Donald Najtellari (; born 1 May 1984), known professionally as Young Zerka, is an Albanian singer and songwriter. Born in

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 ...

and raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Najtellari grew up in a Jamaican household and began singing and writing music as a teenager. He later relocated to Albania and eventually rose to significant prominence in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. His musical career is marked by fusing elements of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

as well as his distinctive vocal and writing style.

Life and career

Najtellari was born on 1 May 1984 into an Albanian family in the city of

, Albania. At an early age, Najtellari emigrated to England settling in the city of

. He was raised in a Jamaican household, which according to him, had a particular influence on his artistic formation. In both 2008 and 2009, Najtellari appeared on the music competition Top Fest with the songs "Sfera" and "Shpirt i plakur", respectively. In 2014, he was featured on Kosovo-Albanian singer

Dhurata Dora Dhurata Dora (; born 24 December 1992) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter. Life and career Dhurata Murturi was born into an Albanian family in the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. She went to elementary school in the town of F ...

's "Roll" and "A Bombi", as well as on Albanian singer Alban Skënderaj's "24 orë". In December 2014, he collaborated with Albanian singer

Aurela Gaçe Aurela Gaçe (; born 16 October 1974) is an Albanian singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Her music career made her to be called as the diva of South Albania. Awards A three-time Festivali i Këngës winner, a three-time K ...

on the single "Pa kontroll", with whom they eventually won the 16th edition of the annual music competition

Kënga Magjike Kënga Magjike (; ) is an annual music competition organised by the Albanian television broadcaster Televizioni Klan. The music competition has been broadcasting annually since its inauguration in 1999 with the exception of 2020 and 2023. The f ...

. His success continued in May 2015 with the release of the follow-up single "Boom Boom", which reached number 11 in Albania. Following the 2022 release of his original song, "Nafije", produced by popular artist and producer Alandy, on January 12, 2023, a remix was introduced to the public. The collaboration between Young Zerka, DJ Geek,

Dafina Zeqiri Dafina Zeqiri (; born 14 April 1989), also known mononymously as Dafina, is a Swedish-born Kosovo-Albanian singer. Life and career Dafina Zeqiri was born on 14 April 1989 into an Albanian family from Kosovo in the city of Varberg, Sweden. ...

, and MC Kresha peaked charts in Albania at #2 on Top Music Awards. Young Zerka, along with Alandy, appeared on Albania's top performing television show hosted by Luana Vjollca, Zemër Luana, for a debut television performance of the original "Nafije".

Artistry

Najtellari's musical style has generally been regarded as

and

. His musical inspiration varies from reagge musicians such as

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

and

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band Bob Marley and the Wa ...

to pop artists as for instance

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Discography

Extended play

*''High Five'' (2020)

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young Zerka Living people Entertainers from Korçë Musicians from London Albanian musicians Albanian pop singers Albanian reggae singers Albanian-language singers Albanian songwriters 21st-century Albanian male singers Albanian emigrants to England Kënga Magjike winners 1984 births