Eli Fara (; born 21 May 1967) is an Albanian singer. Prior to 2000, she was awarded the

Merited Artist of Albania Merited Artist of Albania () was a state honorary title for the decoration of outstanding art performers of People's Socialist Republic of Albania. It was created by law in 1960 and amended in 1980. The title was no longer given in Albania after t ...

by the Government of Albania.

Life and career

Fara was born on 21 May 1967 in the city of

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

, then part of the People's Socialist Republic, present

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. She is of Aromanian descent, her surname means

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

. She first came to prominence as a performer of the urban folk songs of her home region. In 1988, she was invited to appear at the National Folklore Festival in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

. Albania had no record industry to speak of prior to the

fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

and as late as 1993 it was still only possible to buy cassette albums by a handful of artists - one of whom was Eli Fara. She has spent much of the intervening period overseas but has remained very popular in her native country. In recent years she has recorded more modern music although she still sings some of the folk songs from Korçë that first brought her to the attention of the Albanian public. In 2012, Fara was a finalist at Kënga Magjike (The Magic song) with "Romale", a song mixed with various genres.Lista e plotë e finalistëve të Kënga Magjike 2012
(Albanian)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fara, Eli 1967 births Living people Entertainers from Korçë Merited Artists of Albania Albanian-language singers Albanian people of Aromanian descent Aromanian musicians 21st-century Albanian women singers Albanian pop musicians 20th-century Albanian women singers