Elsa Lila is an Albanian singer.

Early life

Elsa Lila was born in Tirana, Albania. Her father was a singer of the former Albanian state choir, while her mother was a violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist, so both parents raised her on theatre, and music, giving her a great love for the arts. Elsa had shown her singing and acting talents ever since childhood in Albanian state television shows and had won the Albanian national song contest 2 years in a row while in her teens.

Awards

In 1996, at age 15, Elsa won the Albanian national song contest, and won the Albanian public award through televoting. In 1997 she repeated herself, and won the Albanian national song contest, and public award. In 1998, she was noticed by all of Europe when she won Albania the Varna international song contest in Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, where 14 other countries participated. In the same year she 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 2001, she was awarded "Ambassador of the Albanian Music in the World" by president Rexhep Mejdani of the republic of Albania. She was recognised also all around Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, and America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 when she modeled for various magazine covers in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, and sang at the famous Avery Fisher Hall to the American State Secretary, in 2005, and in China she sang the jingle of the popular Chinese television program CCTV while she was a guest there. In 2007 She takes part at the 57th Sanremo Song Contest with the song “Il senso della vita” that precedes the album coming out at springtime. In December 2008 she was the host of 47th Festivali I Këngës in Tirana and she sang a song with the famous Italian singer Enrico Ruggeri

Enrico Ruggeri

Enrico Ruggeri is an Italian rock singer-songwriter.-Biography:A native of Milan, Ruggeri made his debut in the 1970s with the punk band Decibel...

, and it's the soundtrack of the upcoming movie of director Gjergj Xhuvani

Gjergj Xhuvani

Gjergj Xhuvani is an Albanian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He graduated from Tirana's Academy of Arts in 1986....

.

Singles

• "Moj e bukura Shqipëri", (Thou beautiful Albania
  Albania
  Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
  
  )
• "Pyes lotin", (I ask the tear)
• "Vetem nje fjale", (Only a word)
• "L'amore che ho", (The power of love)
• "Il senso della vita", (The meaning of life) Italian charts 9
• "Larg urrejtjes", (Away from hatred)
• "Valeria"