Ardit Gjebrea

Life and career

Gjebrea began singing at the age of five in Albanian children festivals, he was awarded prizes at local competitions for interpreting songs by Avni Mula such as "I ëmbël zëri i gjyshës" and "Kur këndoj për ty moj nënë" in the 1970s.

His first composition "E Shtrenjta Toka Ime" was interpreted by Liljana Kondakçi and the text was written by Radio Television Albania (RTSH) editor Zhuljana Jorganxhiu during the Spring Festival of 1987, although no surviving copy of the recording is publicly available according to researcher Nicolas Tochka.

On 17 December 2001, he made a breakthrough in his career, winning the Festivali i Këngës në RTSH prize with the song "Ika Larg".{{cite book |title=Africa, Europe and the Middle East

Gjebrea has released three albums throughout his career, beginning with the eponymous album Ardit Gjebrea in 2001. In 2005, he released Projekt Jon, a best-selling album in Albania. Projekt Jon showcased Gjebrea's artistic range as he merged influences of Albanian traditional music, Balkanic and Mediterranean sounds and instruments, as well as recent trends in international music. In 2005 he released "Trëndelinë dhe këngë".

Gjebrea has held some 250 concerts in Albania, as well as performances in the US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Belgium and China.

His daughter, Anna Gjebrea, represented Albania in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021. She also hosted the 2025 edition of Kënga Magjike alongside him.

Career as a presenter and producer

Throughout his career, Gjebrea has presented and produced several TV shows including the Albanian TeleBingo, several editions of the annual Miss & Mister Albania, Dua më shumë Shqipërinë, Rokoloko, and Krishtlindje në Tiranë.

In 2011, Gjebrea was host of the Miss Europe Contest, held that year in Albania. In 2016, he hosted the 19th edition of the "Miss Model of the World" contest held in China.

Kënga Magjike

Every year, in a process starting in June and ending in November, Gjebrea, through his production house JonMusic and in cooperation with Klan TV, finalizes production on Kënga Magjike, a festival of the contemporary music for artists from Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The first Kenga Magjike was produced in 1999, and the last edition took place in November 2016. Kënga Magjike is broadcast live in Albania by Klan TV, Ora News and STV, in Kosovo by RTV21, in Macedonia by Alsat and across the Balkans by the Bulgarian network Ballkanika Music Television.

[[E Diela Shqiptare|''E Diela Shqiptare'']]

Since 2008, Gjebrea is the producer and host of E Diela Shqiptare (The Albanian Sunday), a Sunday afternoon show. E Diela Shqiptare includes debates, ballet, live music, performances, guests, sport results, and games.

Awards and nominations

Festivali i Këngës |- ||2001 ||"Ika Larg" |First place | |- ||2005 ||"Trëndelinë dhe këngë" |First place | |- ||2007 ||"E para letër" |First place/As Singer | |- ||2008 ||"Nuk mund të marrësh" |First place/As Producer and writer | |}

Kult Awards |- ||2006 ||"Rreth zjarrit tënd" |Album of the Year | |}

Videofest |- |Best Male Video | |- |The Most Popular Video | |}

Zhurma Show Awards |- |Best Song | |- |Best Album | |}

References

References

1. Tochka, Nicholas. (2024). "Projekt Jon". Bloomsbury Academic.
2. (October 24, 2021). "In the Junior Eurovision, Albania will be represented by Anna Gjebrea".
3. "Anna Gjebrea këndon këngën fituese, cila është artistja që rikthehet pas 16 vitesh në festivalin magjik? – Kenga Magjike 2025".
4. "Best SONG 2010 – Ardit Gjebrea Do ta Them – ZHURMA SHOW AWARDS 1 – ZICO TV HD".