The name Era Istrefi became popular in Europe after the release of the song "Mani për money" in 2013. But she received wide recognition as a singer and lyricist in 2016 after the video for the single "BonBon". Then YouTube users nicknamed her "Rihanna and Sia from Kosovo."
Biography
The Albanian celebrity was born on July 4, 1994 in Pristina in the family of singer Susanna Tahirslaj and journalist Nezir Istrefi. The girl was named Era - "wind" from the Albanian language. Era grew up in the company of loving parents and older sisters Nora and Nita. She amazed them with the versatility of her hobbies and abilities. At an early age, thanks to her mother and older sister Nora, Era became interested in singing, tried to compose the first poems. And even after the death of the girls' husband and father in 2004, the mother continued to maintain Era's interest in music, although she herself had to leave the stage. The young singer herself drew strength and inspiration from the contemplation of the mountains and waterfalls in the vicinity of Pristina. And having moved to Los Angeles in 2017 due to great career opportunities, the singer admitted in an interview that only in her native land does she feel truly free.
Career
In 2013, Era performed in Kosovo with the single "Mani për money". In the lyrics, she used the Geg dialect and English words, which was unexpected for the national music industry. But it was this experiment with puns that allowed the aspiring singer to win the love of the public and good reviews from critics. Some time later, she released the next single - "A Po Don". A black-and-white video was shot for it by Entermedia. The third single "E Dehun" was released by Era under the influence of the single of the same name by Nejmiya Paragushi. The singer left the lyrics of the song unchanged, she brought only her own vision of music. The provocative video for the song was heavily criticized, but the single itself won three Videofest Awards, including Best New Artist.
In 2014, Era recorded the R&B ballad "13", which was produced and released in the USA. After the release of the single, Era's vocals were compared to Rihanna's. The similarity of the clips to the singles "13" and "Russian Roulette" pushed for comparison.
The last day of the outgoing 2015 became a real breakthrough in his musical career. On that day, the single "BonBon" and its accompanying video, filmed in Kosovo, were released. In a few days, the clip gained more than 100 million views, and the song began to carry a viral character, it was hummed everywhere. In the media, Eru Istrefi was called "Rihanna and Sia from Kosovo."
In February 2016, the singer signed a contract with the American labels Sony Music Entertainment and Ultra Music. In June 2016, the singer presented the English version of the single "BonBon", the video of which has gained more than 180 million views by that time.
In 2017, Era moved to Los Angeles and on February 24 released the single "Redrum", featuring producer Felix Snow. That same year, May 25, Era joined Will Smith and Nicky Jem to record the official FIFA World Cup song "Live It Up".
Personal life
The Easterfy era belongs to the category of media people who try not to talk about their personal life. Even on social networks, she publishes exclusively selfies, photos with fans and pictures from performances, official meetings.
