Albanian singer and actress Bleona Qereti topless at a beach in Miami 2015
Bleona Qereti, professionally known as Bleona is an Albanian singer and actress. As of 2009, Bleona has resided in the United States where she has worked with producers such as Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, and Grammy winner David Foster. She has released four singles since, titled “Show Off”, “Without You” and “Pass Out,” the latter co-produced by Timbaland. On September 10, 2013 she released the single “Take It Like A Man”.
Bleona was born on 14 May 1979 in Korçë, Albania. She began her career at Skampa Theater in Elbasan, and then moved to Tirana to pursue her singing career. At age 15, she began singing and performing at Albanian music festivals. She released her first single, “Lermeni (Let Me Be Free)” in 1996, and a year later released her first album, Kam Qejfin Tim (I Run My Own Game). Bleona’s first major tour took place that year, and she performed over 25 summer shows at concert halls in Switzerland and Germany. In 1997 she toured in support of the Albanian Democratic Party (headed by Sali Berisha), and released a music video for the track “Kam Qejfin Tim.” Since then she has released approximately one new music video a year.
At age thirteen, Bleona’s father and mother encouraged her to leave singing and go to business school. Her parents later sent her to a German school to learn the language. which she can speak and sing in English, Albanian, Italian, German. She studied the Stanisklavski System of acting, graduating with a BA from the Academy of Performing Arts in Tirana. She also plays violin.
From 1999 through 2002, Bleona released three more albums, all of which reached the charts in southeastern Europe. In 1999 she headlined the Humanitarian Tour for the People of Kosovo, where she played a number of concerts around Europe. From 2000 to 2001 she performed at 80 concerts in Europe and the United Kingdom, and by 2002 she was headlining outdoor concerts. In that same year she released the DVD, Nje xhiro neper Shqiperi (Walking Through Albania).
