Rona Nishliu (born 25 August 1986) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter. She came to international prominence after representing Albania in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world ...

, Azerbaijan, where she placed fifth and achieved the best placement for Albania to date.

Early life and career

2004–2012: Early life and beginnings

Rona Nishliu was raised in her birth town Mitrovica, but moved with her family to

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...

at the age of thirteen due to the political situation in her hometown. In 2004 she entered "Ethet e së premtës mbrëma" (Friday night's fevers), a similar show to '' Idols''. She successfully passed the first rounds and entered the live shows, where she finished Top 5. After the show, she worked on Radio Blue Sky in Prishtina as a presenter. In 2004, Rona teamed up with

Vesa Luma Vesa Luma is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter. She has participated in many children’s festivals and song contests as a singer. At the same time, from the age of 8, she studied flute and vocal. Since completing her Music Professional Sch ...

and Teuta Kurti to enter the 43rd edition of

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 ...

, for a chance to represent Albania in the

2005 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song " Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ( ...

with "Flakareshë". The trio were qualified for the final night held on 18 December 2004 but lost to Ledina Çelo who was declared the winner.

2012: Eurovision Song Contest

Nishliu represented Albania in the

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

after winning the national selection on 29 December 2011 with the entry " Suus". She is the first singer from Kosovo to represent Albania in the contest. Because of the Qafa e Vishës bus tragedy, RTSH deferred the first semi-final by more than two hours on 22 May, resulting in low ratings during Nishliu's appearance. Albania used its jury votes to vote for the other 17 countries in the semi-final, and it used the jury votes again on 26 May. RTK also did not air highlights from the first semi-final due to the bus crash. She ended up winning fifth place in the final with 146 points; Albania's best result to date. She received Albanian citizenship on 12 January 2012.

2013–present

Nishliu was committed to her humanitarian work immediately after Eurovision. She became a member of a project called "Bonu cool, mos bjer shpullë" (Be cool, don't slap!), a project that raises gender awareness. She released a song especially for this occasion called "Se vetëm zemra flet saktë" ''(Because only the heart speaks right)'' which speaks against adolescent gender violence, produced and penned by Rona herself. The song is part of a wide public awareness campaign led by the Kosovo Gender Studies Centre. It was supported and financed by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

. On 18 September 2014, Rona Nishliu held a concert in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...

, Serbia to promote the Kosovar culture, part of the "Mirëdita, dobar dan" festival. She received a standing ovation from the public. In 2017, she became a coach on the sixth series of '' The Voice of Albania''.

Public image

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 la ...

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 ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

, she is known as a pop singer/musician. The audience in Pristina and Tirana know her also as an experimental jazz singer. Her interpretation is characterized with nuances of soul music influences as well. Her vocal range and interpretative power are her strongest points.

Philanthropy

Nishliu is depicted for her humanitarian spirit, taking part in numerous humanitarian concerts for the people in the need. While being a student, she organised few Humanitarian Concerts, including the one entitled to help displaced Kosovo Albanian families of Mitrovica living in poverty. In 2009 she took place as a guest lecturer in UNDP Kosovo's activity on Awareness Raising on the Importance of Volunteerism for the Youngsters in

Vushtrri Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the muni ...

. She is an activist of the National Association of Autism in Kosovo, she is also a Chairperson of the Institute for Sustainability and Development of Youth in Kosovo.

Discography

Singles

*"Flakareshë" ''(Slap)'' (with

and Teuta Kurti) *"Të lashë" ''(I left you)'' *"Shenja" ''(The sign)'' *"Eja" ''(Come)'' *"Veriu" ''(The north)'' *"A ka arsye?" ''(Is there any reason?)'' (ft. Bim Bimma) *"Shko pastro pas saj" ''(Go after her)'' *"Zonja Vdekje" ''(Mrs. Death)'' *" Suus" *"Se vetëm zemra flet saktë" ''(Because only the heart speaks right)''

Awards and nominations

Kënga Magjike , - , , 2006 , , "Shenja" , TV Klan Prize , , - , , 2009 , , "Humbja" , Best Vocal , Poli Fest Awards , - , , 2007 , , "Veriu" , First Prize , Video Fest Awards , - , , 2008 , , "Shko pastro pas saj" , Best Pop ,

, - , rowspan="2", 2011 , rowspan="2", " Suus" , First Prize , , - , Best Interpreter ,

, - , , 2012 , , " Suus" , Contestant ,

Annotations

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishliu, Rona 1986 births Living people Albanian jazz singers 21st-century Albanian women singers Kosovan singers Musicians from Mitrovica, Kosovo Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Albania Kosovo Albanians Kosovan emigrants to Albania Citizens of Albania through descent Festivali i Këngës winners