Rina Balaj (; born 27 January 1999), known mononymously as Rina, is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper and singer.

Life and career

1999–2019: Early life and career beginnings

Rina Balaj was born on 27 January 1999 into an Albanian family in the city of

Peja Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mount ...

and raised in

Istok Istog or Istok ( sq-definite, Istog, Istogu, sr, Исток, ''Istok'') or Burim is a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the city of Istog has 5,115 inhabitants, while the munici ...

, then part of the

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 A relationship breakup, breakup, or ...

, present

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 ...

. At age 16, Balaj unsuccessfully auditioned for the fourth season of

X Factor Albania ''X Factor Albania'' is the Albanian version of ''The X Factor''. The first season started on 8 January 2012 and was broadcast by TV Klan. The judges are: Macedonian-Albanian singer Tuna, Albanian singer Soni Malaj, Albanian-American singer Bleo ...

in 2015. In December 2017, she was featured on Albanian singer Endri's single "Janari" and reached number 6 in Albania. Eventually signed by OnRecords, her debut single "Për ty" followed afterwards in March 2018. In September 2018, Balaj released her breakthrough single "Gigi" in collaboration with Greek-Albanian rapper

Sin Boy Theodore Agustin Gega (born 18 August 1994), known professionally as Sin Boy, is a rapper, singer and songwriter in Greece of Albanian descent. Life and career Gega was born on 18 August 1994 into an Albanians, Albanian family in Nea Ionia, a ...

. The single initially attained success in Albania, peaking at number 8, and later became acclaimed in neighbouring Greece, reaching the top 3.

2020–present: ''Mama'' and ''Balerina''

In May 2020, Balaj released her first collaborative album, ''MM'', with Sin Boy featuring songs written in Albanian, Greek and English. Four subsequent singles, "Meredith", "Tentacion", "GG" and "Sari" were released from the collaborative album. "Meredith" peaked at number 86 in Greece, while "Tentacion" reached the top five peaking at number four. "Sari" also experienced commercial success and reached number 32 in Albania and 52 in Greece, respectively. In June 2020, her follow-up single, "Fallin In Love", went on to reach number 33 in Greece. Later that year in December 2020, her single "Zjarr" in collaboration with Sin Boy reached number 35 in her native country.

Artistry

Balaj's music style has generally been regarded as

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 ...

although her music also includes various styles of musical genres such as R&B and hip hop. She has cited American rapper

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...

as her favourite artist. Music critics compared her music and appearance to that of American rapper

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

. ''MM'', the collaborative studio album with

, was praised for recreating

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

and also adapting to different styles including

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

Personal life

In 2019, Balaj began a romantic relationship with Greek-Albanian rapper

Discography

Albums

* ''MM'' (2020) * ''Balerina'' (2021)

Singles

As lead artist

= 2010s

= 2020s

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balaj, Rina 1999 births 21st-century Albanian rappers 21st-century Albanian women singers Albanian female rappers Albanian songwriters Kosovan women singers Kosovo Albanians Living people People from Peja Trap musicians Universal Music Group artists 21st-century women rappers