Elsa Lila (Albanian pronunciation:[ˈɛlsaˈlila]; born 15 June 1981) is an Albanian singer.
Life and career
Elsa Lila was born on 4 July 1981[1] in Tirana, Albania.[2] Her father is a retired tenor who was part of the former Albanian state choir, while her mother was a violinist, so both of her parents raised her close to the music and the theatre, giving her a great love for the arts. Lila had shown her singing and acting talents ever since she was a child in Albanian state television shows and won the Albanian national song contest, or Festivali i Këngës, two years in a row while she was in her teenage years. She is also known for originating the role of Satine in the Albanian-language version of the musical Moulin Rouge. In 2014, Lila was a judge on the fourth season of The Voice of Albania.[3] For almost two months since March 16, 2022, she was arrested by the Italian police in Rome, because of the suspicion of criminal activities with narcotics but then the charges were later dropped.[4][5]
In 1996, at the age of 15, Lila first won Festivali i Këngës with "Pyes lotin," and also won the Albanian Public Award through televoting. In 1997, she repeated herself with "Larg urrejtjes." In 1998, she was noticed by all of Europe when she won Albania the Varna International Song Contest in Bulgaria, where 14 other countries participated. Within that year, she also represented her country in Lisboa Expo 98, holding a concert. In 1999, at only 18 years old, Lila was elected "Albanian Singer of the Century" by the national poll of the Albanian state radio television. In the same year, Lila won the debut edition of Kenga Magjike with "Vetëm një fjalë." In 2001, she was awarded "Ambassador of the Albanian Music in the World" by Rexhep Mejdani, President of the Republic of Albania. Her first Sanremo participation was in the Sanremo Music Festival 2003 with the song "Valeria," placing 8th in the Newcomers section. She was also recognized in the United States when she modeled for various magazine covers in New York City and sang at the Avery Fisher Hall to the American State Secretary in 2005. For Asian recognition, she sang the jingle of the popular Chinese television program, CCTV, while she was a guest in the country. She took part at the Sanremo Music Festival 2007 with the song "Il senso della vita," reaching the finals. In December 2007, Lila hosted the 46th Festivali i Këngës with Pirro Çako, as well as the 47th Festivali I Këngës a year later in 2008 where she sang a song with Enrico Ruggeri, and it became part of the soundtrack of the movie by director Gjergj Xhuvani.[6][7]
2022–present: Comeback and continued success
In October 2022, the Albanian national broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), reported that Lila was one of 26 artists shortlisted to compete in the 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës with the song "Evita,"[8] dedicated to her daughter. She emerged victorious, but this time only managed to win the jury vote, and thus could not represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, as Albina & Familja Kelmendi won a separate public vote.[9]
One of the notable collaborations with Italian conductor Enrico Melozzi after "Evita," was when Lila presented four rearranged songs at his "Un rave classico" concert, part of the Ravenna Festival on July 15, 2023.[10] Reflecting that setlist, she, in recent years, has been experimenting with Albanian folk songs, as well as Baroque music, or music within the 17th-18th centuries, using her "natural voice;"[11][12] she sings lower than the usual soprano notes in opera. In certain rearrangements, lyrics inspired by Albanian poetry were also inserted, such as when Lasgush Poradeci's "Dremit liqeri" was adapted to the Adagio movement of Piano Concerto No. 23 (Mozart).[13]
On November 1, 2023, Lila returned to the Palace of Congresses to hold a recital concert called Finalmente Elsa, showcasing her material over the years.[14]
During the first half of 2024, as a lover of animals and plants, Lila spent 64 days as an infiltrator on the first Albanian edition of "The Farm," Ferma VIP [sq].[16][17]
In mid-November 2024, she presented the autobiographical book "Mirë se erdhe në Rebibbia" at the 27th Tirana Book Fair, narrating her experiences and the strength that she found during the time she was jailed.[18]
For December 2024, Lila released a 9-song New Year's and Christmas album called "Ja na erdhi Viti i Ri", named after the Albanian traditional song that she also presented her own version of. The rest of the songs were adapted from popular American or English Christmas songs from the 30's-70's. A concert was also held on the 27th to premiere the songs live. Since Lila pointed out the lack of festive songs in the Albanian language, consequently this catalog of songs is currently set to grow in the next years.[19][20]
