Albania has one of the world’s largest diasporas. The population is spread notably across Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Italy, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, and to such an extent the Albanian language is the official second language or a recognised minority language in all of the aforementioned. For example, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Rita Ora… these pop powerhouses all hail from the Albanian and Kosovar diaspora. While these artists write in English, many others have also had major breakout success writing in Albanian.
Here’s a selection of Albanian-language tunes making waves in the Mediterranean right now (playlist is at the end).
Askund – Shkondra Elektronike, Roy Paci
You may already be familiar with Shkondra Elektronike, who lit up the stage at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. They came in 8th place with the stirring folktronica gem Zjerm. They recently released their debut EP shndrit!, setting out their stall for their music style, which they call ‘Post Immigrant Pop’. Askund (Nowhere) features the Italian trumpet maestro Roy Paci and the Albanian Iso Polyphonic Choir.
Lumja Toka – Elvana Gjata
A defiant folk chorus opens this catchy pop number; Lumja Tok effortlessly melds Balkan folk with a minimalist bassline and hard-hitting rap. The title translates as Blessed Be The Earth. It’s a celebration of being alive and a call to join her. Gjata is one of Albania’s biggest artists, and her fourth studio album Të Dua (TRILOGJI – KAPITULLI I) was released in June.
E DIN E DIN – Liri Tahiri, DJ Gimi-O
Albanian-German producer and artist DJ Gimi-O is known for weaving his heritage music into his dance-floor-ready tunes. For example, his 2020 hit Pavarsia features the çiftelia, a traditional string instrument, used as a musical metaphor for a shared heart between Kosovo and Albania. For his latest track, E DIN E DIN, he teams up with Austrian-Albanian rapper Liri Tahiri, and it features the gajde, a double-bored bagpipe.
QAJE – Dhurata Dora, Any González
Dhurata Dora has been steadily building a name for herself across the continent over the past few years. She regularly lends her talents to international collaborations, such as on recent tracks with the Romanian singer Inna and Algerian rapper Soolking. In her new song, she joins forces with Spain’s Any González for a genre-blurring bilingual affair. In QAJE (Cry), González’s flamenco guitar and emotive singing complement Dora’s velvet vocal melodies; it’s a sure-fire cross-over hit.
Xheloz – Tuna, BARDHI
Xhelov (Jealous) is a glossy pop hit from Macedonian Albanian artist Altuna Sejdiu, better known as Tuna, featuring rapper BARDHI. Rhythmic guitar and dance beats glide underneath surface as they sing about love, passion and jealousy. It’s slick, it’s sultry and it won’t be long until you’re singing along “Me kan je, je, je? Me kan je, je, je?” (“Who are you with, who are you with?”).
