Melinda Ademi (; born 19 November 1995), known professionally as Melinda, is a Kosovan-American rapper, singer and songwriter. She gained notice in 2011 competing on the television program ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' at the age of 16. In 2019, she relaunched her music career in Kosovo.

Life and career

1995–present: Early life and career beginnings

Melinda Ademi was born on 19 November 1995 into an Albanian family in the city of Mitrovica,

FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yug ...

(modern-day

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

). Her family left Kosovo and moved to the United States as refugees due to the persecution of Albanians associated with the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the following

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

. In 2011, she began her career on the talent show ''

''. She returned to the same contest two years later, reaching the semifinals. In 2015, she released her first single "Purr" and the further release of "Lulija" in 2018 gained her recognition in the Albanian-speaking world.

Artistry

Ademi has stated that she is a fan of Albanian singer and songwriter

Elvana Gjata Elvana Gjata (; born 3 February 1987), is an Albanian singer, songwriter and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Tirana, she has been referred to as a "Diva of Albanian music". She rose to recognition in Albania and other Albanian-speaking territo ...

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ademi, Melinda 1995 births 21st-century Albanian rappers 21st-century Albanian women singers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Albanian women rappers Albanian-language singers Albanian songwriters American women songwriters American Idol participants American people of Albanian descent Kosovan people of Albanian descent Kosovan rappers Kosovan women singers Living people Musicians from Mitrovica, Kosovo People from Yonkers, New York 21st-century women rappers