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Bleona

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Bleona
Bleona Qereti's Ibiza photo shoot by Vincent Peters
Born
Bleona Nazmi Qereti

(1979-05-14) May 14, 1979 (age 46)
Korçë, Albania
EducationFan Noli University
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • model
  • television personality
Years active1996–present
Notable workDiscography
Musical career
Instruments
  • Vocals
WebsiteOfficial website

Bleona Nazmi Qereti (born May 14, 1979) is an Albanian-born American actress, singer-songwriter and producer.[1] She became one of the Albanian names that shone in music and the Hollywood scene.[2]

Life

[edit]

Qereti is an American citizen, and, as of 2010, lives in California, where she has worked with producers such as Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, and Grammy Award winner David Foster.[3] She has released eight studio albums in Albanian, and has released several singles in English, such as "Show Off", "Famous", "Take You Over", "Without You" and "Pass Out," the latter co-produced by Timbaland. On September 10, 2013, she released the single "Take It Like a Man", which went to No. 7 in the UK charts. She was also a celebrity judge on the fourth season of the Albanian version of The X Factor and the breakout star of the 2014 Bravo reality series Euros of Hollywood.

In February 2019, she landed her first number one single on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart with "I Don't Need Your Love."[4]

Early life and career

[edit]

Qereti was born on May 14, 1979 in Korçë, the daughter of Albanian parents Oli and Nazmi Qereti. [5]

Bleona began singing at age 5 when she joined the House of Pionieri. At 13, her parents encouraged her to focus on academics and give up on singing, but against their advice, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment. When she was 14 years old, Bleona earned an audition and landed her first major role as the lead singer for the Skampa Theater in Elbasan.

Following a performance at the Albanian National Music Festival at age 15, Bleona became a household name in her native country. She released her first single "Lermëni (Let Me Be Free)" in 1996, and the following year issued her debut album Kam Qejfin Tim (I Run My Own Game).[6][7] Bleona's first major tour took place that year, and she performed 25 summer shows at concert halls in Switzerland and Germany.[8] Bleona has said she learned Italian through music and often performs in Italian, and she also records in English and Albanian.[9] She studied the Stanislavski System of acting, graduating with a BA from the Academy of Performing Arts in Tirana. She also plays violin.[10]

1998–2008

[edit]
Bleona c. .

From 1998 through 2002, Bleona released four albums, all of which reached the charts in southeastern Europe.[11] 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 more than 80 concerts across Europe, and by 2002 was headlining outdoor concerts and festivals. In 2002, a concert program titled Nje xhiro neper Shqiperi (Walking Through Albania) was issued; footage is available online.[12] In 2003, Bleona released Ti Nuk Di As Me Ma Lyp. A 2004 piece in the Albanian daily Panorama relayed her own claim that the album had sold 400,000 copies by that time.[13] Over the next four years, she again toured throughout Kosovo, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and co-headlined with the rock group, Elita 5.[14]

Reports have linked an early U.S. appearance to New York’s Webster Hall in 2004.[citation needed] Since 2013, she has performed at U.S. events including White Party Palm Springs and Las Vegas Pride, and she staged concerts in the Balkans in 2012.[15][16][17][18]


In 2005, her song S'dua received the Television Prize (Çmimi Televiziv) at the Kënga Magjike (Magic Song) festival in Tirana, Albania.[19] According to her official biography, Bleona's eighth album, Mandarin, reportedly sold over 800,000 copies in 2007, breaking her previous record.[20] In theme with the album, which means "tangerine", she dyed her hair red in 2006 and kept it that way until 2007, featuring the color in three music videos.[21] In 2008, Bleona won two awards (media and internet) with the song "Magnetic" at the "Magic Song Festival Awards".[22]

Bleona on the cover of CCercle Magazine.

2009–2012

[edit]

Bleona moved to the U.S. in September 2010. Shortly afterward, she met producer Timbaland while both were attending the Grammy Awards, and after a year of discussions, she began working with him on three new tracks.[23] Her first English language single, "Show Off", featuring Petey Pablo, was released on September 27, 2010. Bleona has also worked on songs with Rodney Jerkins, Makeba, and Jimmy Douglass.[24]

In February 2011, Bleona became a citizen of the United States.[25]

In September 2012, Bleona's co-produced single with Timbaland, "Pass Out", featuring Brasco, was released.[26] She toured Europe to promote the single, performing in Albania in the cities of Vlora, Elbasan, Shkoder and Tirana; the capital city of Pristina in Kosovo; Tetovo in Macedonia and Düsseldorf, Germany. Supporting her on tour was DJ Freestyle Steve and Brasco. According to CNA, in 2012, Bleona’s tour concerts “exceeded all expectations, reaching over 70,000 spectators.”[27]

A shooting for the music video of "Monster" in Italy.

2013–present

[edit]

In mid-2013, Bleona announced the release of her single "Take It Like a Man", produced by StopWaitGo.[28] A review on EQ Music Blog described "Take It Like a Man" as "a pop fizzy anthem that bubbles with euro pop sensibility".[29] She celebrated the track reaching number 7 on the UK club charts by headlining Las Vegas Gay Pride on September 7, 2013.[30]

Bleona was invited to perform consecutive years at the Palm Springs White Party, in 2013 and 2014.[31][32]

In 2015, following her time as a judge on X Factor Europe, Bleona's single "Take You Over" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[33]

Bleona recorded her version of the 1980s Italian hit song "Su di noi", originally by Enzo Ghinazzi. Her music video for the track was shot at the iconic El Matador Beach in Malibu, California. In February 2019, she landed her first number-one single on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with the hit track "I Don't Need Your Love".[33]

Other ventures

[edit]

Television

[edit]

Bleona made her acting debut in 2012 with an appearance in an episode of Steven Seagal's True Justice. In 2017, she landed a role alongside Dolph Lundgren in Dead Trigger. The following year, Bleona appeared in 211, an action-thriller starring Nicolas Cage. Bleona was cast as Nova in the 2019 series Paper Empire in what would be her first major role alongside Wesley Snipes, Denise Richards, Robert Ravi and Anne Archer.[34]

In February 2014, Bleona started shooting a new reality television series titled Euros of Hollywood which premiered on November 3, 2014, on Bravo. The show followed Bleona recording her first album in English and her life in America on becoming a global superstar. In 2015, Bleona returned to Albania where she was a member of the X Factor jury. In 2016, she was a member of the Albanian Your Face Sounds Familiar jury.[35] Bleona played the role of Nova in the series Paper Empire, which debuted in 2019. The show featured an ensemble cast including Wesley Snipes, Denise Richards, Robert Davi, and Anne Archer.[36] In 2021, Bleona joined the Albanian reality television show Love Story as an opinionist.[37]

Television

[edit]
Television
Title Year Role Ref
Fashion News Live 2011 Herself [38]
Red Carpet Report 2012 Herself
True Justice 2012 Luna [39]
Euros of Hollywood 2014 Herself
X Factor: Albania 2015 Herself [40]
Your Face Sounds Familiar Albania 2016 Herself [41]
Paper Empire 2020 Nova [42]
Love Story 2021 Herself [43]

Films

[edit]
Films
Title Year Role Ref
211 2018 Christine [44]
Dead Trigger 2019 Natalie
Falco 2019 Frida Kodra [45]
Chief of Station 2024 Bianca [46]

Personal life

[edit]

Qereti is multilingual and is fluent in English, Italian, and Albanian.[47][48] In 2009, she moved to the city of Los Angeles, United States, and became a naturalized American citizen in 2011.

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Bleona discography
  • Kam Qejfin Tim (1997)
  • Nese Me Do Fort (1999)
  • S'me Behet Vone (2001)
  • Ik Meso Si Dashurohet (2002)
  • Ti Nuk Di As Me Ma Lyp (2003)
  • Greatest Hits (2005)
  • Boom Boom (2005)
  • Mandarin (2007)

Weekly charts

[edit]
I Don't Need Your Love (2019) Peak position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[49] 1
Wicked Love (2018) Peak position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[49] 12
Monster (2018) Peak position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[49] 12
Take You Over (2015) Peak position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[49] 3
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[50] 28

Billboard Dance Chart success

[edit]

Bleona has achieved notable success on the Billboard Dance Club Songs and Dance/Electronic Songs charts, with several of her singles reaching high positions.[51]

  • "Take It Like a Man" peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[52]
  • "Take You Over" charted at number 3 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and number 28 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[53][54]
  • "Wicked Love" reached number 12 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[55]
  • "I Don't Need Your Love" reached number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[56]
  • "Monster" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[57]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bleona Qereti #Bio" (in Albanian). Top Channel. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "Bleona Qereti shines in Hollywood: She speaks in Albanian in the movie "Chief of Station"". Telegrafi. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "Spotlight On Bleona". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  4. ^ "Dance Club Songs – February 16, 2019". Billboard. February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Bleona Qereti celebrated her 35th birthday, her parents make her a cake in the shape of the 'Walk of Fame' star". Telegrafi. May 15, 2020. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Bleona Qereti – biografi e shkurtër". Kosova Sot (in Albanian). May 3, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "Bleona – Albums". Bleona.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "Spotlight on Bleona". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "Bleona tells how she learned the Italian language and reveals her favorite childhood song". Telegrafi. January 10, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  10. ^ "Bleona". Bravo TV. September 26, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  11. ^ "Bleona – Artist Page". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  12. ^ "Bleona Qereti – Nje Xhiro Neper Shqiperi". YouTube. June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "Bleona Qerreti në delir: Albumi "Ti nuk di as me ma lyp" u shit në 400 mijë kopje". Panorama (in Albanian). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  14. ^ "Fenomeni Bleona Weston 35 vjetorin". gazetashqiptare. May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Schiavone, Renee (March 1, 2013). "Palm Springs' 2013 White Party Lineup Announced". Patch. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  16. ^ "Singer Bleona Qereti performs at the Splash Pool Party, Palm Springs White Party". Getty Images. March 30, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  17. ^ "Bleona Qereti performed again at Vegas Pride in support of the LGBTI community". Telegrafi. May 17, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  18. ^ "Bleona: I did not pay for the album with my husband's money". Telegrafi (in Albanian). September 7, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  19. ^ "Genta Ismajli fiton çmimin e parë tek "Kënga Magjike 2005"". Albasoul (in Albanian). November 21, 2005. Archived from the original on November 21, 2005. Retrieved September 29, 2025. Çmimi Televiziv: Bleona Qerreti
  20. ^ "Bleona Biography". Wall of Celebrities. Wall of Celebrities. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  21. ^ "Bleona ft. Hekurani ft. Gentz – Mandarine (Official Video HD)". YouTube. Bleona Official. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  22. ^ "Interviste 60 Sekonda". Youtube. October 21, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  23. ^ "Spotlight on Bleona". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  24. ^ "Spotlight on Bleona". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  25. ^ "Bleona Q World". Daily Motion. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  26. ^ "Albanian Fire! Bleona Debuts "Pass Out" (Featuring Timbaland)". Europopped. October 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  27. ^ "Stani, the beginning of a new decade / Bleona comes as a "Modern Amazon"". CNA. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  28. ^ "Introducing Bleona". Hit The Floor. July 23, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  29. ^ Rogers, Mandy (June 5, 2013). "Watch "Take It Like A Man" by Bleona". EQ Music Blog. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  30. ^ "Las Vegas PRIDE 2013 Festival Entertainment". lasvegaspride.org. Southern Nevada Association of PRIDE, Inc. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  31. ^ Schiavone, Renee (March 1, 2013). "Palm Springs' 2013 White Party Lineup Announced". Patch. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  32. ^ Descant, Skip (April 30, 2014). "White Party weekend a blur of club culture". The Desert Sun. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Bleona | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  34. ^ "Paper Empire – Where to Watch and Stream". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  35. ^ "Euros Of Hollywood". Bravo. NBCUniversal. September 26, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  36. ^ "Paper Empire – Where to Watch and Stream". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  37. ^ "Bleona joins Love Story as opinionist". Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  38. ^ "Bleona". IMDb. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  39. ^ "True Justice". Reelz. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  40. ^ "The X Factor Albania". Top Channel (in Albanian). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  41. ^ "Your Face Sounds Familiar Albania". TV Klan (in Albanian). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  42. ^ "Paper Empire – Where to Watch and Stream". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  43. ^ "Bleona joins Love Story as opinionist". Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  44. ^ "211 – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  45. ^ "Falco". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  46. ^ "Chief of Station – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  47. ^ "Bleona tells how she learned the Italian language and reveals her favorite childhood song". Telegrafi. January 10, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  48. ^ "Bleona – About". Bleona.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  49. ^ a b c d "Bleona Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  50. ^ "Bleona Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
  51. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  52. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  53. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  54. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  55. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  56. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  57. ^ "Bleona – Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
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