About
Biography
Jonida Maliqi is an Albanian singer, born in Tirana. At a young age, she learned playing the piano and the violin. Later, she studied singing at the Academy of Arts in Tirana. At the age of 13, she participated in the Albanian national song contest Festival i Këngës 1995.
After her solo debut in 1999, Jonida Maliqi participated at Festivali i Këngës for three consecutive years. In 2003, Maliqi won “The Best Performer” category at Kënga Magjike. A year later, she won the Ethno Music Award. In 2005, she won the “Best Interpretation Award” at Kënga Magjike.
Maliqi starred in the Albanian version of The Ten Commandments: The Musical as Bithia in 2006. In the same year she released her debut album “Nuk Të Pres“. Together with Albanian pop singer Tuna she had a hit “Forca e Femrës”.
In 2008, Maliqi made a comeback with a new single “Njëri Nga Ata” which won Kënga Magjike. In 2010, she collaborated with Albanian rapper Big Basta in their song “Sot t’i Japim Fund”. She also participated in the 2011 Kënga Magjike.
In 2013, Maliqi starred at the musical “Romeo and Juliet” as Juliet opposite Albanian Skënderaj. In 2014, she co-hosted the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars whereas in 2015 she released a new song called “Jam Bërë Si Ti”.
In 2016, Maliqi appeared as a judge on the fifth season of The Voice of Albania.
On 10 May 2018, Maliqi released the song “N’Errësirë”. In December 2018, Maliqi won the 57th edition of the Festivali i Këngës, and thus became Albania’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Ktheju tokës”. The song finished seventeenth in the final.
In 2021, Maliqi co-hosted Festivali i Këngës 60. Together with Obie Kelz, she released a new song, “Need you”, in 2022.
