Music Award.
Era Istrefi was born on 4 July 1994 into anAlbanian family in the city ofPristina, then part of theFR Yugoslavia, present-dayKosovo.[6] Her father Nezir Istrefi, a journalist, died in 2004.[7] Istrefi's mother, Suzana Istrefi (née Tahirsylaj), a musician active between the 1980s and 1990s, took a break from her career upon her husband's death.[8] Her older sisterNora Istrefi is also a singer.
In 2013, Istrefi made her debut in theAlbanian-speaking world with the single "Mani Për Money", eventually releasing material sung inGheg Albanian featuringEnglish phrases.[9] A few months later, she released a follow-up recording, "A Po Don?", which was promoted with a music video; it similarly achieved recognition.[10] Her third single "E Dehun" was filmed in aSerbian desecrated Orthodox church. Upon its release, "E Dehun" assured Istrefi three Videofest Awards, including one for "Best New Artist". In December 2014, the singer made the pop ballad "13", which was produced in the United States, available for consumption.[11] Its accompanying music video was viewed almost 200,000 times within 24 hours onYouTube,[12] which later resulted in it being featured inV Magazine.[13] She receivedAlbanian citizenship in 2016.[14]
Istrefi experienced international recognition with her single "BonBon", which was released on 30 December 2015 together with the music video shot inBrezovica, Kosovo.[15] The song became an immediate success, becoming viral on social media.[16] Additionally, the singer began gaining support from American actressChloë Grace Moretz,[17] and various publications referred to her as the "Rihanna andSia of Kosovo".[18][19] In February 2016, Istrefi signed to American labelsSony Music Entertainment andUltra Music. It was reported that Istrefi will record her upcoming debut studio album in collaboration withRCA Records.[citation needed] In June 2016 an English version of "BonBon" was released.[20]
On 24 February 2017, Istrefi released a new single, entitled "Redrum", which features producerFelix Snow.[21][22] Few months later, on 29 September, Istrefi released another new single, entitled "No I Love Yous", which is in collaboration withFrench Montana.[23]
She has started 2018 with a new single "Origami" featuring South AfricanDJ Maphorisa. On 21 May it was announced that Istrefi had joined with American actor and rapperWill Smith and American singerNicky Jam to release the OfficialFIFA World Cup Song on 25 May.[24][25] She performed the song, entitled "Live It Up", alongside Smith and Jam on 15 July at the closing ceremony in theWorld Cup Final.[26] During the rest of the summer she dropped two more singles, entitled "Prisoner" and "Oh God", the latter featuringKonshens. She was featured onSteve Aoki's albumNeon Future III andJonas Blue's albumBlue, both released on 19 November.
In 2019, Istrefi collaborated with Belgian duoDimitri Vegas & Like Mike on her follow-up single "Selfish" which topped theBillboardDance Club Airplay chart.[27] Two months later, she worked with her sister and Albanian singerNora Istrefi on the single "Nuk E Di" which marked the first time that both artists have collaborated musically on a recording.[28] In the same year, she released "Sayonara детка" with Russian rapper Элджей and was featured along American rapperOffset on the single "Let's Get Married" by Dutch duoYellow Claw.
Istrefi characterises her own music as multi genre combiningdancehall withhip hop,pop andelectronic.[29] Her music also incorporateselectronic dance,[30]reggae,techno andalternative.[31] Diverse observers have compared her music style and appearance to that ofRihanna andSia.[32][33][34][35]
Era Istrefi takes influence from the different genres of music she discovered when she was young and stated thatreggae andJamaican music were the major type of music she fell in love when she was sixteen.[36] She has named Rihanna andLana Del Rey as her idols and biggest musical influences.[36][37] A Kosovar Albanian musicianNexhmije Pagarusha from the late 20th century has also inspired the singer.[38] Istrefi also praised Rihanna for having been able to constantly reinvent herself successfully throughout her career.[36]
Istrefi received criticism from theSerbian Orthodox Church after the release of the music video for her third single "E Dehun". The video depicted a semi-nude woman dancing around theChurch of Christ the Saviour inPristina. The Serbian Orthodox Church called her actions "demonic" and "blasphemous".[39] The video's director Astrit Ismaili responded by stating that they did not intend to offend Serbs and that he had the permission to shoot the video at the church entrance.[40]
| Year | Event | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | VideoFest Awards | Best Performance | "E dehun" | Won |
| Best Styling | Won | |||
| Best Female | Nominated | |||
| Best New Artist | "Mani për money" | Won | ||
| Zhurma Show Awards | Best New Artist | "E dehun" | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Best Collaboration | "Shumë pis" | Nominated | |
| Internet Award | Won | |||
| Best Song | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Top Music Awards | Collaboration of the Year | "Shumë pis" | Won |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| "BonBon" | Won | |||
| Female Artist of the Year | "Herself" | Won | ||
| Avantgarde Artist | Nominated | |||
| Kult Awards | Song of the Year | "BonBon" | Nominated | |
| Big Apple Music Award | Hit of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Eurosonic Noorderslag | European Border Breakers Award | "Herself" | Won |
| Public Choice Award | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Bama Music Awards | Best Albanian & Kosovar Act | "Herself" | Pending |
| 2019 | Russian National Music Awards | Best Hip-Hop Project of the Year[41] | for "Элджей feat. Era Istrefi" | Won |
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)| International | |
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