Alban Skënderaj

Alban Skënderaj was born on 20 April 1982 into an Albanian family in the city of Lushnjë, then part of the People's Socialist Republic, present Albania.[6][7][8] His father, Qerim Skënderaj, was born in the village of Ninësh, Mallakastër, and has served in the Albanian Armed Forces.[8][9] His mother, Afërdita Skënderaj, hailed from Vlorë and died from a serious disease in June 2017.[8][10] Skënderaj attended the Halim Xhelo secondary school in Vlorë.[7] At a young age, his family left Albania for political reasons as part of the Albanian Civil War in 1997 and relocated to Pistoia, Italy.[8][11][12] Skënderaj has three brothers, namely Arbër, Martin and Taulant.[8][13] After relocating to Italy, his brothers encouraged Skënderaj to pursue music and simultaneously began to compose music for himself in English and Italian. He additionally started taking music lessons and began to play guitar.[11] The master and composer Sandro Bartolozzi, his music coach, discovered his talent and took him to Florence, to the Artestudio53 of the arranger Franco Poggiali Berlinghieri, to show him his musical work by which he was inspired.[11] However, he continued singing with different bands at pubs, clubs and other venues.[14]

In 2005, Skënderaj competed in a festival called Top Fest Albania (Second edition), he won first place with "Vetem Ty" (Only You). The verses and the lyric of this song was a real attraction for the teens in all the countries around the world. Then he issued an album named «Fresh in the Desert» with the self-authored songs. On 3 August the same year he appeared at Albanian TV with his music video "Thirrje e Dëshperuar"(A desperate call). A year later he again won first place in the same festival, this time performing in a duet with Kosovar band "Kthjellu"; the winning song was titled "Diçka" (Something).[14]

In 2008, Skënderaj was invited to perform in a live concert held in Tirana, Albania together with some other Albanian singers, there, when he met for the first time Miriam Cani (German/Albanian singer) and then fell in love with each other. In 2013 he made her a proposal at Maldive islands singing his song "Nese thua po"(If you say yes) which became a hit. After 7 years together, on "Albanian Independence Day" 28 November 2015 Miriam gave birth to their first child.[14]

He won "Best Overall Singer" in the Videofest festival for the first time in 2007 with "Ky Ritëm" (This Rhythm). In June 2012 he won for second time in the Videofest festival with his clip "Mirësevjen në shpirtin tim" (Welcome to my soul)

He is also part of the jury in the X Factor.[15] In June 2006 he played the role of Romeo in the Albanian version of Gerard Presgurvic's musical Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour.[16] He sought to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany in a duet with Albanian singer and his fiancée Miriam Cani.

In 2018, Skënderaj held a recital concert in Palace of Congresses in Albania.[17]