Rozana Radi (; born 6 July 1979) is an Albanian singer-songwriter and actress. Radi emerged as the winner of the 18th edition of in 2016.

Life and career

1979–2012: Early life and career beginnings

Rozana Radi was born on 6 July 1979 into an Albanian family in the city of

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 ...

People's Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

, present Albania. Radi has released several successful singles in Albania, as well as collaborated with several famous Albanian artists. Together with rapper

Noizy Rigels Rajku (; born 27 September 1986), known professionally as Noizy, is an Albanian rapper. Life and career 1986–2010: Early life and career beginnings Rigels Rajku was born on 27 September 1986 into a multi-religious Albanian family ...

, she has released the singles "Fly" and "Mr. Yesterday". In 2009, Radi performed in

Kënga Magjike Kënga Magjike (; ) is an annual music competition organised by the Albanian television broadcaster Televizioni Klan. The music competition has been broadcasting annually since its inauguration in 1999 with the exception of 2020. The first edi ...

in 2009, where she finished 10th with the song "Femër" and received a prize for best singing style. The following year she performed in Kënga Magjike 2010 with Ramadan Krasniqi and with the song "Valsi i tradhtisë". In 2011 she entered the competition for the third year in a row when she participated in Kënga Magjike 2011. This time she participated with rapper

Mc Kresha Kreshnik Fazliu (; born 5 September 1984), known professionally as MC Kresha, is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Mitrovica, Fazliu is credited as a viable hip hop artist in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. Life and ca ...

and with the song "Jabadabadu". In May 2012, she released with the band Aragona the ballad "Tepër jemi dashtë". During the summer of 2012 she released the song "O sa mirë me qenë shqiptar" and during the autumn she participated in Kënga Magjike 2012 with the song "Ti s'ke zemër". She was also awarded the prize for best performance in the competition.

2013–present: Kënga Magjike and continued success

In 2013 Radi participated in Kënga Magjike 2013 with the song "Bekim". She reached the second semi-final of the competition and also made it to the finals. In the final Radi got 494 points and finished in eighth place. In 2016 Radi performed in

with the song "Ma thuaj ti" which she herself wrote with Elgit Doda. She made her way to the finals where, after voting, she was the winner of the competition. In December 2017 she made a contribution to the

Festivali i Këngës Festivali i Këngës (; ), also referred to as simply FiK, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, it has also determ ...

when she wrote the text of Manjola Nallbani's contribution "I njëjti qiell". In 2009, Radi starred in the US-launched Albanian short film Mira in which she starred. The film was produced by Dhimitër Ismajlaj and Radi played with Tinka Kurti, and among others. The film was launched at the Real to Reel International Film Festival in the United States in July 2009. The film was filmed in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Personal life

Radi's uncle, Françesk Radi, is a successful singer. She was formerly in a relationship with Kosovo-Albanian rapper

MC Kresha Kreshnik Fazliu (; born 5 September 1984), known professionally as MC Kresha, is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Mitrovica, Fazliu is credited as a viable hip hop artist in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. Life and ca ...

. They split in 2012 and Radi is currently engaged to Albanian police officer Shpëtim Karakushi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radi, Rozana 1979 births 21st-century Albanian women singers Albanian-language singers Albanian songwriters Festivali i Këngës contestants Kënga Magjike winners Living people Musicians from Tirana