Samanta Karavella (; born 9 July 1990) is an Albanian singer and songwriter.
Life and career
1990–2012: Early life and career beginnings
Samanta Karavella was born on 9 July 1990 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 ...
, then part of the
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 ...
.
Showing an interest in music from a very young age, Karavella began dedicating herself to music when she was 13 as she auditioned for the Albanian talent show .
At age 16, she had a cameo role in the film ''Gjoleka''. She pursued her early career by competing in various music events on several occasions, including at and .
In December 2011, Karavella attempted to
represent 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 ...
, following her participation in the 50th edition of with the song "", in which she finished in fourth place.
2013–present: ''Mama'' and continued success
In 2013, Karavella emerged as the winner of the 10th edition of
Top Fest Top Fest was an Albanian music competition organised by Top Channel. It began airing in 2004 with its last edition being in 2015. The event was annually held in Tirana, Albania. The songs were usually performed in Albanian with artists from Albani ...
with the song "". Starting with the release of "Ti s'e din se" in July 2014, it received a nomination at the 2015
Netët e Klipit Shqiptar
The Albanian Videoclip Festival (''Albanian'':Netet e Klipit Shqiptar) is an Albanian music awards event honouring the best of Albanian music videos from the Albanian diaspora. It made its debut in 2002 and ever since has been broadcast on all the ...
gala in
Ulcinj
Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...
, Montenegro. In December 2017, she successfully returned to for its
19th edition with the song "". Finishing in fourth place, Karavella also received the Best Ballad Award at the contest. In January 2019, she released "", a collaboration with Kosovo-Albanian musician Elinel, which incorporated
R&B and
hip hop elements into its sound. In the course of 2020, "" and "NKN" featuring Kosovo-Albanian singer, peaked at numbers 19 and 34 in her native country, respectively. Released in May 2021, Karavella's follow-up single "" reached number seven in Albania. Starting with the release of "Mala" in July, the single's official remix, "Mala (naBBoo RMX)", received airplay in the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
(CIS) and was licensed by the Russian subsidiary of
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
in December 2021.
Karavella's debut studio album, ''Mama'', is currently under development.
Released as its lead single, "Mama" reached its peak at number 19 on the native top 100 chart in November 2021, and was followed by the album's second single, "", a month later.
Artistry
Karavella's music style is often regarded as electric with various other styles of musical influences such as
ethnic pop and
R&B.
Discography
Albums
* ''Mama''
Singles
As lead artist
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karavella, Samanta
1990 births
21st-century Albanian women singers
Albanian pop singers
Albanian rhythm and blues singers
Albanian songwriters
Festivali i Këngës contestants
Living people
Musicians from Tirana