Elvana Gjata

* songwriter

**Elvana Gjata** (born 3 February 1987) is an Albanian singer, songwriter and model of Kosovar descent. Born and raised in Tirana, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in 2001 as she finished third at the Festival of Young Voices of Albania.

Today, she is one of the most popular singers in the Balkans. As of 2016, she has resided in the United States where she has worked with producers such as Poo Bear and David Guetta.

## Life and career

### Early life

Elvana was born on the 2 March 1987 to an Albanian father and a Kosovar mother. She was born in the Albanian capital Tirana, where she was raised. She started singing as a teenager and participated in various children's events. In 2001 she finished in 3rd place at the Festival of Young Voices with her song *Le të këndojmë së bashku* (Let's sing together). Her professional career started at *Ethet*, a similar contest to Idols. After the talent show, she started releasing pop and dance songs and became one of the most influential singers in the Albanian speaking territories. She rose to fame during 2005 and 2006 and continues to be one of Albania's and Kosovo's most popular singers.

### Career beginnings

Gjata started working professionally since 2005 after participating in various festivals and releasing her own music. She debuted her first single called *Të kam xhan* (I love you) in Kënga Magjike. The following year, Gjata was invited to work with Tingulli 3nt. They released *Të Dy* (Both of Us). The same year Gjata released her best-selling single to date, *Mamës* which became an instant hit. That same year she also released *Pranë teje* (Near you) and *Zjarri që ti ndez* (The fire you light).

Gjata won her first Videofest Award in 2007 – she won *Best RnB Video* with "Mamës" in 2007, and during that year she released her first album, entitled *Mamës*. Gjata also decided to take part in Kënga Magjike again with *Ku jeton dashuria ime* (Where Is My Love). She advanced to the final round and ended third, behind winner Aurela Gaçe and future collaborator Flori Mumajesi featuring Soni Malaj. The song still remains a very popular ballad in Albania.

In 2008, Gjata mainly focused on her album and she released "Vetes" (Myself) which became a very popular single. The album was later released with the same name.

During 2009, Gjata collaborated with different artists from Albania and Kosovo and was one of the most active singers that year. She released "Nuk janë më" (Not anymore), "Hitech", "Turn U On" (which was nominated for Best Albanian Song that year at the Balkan Music Awards) and "Dhe Zemra Ndal" (My heart stops).

The following year, Gjata released two summer songs, both becoming hits. She first released "A Ke Ti Zemër" (Do You Have a Heart?) and "Mamani Nejën" (Make My Night) with the Kosovar rapper Fugaa. They performed the song in Sofia, Bulgaria at the 2010 Balkan Music Awards. The song was also nominated for Best Albanian Song of the Year.

Gjata has mentioned Beyoncé Knowles has been her biggest influence, perhaps the main reason why most of her hits are based on RnB and pop music.

### *Afër dhe Larg* and Top Fest 8

Gjata entered the eighth edition of Top Fest with "Me Ty" (With You), a pop ballad which received positive feedback from the audience and music critics. Elvana used Top Fest also to promote her album. After her first appearance, she became the favorite artist to win and received a lot of media attention. On June 2011, Gjata was declared the winner. She mentioned that the victory was dedicated to her friend Elsina Hidersha better known as Emmy, an Albanian singer who died in a car accident that year.

Soon after her win, Gjata released her third album *Afër dhe Larg* (Near and Far) in early 2011. The album contained singles, including "Me Ty" and other recent hits such as "Kudo Qe Jam" and the titular single "Afër dhe Larg", as well as singles that were released between 2009 and 2010, and brand new singles recorded especially for the new album.

### Dancing With the Stars, Commercial success and popularity

In 2012, Gjata's song "Afër dhe Larg" won at the Balkan Music Awards for Best Albanian Song of the Year and Best Music Video of the Year.

Gjata only released one single that year. The single, called "Gjaku im" (My blood), which was accompanied with a music video, was made in order to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania. The music video premiered on April 28, 2012 and contained a strong message to the Albanian people.

During this year, Gjata appeared in many Albanian adverts, and she became the image of Tring Digital an Albanian TV platform and of TEB Bank.

Gjata had mentioned in an interview that dancing was her second passion. She was asked to enter the third season of Dancing With the Stars. Her partner was Gerdi. She was the fan-favourite to win the show from the beginning. In the grand final, Gjata was declared the winner of the series.

### Acoustic sessions and Summer Tour

In early 2013, Gjata recorded five acoustic live sessions called: "Si unë" (Like Me), "Pak nga Pak" (A Little), "As Ti" (You Neither), "Mëngjesi i Kësaj Here" (The Morning of This Time) and "Anonim" (Anonymous).

During the year, Gjata released four new singles: "Fake", "Fake *(Remix)*", "Beso" (Believe) (featuring 2po2) and "1990" (featuring MC Kresha). The single "Fake" was penned by Gjata herself and she criticized the current issues in Albania. The song reached a lot of success on social media and was called "Top Dance Track" on Deezer beating famous artists such as David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia and many others. It also reached No. 12 on Deezer's top tracks beating Jennifer Lopez, Emeli Sande and Rihanna. She released a remix of the song later, in a collaboration with Flori Mumajesi, KAOS and P.I.N.T.

Gjata was nominated for four awards at the Videofest Awards for her single "Beso" with 2Po2, in which she took home two awards, including Best RnB Music Video and Best Duet.

During summer, Gjata toured around the Albanian-speaking territories, as well as Switzerland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

### 2014–present

Unreferenced section

In early 2014, Gjata released her single "Disco Disco" which reached number one on MyMusic TV's charts and was one of the most successful Albanian songs of 2014. It was later nominated for two awards at Videofest.

Later, it was announced that Gjata was the face of Albtelecom. After that, she made a photoshoot for the cover Velvet magazine.

In the summer of 2014, Gjata released another single called "Puthe" (Kiss). The single was a commercial success in Albania and many social media users paid tribute to the single.

As well as that, Gjata participated in the summer craze, the Ice Bucket Challenge, which was created to raise awareness to the ALS Association, which assists people with motor neurone disease. In December 2019, Elvana competed in the 58th edition of the Albanian national selection Festivali i Këngës for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 and is a fan favourite to win the national selection.

## Countries

* Albania (main country)
* Kosovo (origin)

## Discography

Elvana has released three albums, all which were very successful in the Albanian charts. Her latest album, "Afër dhe Larg" released in early 2011, reached a huge success. Her albums are generally in the pop genre, including dance songs and a few ballads.

### Singles

* 2006: "Te dy" (with Tingulli 3nt)
* 2007: "Mamës"
* 2007: "Pranë Teje"
* 2007: "Ku Jeton Dashuria"
* 2008: "Vetes"
* 2009: "Nuk Janë Më"
* 2009: "Hitech"
* 2009: "Turn U On"
* 2009: "Dhe Zemra Ndal"
* 2010: "A Ke Ti Zemër",
* 2010: "Mamani Nejen" (feat. Fugaa)
* 2011: "Me Ty"
* 2011: "Kudo që Jam"
* 2011: "Afër dhe Larg"
* 2012: "Gjaku im"
* 2012: "Xhamadani Vija Vija" (with Flori Mumajesi and Mentor Haziri)
* 2013: "Fake"
* 2013: "Beso" (feat. 2Po2)
* 2013: "1990" (feat. Mc Kresha)
* 2013: "Fake" (Remix) (feat. Flori, KAOS and PINT)
* 2014: "Disco Disco" (feat. KAOS)
* 2014: "Puthe"
* 2015: "Kuq e zi je ti" (feat. Flori Mumajesi)
* 2015: "Love Me" (feat. Bruno)
* 2016: "Njesoj"
* 2016: "Lejla" (feat. Capital T & 2PO2)
* 2017: "Forever Is Over" (feat. David Guetta)
* 2017: "Xheloz"
* 2017: "Gjerat kane ndryshuar"
* 2018: "Off Guard" (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
* 2018: "Ku Vajti"
* 2018: "Mike"

**Other Singles:**

* 2006: "Ani Ani"
* 2007: "Zjarri Që Ti Ndez"
* 2007: "Mos u Fsheh"
* 2007: "Nushu Ime"
* 2007: "Vetem Zoti e Di "
* 2007: "Jeton për Mua Ai"
* 2008: "Ti Ke Ikur"
* 2009: "Disiplinë"
* 2011: "Kush Jam Unë"
* 2011: "Ti Je"
* 2013: "Anonim"
* 2013: "As Ti"
* 2013: "Mengjesi i Kësaj Here"

## Awards and nominations

**Balkan Music Awards**

 Best Albanian Song of the Year
 2011
 2010

**Dancing with the Stars**

**Kënga Magjike**

 Third Place
 2009
 Second Place

**Prive Klan Kosova**

**Top Music Awards**

 Collaboration of the Year
 Song of the Year
 "Elvana Gjata"

**Top Fest**

 First Prize

**Videofest Awards**

**Zhurma Show Awards**