Era Istrefi (born 4 July 1994 in Prishtinë, Kosovo) is an Albanian Kosovar singer-songwriter. She rose to fame after releasing her debut single "Mani për money" in 2013, which gained a positive feedback and attention from the public. Her following songs "A po don" and "E dehun", gained the same success. In June 2014, she won three Video fest awards for her music videos, including "Best New Artist" for her work in 2013.
Era Istrefi is child of Suzana Tahirsylaj, a well known Albanian singer in the 80s and 90s and Nezir Istrefi, a journalist. After her father's death in 2004, her mother quit singing, and her older sister Nora Istrefi shortly became the big singer in the territories. Era made her television debut in 2013, with her single "Mani për money", a reggae-pop song, new to the national music industry. The song received mainly positive criticism from the audience, becoming an instant hit. However, a few months after her first single, she released "A Po Don?", another song with a different style, accompanied by a provocative music video. The song received mixed criticism. Her third single, "E Dehun" - inspired by Nexhmije Pagarusha's song with the same title, which also samples the lyrics and some parts of the instrumental, was another hit from Era, which assured her three Video-fest Awards (Albanian Music Awards), including "Best New Artist" for her work in 2013-14.
Her three videos are heavily broadcasted on every TV and radio station in Kosovo and Albania while it is regularly broadcasted in best clubs all over. Her videos have more that 3 million views on YouTube which ranks her among most popular Albanian singers. Some American magazines have shown interest in her music and style as well.
Fonte: Pagina Facebook