Performance Roneli Hajati in the semi-finals Eurovision 2022 in Turin caused considerable controversy – according to some, it was “too provocative”. The singer was accompanied by half-naked dancers from Italy, as well as her compatriot – Claudia Pepa.
After rehearsals, Ronela’s performance was criticized as “very chaotic”, but the singer’s energy and charisma were appreciated. Bookmakers also believed in advancing to the end, giving her almost a 70 percent chance. Ultimately, it turned out that Hajati did not make it to the finals, which was one of the biggest surprises of that competition.
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“I won Eurovision because the audience won! And the audience is always right! I LOVE IT,” Ronela wrote after the defeat.
Hajati, from Tirana, has been announcing the release of her debut album “RRON” for a long time. In 2021, she released five singles that were supposed to be included on this album. The next three – including “Gyps” (guest star MatoLale) – appeared a year later. Her songs (or those with her guest appearance) regularly receive a dozen or even tens of millions of views.
The latest song is a duet with Kamala – “Epoka” – which collected over 2.5 million views. “The era of the good girl is over,” announced the singer, presenting a significantly changed image.
The singer’s father was a journalist Marash Hajati. Ronel was interested in music from an early age, and already during her professional career, she performed at the most important events in the country.
She gained popularity with the song “Mala Gata” from 2013. Since then, Ronela has been one of the biggest stars of the pop scene in Albania. In 2020, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the football club KF Tirana (the most successful team from this country), they sang the team’s anthem – “Bardh’ e blu”.
Hajati did not abandon her plans to conquer Europe – in 2023 she entered the pre-selection for Eurovision as San Marino. Ultimately, she failed to qualify among the top 10 finalists.
For several years, she was privately associated with a singer and composer with a pseudonym Young Zerka (together they recorded the hits “Syn i jemi” and “Diamanta”). Their relationship broke up after Zerka was not interested in formalizing their relationship, which was what the singer wanted.