Profile of singer Violeta Zefi!

Vjoleta Zefi Well-known singer of popular and light music mainly during the 80s. She was born in Shkodër on June 15, 1960. A person who is characterized by simplicity, loving and noble, where with her melodious voice she soothes people's souls and removes them for a few moments from the stresses of everyday life. The little one catches the eye as a girl, with curly yellow hair, chubby, extremely smiling, beautiful like a doll that forced every resident of the street or neighborhood to congratulate her: "God save you!". This flexibility and the premises that appeared in her talent, made the mother of this little girl bring her closer to the artistic circles of the city, where the pioneer's home was for her age. For the first time, we see him appear in public with the Professional Estrada of the city of Shkodra, dated March 26, 1968, where he was framed with a show for children, where he sang two songs, "My book, how much I love you" , and "Hiyo-yojo, horse run". Since these performances, she has not been separated from the stage. After finishing the 8-year school, due to economic needs, he got a job at the Wire Factory in Shkodër. Without growing up well, she had already become known throughout Shkodra. The complete formation as a professional singer of folk songs took place near the "Migjeni" Theater, in this institution from which dozens of famous singers have emerged. Here she joined the professional troupe of Estrada of Shkodra, alongside the great singers Bik Ndoja and Shyqyi Alushi, where for a long time she sang in a trio, a collaboration that brought her extraordinary success both in Shkodra and on tours outside Shkodra . Her appearance always alongside the two giants of the Shkodra song, created in her the self-confidence to sing on stage, but she also benefited from them a lot for the Shkodra folk song. She had the great fortune, that at this young age she had singers, instrumentalists and comedians among the best-known and most skilled of Shkodran stage art. While working at the Wire Factory, he met the wonderful parodist and comedian Gjosho Vasija, who at that time led the artistic group of this enterprise, the other comedian and actor Mark Lëkunda, the singers Bashkim Alibali and Eduard Jubani, with whom he gave dozens of performances and won many awards among local and national festivals. When she was still 13 years old, and why at an age that no one believes, she participated in the 13th National Song Festival at RTSH, with the song "Three Generations", which won the third prize. The only time that at this age she competes in the festival, surprising the Tirana public with her talent and sincere childish, fragile and still insecure interpretation. The newspapers of the time began to write about the little singer from Shkodra, for Shkodra who always surprised people with her talents at RTSH festivals. So Vjoleta continued to be a participant in the 14th festival, with the song "Wedding in the village", where she received the third prize, following with the 15th festival where she continued to participate in the 18th festival as well. In addition to the interpretation of this singer, we could see the clear premises of a vocal, which promised a lot and which had not been encountered before. You would hardly find at this young age such a voice so big and wide in terms of dimension and intensity, beautiful and imposing in terms of timbre and other perfect vocal values. Therefore, the interest and discussions that were raised by specialists and journalists in those years about Vjoleta were fully motivated. Journalistic criticism had before it a phenomenon that did not come to Albania often. Vjoleta's values are not only in her voice, but also in her intelligence to complement herself with a repertoire as diverse as possible and loved by the public, with songs from Shkodra, Central Albania, Kosovo and the South. Vjoleta Zefi, was active in many directions, as a singer, as an announcer and as an actress; we remember here her activism in the drama "The Great Flood", where she played alongside the well-known actress of the "Migjeni" Theater, Vitore Nino, and where she won the first prize as an amateur actress in a national theater activity. Her happy, optimistic and humorous nature is also represented in the repertoire chosen for interpretation, lively and cheerful songs, full of internal dynamism and scope that also respond to her vocal nature, diverse themes, from lyrical ones lovers, to those of bravery, of curvy, from the old songs to the newest ones. She has also demonstrated her talent in relationships with other voices, such as in duets, vocal ensembles, etc. From the time Vjoleta appeared on stage for the first time, she won the respect and love of the audience, who applauded and welcomed her at every performance. Violeta has had this respect and welcome not only in Shkodër, but throughout Albania, and in all the stages where she has performed abroad. In all national and international artistic activities, Vjoleta was highly appreciated with diplomas, certificates and medals. This is how she was awarded the First Prize Certificate, in the competition of solo singers and instrumentalists held in Tirana from March 25 to 28, 1971. The Variety Festival held in Tirana from July 21 to August 2, 1971 awarded Vjoleta's work with Praise Sheet. At the same time, there is also a Variety Festival that took place from the 4th to the 6th of August 1971, which awarded him with the First Class Medal, for very good interpretation. At the national Festival of Culture Houses, held in 1975, in Durrës, she was awarded the First Prize, as the best singer. On February 22, 1975, he was awarded the Certificate and medal with the motivation "For outstanding work in spreading culture to the masses". In 1976 Vjoleta Zefi was decorated by the Presidium of the People's Assembly with the order "Naim Frashëri of the second class". In the 80s, when the Shkodra Radio Ensemble went to Kosovo to tour the main cities, she sang with her compatriots. This memory will remain indelible throughout her artistic career. At the international meeting of Turkey (1981), Vjoleta was honored by the jury with the highest award, giving her the title "Queen of the Festival". Successes followed Violetta everywhere. In 1993, when he went to America, he was very well received, then came other tours such as: Switzerland 1994, Germany 1995, Montenegro 1996 and Macedonia 1998. On June 2, 2005, she was honored by the Municipal Council of the city of Shkodra with the title "Gratitude of the city", with the motivation: "For special merits in the field of interpretation of folk songs and for her great contribution to this genre". Analyzing Vjoleta Zefi's artistic activity over the years, we find that she collaborated with important art and radio institutions before the 90s, such as: Radio Shkodra, Radio Tirana, TVSH, Theater "Migjeni", "Kino Puntori", Klubi i "Heroj e Vigu" youth, and after the 90s with national cultural institutions and the most prestigious visual media inside and outside the country. He has sung under the accompaniment of generations of instrumentalists such as: Abdullah Salabegu, Mark Kaftalli, Nazmi Lishi, Luan Barova, etc. He has sung with the symphony orchestras of RTSH, RT Prishtina, the Shkodra House of Culture, the Orchestra of the State Ensemble of Folk Songs and Dances, the Shkodra Wind Band, the Shkodra Stage Orchestra, and many other orchestral formations abroad. He has recorded 39 potpourri, of which 5 are collages and 20 are duets and trios. He has collaborated with such Shkodran art figures as: Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi, Xhavit Ujkani, Nazmi Lishi, Luan Borova, Tonin Daija, Ilir Zoga and many others. In her 7 albums there are 84 recorded songs, of which 61 are from Shkodra, 9 from Central Albania and the others from various provinces of Albania and Albanian territories outside the homeland. In the "Hala jam" Album, there is a collaboration with the singers Bik Ndoja and Shyqyri Alushi, as well as a duet with the singer Adnan Bala with the song "Dukane". In the song "Edhe baba po mbërtet", a new song from the 70s, created exclusively for the two famous popular tenors Bikun e Shyqin and the young girl, a beautiful trio was created that was performed quite well by the three singers. In this article, it is worth highlighting some of the most brilliant interpretations that Vjoleta has in her career, in particular in the interpretation of the Shkodra song, mentioning here some of them: "Kndon bylbyli me t'madhin za", "Hala emrin s' I have a dream", "This is my mother's boy", "Song for Mujo Ulqinak", "O nightingale, oh beautiful birds", "The house is always spring", "Spring has come", "Why do you flowers stay and grow", "Kêpucët me meste", "Djalë i dear", etc., which we also find in her albums: "Tash du me fillu", "Pasha sije e mi", "N'andërr m del", "Hala jam ", "Get a tube of flowers", "You are like a bud" and "My Shkodra". Even the collaboration with Vjoleta in the recording studio for the realization of her albums has been quite successful. The perfection of the realization of the songs and her quite interesting vocals speak best for an artistically formed and quite talented singer. Vjoleta Zefi is one of those singers who, with her sweet voice and her masterful interpretation, has amazed and made the audience become a part of her song by constantly clapping and singing along with her. The stage and popular song will always want the sweet voice and masterful interpretation of the singer Vjoleta Zefi". AT FESTIVALS MP from the age of 13 years in Festiv. And died 1974 with the song "Three generations". Participated a total of 4 times (1974; 1975; 1976'1979), singing 6 songs: Fest. 13 – 1974 / "Three generations" (M. Reshat Osmani; T. ? / "The third prize" Fest. 13 – 1974 / "Syrin pishe zemren barot" (M. Kristo Kote; T. Aleksander Banushi) Fest. 14 – 1975 / "Wedding in the village" (M. Agron Xhunga; T. Ismail Kadare) "Third prize" Fest. 14 – 1975 / "Kooperativisteve te Kemishtaj" (M. Shpetim Kushta T. Isuf Nelaj Fest. 15 – 1976 / " Dance of the great festival" / M. Reshat Osmani, T. Flamur Laro) Fest. 18 – 1979 / "Lum moj Shkoder heroine" / M. Mark Kaftalli, T. Jonuz Velaj _____________ Albanian cinematography 2013-2021 Text by Ramazan Čeka published in "Tirana Observer – 2014" Photos from the singer's Facebook page and personal archive. Published for the first time on Facebook in December 2015.

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