Donald Najtellari (; born 1 May), known professionally as Young Zerka, is an Albanian singer and songwriter. Born in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...

and raised in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Najtellari grew up in a Jamaican household and began singing and writing music as a teenager. He later relocated to Albania and eventually rose to significant prominence in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. His musical career is marked by fusing elements of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and pop as well as his distinctive vocal and writing style.

Life and career

Najtellari was born on 1 May into an Albanian family in the city of

, Albania. At an early age, Najtellari emigrated to England settling in the city of

. He was raised in a Jamaican household, which according to him, had a particular influence on his artistic formation. In both 2008 and 2009, Najtellari appeared on the music competition

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 songs "Sfera" and "Shpirt i plakur", respectively. In 2014, he was featured on Kosovo-Albanian singer

Dhurata Dora Dhurata Dora (; née Dhurata Murturi, born 24 December 1992) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer. Life and career Dhurata Murturi was born into an Albanian family in the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. She went to elementary school in the tow ...

's "Roll" and "A Bombi", as well as on Albanian singer

Alban Skënderaj Alban Skënderaj (; born 20 April 1982) is an Albanian singer, songwriter, composer, actor, producer and television personality. Born in Lushnjë and raised in Vlorë, Skënderaj has established himself as a viable artist in Albania and the Alba ...

's "24 orë". In December 2014, he collaborated with Albanian singer

Aurela Gaçe Aurela Gaçe (; born 16 October 1974) is an Albanian singer and songwriter. She is a three-time Festivali i Këngës winner, a three-time Kënga Magjike winner and a two-time Balkan Music Award winner for ''Balkan's Song of the Year'' and ''Bes ...

on the single "Pa kontroll", with whom they eventually won the 16th edition of the annual music competition

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 ...

. His success continued in May 2015 with the release of the follow-up single "Boom Boom", which reached number 11 in Albania. Following the 2022 release of his original song, "Nafije", produced by popular artist and producer Alandy, on January 12, 2023, a remix was introduced to the public. The collaboration between Young Zerka, DJ Geek,

Dafina Zeqiri Dafina Zeqiri (; born 14 April 1989), also known mononymously as Dafina, is a Swedish-born Kosovo-Albanian singer. Life and career Dafina Zeqiri was born on 14 April 1989 into an Albanian family from Kosovo in the city of Varberg, Sweden. ...

, and

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 ...

peaked charts in Albania at #2 on Top Music Awards. Young Zerka, along with Alandy, appeared on Albania's top performing television show hosted by

Luana Vjollca Luana Vjollca (born 2 September 1991), also known mononymously as Luana, is an Albanian television presenter, host, singer and model. Life and career Luana Vjollca was born on 2 September 1991 into an Albanian family of the Roman Catholic fai ...

Zemër Luana
for a debu
television performance
of the original "Nafije".

Artistry

Najtellari's musical style has generally been regarded as

and pop. His musical inspiration varies from reagge musicians such as

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

and

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963� ...

to pop artists as for instance

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Discography

Extended play

*''High Five'' (2020)

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young Zerka Year of birth unknown Living people People from Korçë Musicians from London Albanian musicians Albanian pop singers Albanian reggae singers Albanian-language singers Albanian songwriters 21st-century Albanian male singers Albanian emigrants to England Kënga Magjike winners Year of birth missing (living people)