Klevis Bega (born 21 May 1984), known professionally as Kastro Zizo, is an Albanian singer, songwriter, actor and television presenter. Bega made his film debut as protagonist Branko in Pharmakon, the Albanian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2012 in film, films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

, which did not make the final shortlist.

Career

Bega rose to prominence with the songs ''Maca'', ''Grl Zrbcnk'', ''Pa faj'', ''Dite dites'', ''Silazhi'', ''Kokashta'', ''Papalove'' and ''Wawaz''. He is best known for his eclectic approach to music, writing socially conscious lyrics with a satiric flare incorporated in a lyrical melody, combined with his

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

vocal range. He began performing in 2000, and became prominent initially with the song ''Silazhi''. Credited as Klevis Bega, he made his official film debut in the Albanian drama '' Pharmakon'', as protagonist Branko. The role drew critical attention, and he was cast in various other projects since 2012, including ''Artan'', ''Pa fan'', ''Black Man'' and ''Amnesity''. Zizo is active in Albanian media as a television presenter as well. Bega frequently appears in the show ''Zone e lire'', since 2012, ''Top Show Albania'', since 2010, and since 2015 ''Thurje'', where he discusses current international events and events in Albania. In ''Thurje'' recurring topics remain

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, two themes that interest Bega. In 2016 he had competed in the Albanian version of ''

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' (Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series ''Soundmixshow'', was f ...

'' where he completed many imitations, such as

Conchita Wurst Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst (or simply Conchita). Neuwirth came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as with t ...

Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards. Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...

Azis Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (; born 7 March 1978), professionally known as Azis (), is a Bulgarian recording artist, of mixed Bulgarian and Romani ethnicity. Azis initially rose to prominence in Eastern Europe performing songs mostly in chalga, a ...

Elita 5 Elita 5 is an Albanian rock band formed in Tetovë in 1988. The group consisted of vocalist Arif Ziberi, guitarist Mevaip Mustafi, drummer Besim Ibraimi, bass player Agron Idrizi and keyboardist Nexhat Mujovi. With a heavy rock sound and Albanian ...

and many others. He returned in 2022 with the song ''Mall Burri''.

Personal life

Zizo resides 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 ...

with his wife Era and two children, Dankan (born 2005) and Nia (born 2009). His son, Dankan, is the central subject of his 2014 release ''Papalove'', in which Bega expresses his fatherly love to him.Zizo ft. Young Zerka Papalove
/ref> In 2020 he announced the birth of his third child, a boy named Dante.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zizo, Kastro Living people 1984 births 21st-century Albanian male singers Musicians from Tirana Festivali i Këngës contestants