Dafina Zeqiri (; born 14 April 1989), also known mononymously as Dafina, is a Swedish-born Kosovo-Albanian singer.
Life and career
Dafina Zeqiri was born on 14 April 1989 into an Albanian family from Kosovo in the city of
Varberg
Varberg () is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019.
Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from ...
, Sweden.
Her siblings are Tringa Zeqiri and Besa Tafari ''née'' Zeqiri. Dafina's father, Nebih Bajraktari, left her family at a very early age and was absent since then. He later gave a public speech asking her to forgive him, although Dafina never made any replies. Her mother is Melihate Zeqiri, a former singer in the 1980s.
In 2007, Dafina performed in Polifest Festival and is nominated for her song, "Rrallë e Përmallë," and eventually won the competition. In 2008, Dafina received a BOOM Award Nomination for her song "Adios," and was awarded with the audience award. In the same year, she launched her first album titled "Knock Down". Shortly afterwards, in her continued participation in "Kënga Magjike," she received the "First Magic" award with her song, "Bateritë".
Zeqiri's success continued with two collaborations with singers Blero & F-Kay with the song "La Vida Loca" and Capital T & 2po2, "Shumë Naltë". In May 2009, she won "Best RNB" in Top Fest 6 with the song "Dua që ta di". During 2009, two of her clips were very successful: "Shumë Larg" (directed by Stamps Pictures) and "Amazing Girl" (Directed by Entermedia). In 2010, she traveled to Australia to shoot the music video for "Rock This Club." In December 2011, Dafina Zeqiri released the song D&G included, a song she has made with Albanian rapper Getoar Selimi. She has already launched "Tonight," which is also included in the new album "Just Me".
She launched 2 new music videos "Veç Ti" and "Bloodah".
2015–present: ''King EP'' and ''Dafinë moj''
With the release of "Liri" in March 2016, she received an award for the best production at the 2016
Netët e Klipit Shqiptar
The Albanian Videoclip Festival (''Albanian'':Netet e Klipit Shqiptar) is an Albanian music awards event honouring the best of Albanian music videos from the Albanian diaspora. It made its debut in 2002 and ever since has been broadcast on all the ...
gala in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
, Albania. Following several months spent in the United States, Zeqiri released her first extended play, ''King'', in November 2017. The record was aided by its lead single "Four Season" in March 2017, which reached number three in Albania. The single's music video featured a guest appearance by Moroccan-American rapper
French Montana. Titled "Told Ya", the second single from the extended play, peaked at number one in October 2017. The non-album release "Ti e din" followed in December 2017 and eventually reached number two in the same month. In the span of 2018, the singer released four subsequent singles, "Fuego", "Kalon", "Kurgjo nuk kallxojna" and "Alo", with the latter two reaching the top 35 in Albania.
In March 2020, Zeqiri was featured on Albanian producer
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
's "Një herë në jetë", which peaked at number 5 in Albania and 132 on the Spotify charts in Switzerland. In June 2020, she announced her upcoming second studio album, ''Dafinë moj''. Later in July 2020, she released
Aman
Aman may refer to:Poli
People First names
* Aman Hambleton (born 1992), Canadian chess grandmaster
* Aman Hayer (born 1979), Bhangra musician
* Aman Verma (actor) (born 1971), Indian actor
Surnames
* Mohammed Aman (born 1994), Ethiopian mi ...
, the lead single from ''Dafinë moj'', a collaboration with Albanian rappers
Ledri Vula
Ledri Vula (; born 10 July 1986) is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper, singer and songwriter.
Life and career
Ledri Vula was born on 10 July 1986 to Agron and Xheraldina Vula in the city of Pristina, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugo ...
and Lumi B, which peaked at number 4 in Albania and 79 in Switzerland. The second single, titled "
Million $", was moderately successful and reached number 20 in Albania and 82 in Switzerland. Two subsequent singles, "
Zili Zili" and "
Mos shko" featuring Albanian singer
Yll Limani
Yll Limani (; born 24 September 1994) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter.
Life and career
1994–2020: Early life and career beginnings
Yll Limani was born on 24 September 1994 into an Albanian family in the city of Pristina, then ...
, were released from the album. "Zili Zili" reached the top five, while "Mos shko" peaked at number 4 in Albania. In September 2021, Zeqiri was nominated for the 2020 Swedish government's music export prize.
Artistry
Zeqiri has cited American singer
Aaliyah as her major musical and style influence. Other inspirations include
Ciara
Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
,
Destiny's Child,
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
,
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
and the
Spice Girls. Her musical style has generally been regarded as
R&B and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
also having incorporated a variety of other
genres
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
into her music, including
electropop,
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
and
Urban Albanian pop.
Activism
Zeqiri is an advocate of raising awareness for health and
mental health issues beyond her community, including sharing her experiences with depression. She has also expressed her support for the
LGBT community in the world and the
Albanian-speaking Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. In 2020, she extended her support to the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...
movement, in connection with the wider
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internat ...
.
Discography
* ''Knock Down'' (2008)
* ''Just Me'' (2011)
* ''King EP'' (2017)
* ''Dafinë moj'' (2021)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeqiri, Dafina
1989 births
21st-century Albanian women singers
21st-century Swedish women singers
Albanian composers
Albanian health activists
Albanian pop singers
Albanian rhythm and blues singers
Albanian-language singers
Albanian songwriters
Kosovan composers
Kosovan people of Albanian descent
Kosovo Albanians
Albanian LGBT rights activists
Swedish LGBT rights activists
Living people
Musicians from Pristina
People from Varberg
Swedish health activists
Swedish pop singers
Swedish rhythm and blues singers
Swedish songwriters
Swedish people of Albanian descent