Elena Risteska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elena Risteska
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Risteska in October 2009
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| Background information | |
| Native name |
Елена Ристеска
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| Also known as | Elena |
| Born | 27 April 1986 Skopje, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Macedonia) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels |
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Elena Risteska (born April 27, 1986), often called just Elena, is a famous singer from North Macedonia. She became well-known when she represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. Her song "Ninanajna" helped her finish in 12th place. This was the best result for North Macedonia at Eurovision until 2019.
Elena also writes songs for other artists. She has written for singers like 4Play and Lambe Alabakoski. She also competed in the Serbian TV show Your Face Sounds Familiar, where she came in second place.
Contents
Elena's Journey: Early Life and Career Start
Growing Up: Elena's Early Interests
Elena Risteska was born in Skopje, which is now the capital of North Macedonia, on April 27, 1986. Her parents are Acko and Desa. From a young age, Elena loved the arts. She got her interest in music from her mother.
In 1994, she joined a club called KUD "Kočo Racin." This club focused on folk dance and songs. Elena was also active in school. She sang in the "Young Imitators" show and joined the drama club.
First Steps in Music and TV
In 1996, Elena first appeared on television. She sang the song "Flamingo" on the Mak-Karaoke Show. In the same year, she started learning English and French. She also sang in her school choir. Her first tour was to Bulgaria with her folk dance club.
By 1998, Elena was winning many awards for her drawings. She toured Bulgaria again with her folk dance club in 2000.
Becoming a Star: Her Professional Beginning
Elena became famous in North Macedonia after winning a music reality television show called "Play - Search For A Star." Her first song, "Ona Drugoto" ("The Other Thing"), became a big hit. This led to her successful first album, Den i Nok (Day and Night).
Many songs from her first album also became popular in North Macedonia and other Balkan countries. Elena is also a songwriter. She has written songs for many artists, including 4Play, Lambe Alabakoski, and Aleksandra Pileva.
After her first album's success, Elena started to perform outside North Macedonia. In 2004, she sang at the Golden Stag Festival in Braşov, Romania. In 2005, she performed "Ni na nebo, ni na zemja" ("Neither heaven nor earth") at the Sunčane Skale music festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Her music video was shown on MTV Adria, and her popularity grew even more.
Eurovision Song Contest 2006: A Big Moment
Representing Her Country at Eurovision
On March 4, 2006, Elena Risteska won the contest to represent North Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was called "Ninanajna". Darko Dimitrov wrote and produced the music, and Rade Vrčakovski wrote the lyrics.
"Ninanajna" is a fast-paced pop song. It also has parts of R&B, disco, and dance music. Elena made a music video for the song. In the video, she was shown as a bright, caring girl looking for love.
Eurovision Performance and Results
Elena qualified for the Eurovision final. She finished in 12th place with 56 points. This was the highest finish for North Macedonia at Eurovision until 2019. In 2019, Tamara Todevska came in 7th place with 305 points.
Elena's Career: After Eurovision and Beyond
New Music and Albums in 2007
In July 2006, Elena performed "Ne Mogu" ("I Can't") at the Sunčane Skale festival. She finished 10th there. In September, Elena traveled to Yerevan, Armenia. She performed as a guest at a concert for Andre, who represented Armenia in Eurovision 2006. Her Eurovision song "Ninanajna" was very popular in Armenia.
In October, Elena released a new song called "Esen Vo Mene" ("Autumn In Me"). Darko Dimitrov also composed this song. Elena's second album, 192, was released at the end of 2006. It included "Ninanajna," "Esen Vo Mene," and a Macedonian version of "Ne Mogu," along with new songs.
Eurovision Involvement and Serbian Album
In 2007, Elena was part of Skopje Fest 2007. This was the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She didn't perform, but she wrote the lyrics for "Belo e se" ("Everything is White"). This song was performed by Lambe Alabakoski and came in third place. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Elena announced the results of North Macedonia's votes.
Elena also performed at the Radijski Festival on December 15, 2007. She sang "Kreveta dva," which is the Serbian version of her song Ima li kraj. Elena came in second place with Karolina Gočeva. She won two awards: one for best performance and another from Radio OSM Pale. At the end of 2007, she released her first Serbian language album, Milioner. It had many songs from "192" re-recorded in Serbian.
New Songs and Concerts (2008-Present)
In 2008, Elena released her first English song, "Million Dollar Player." It came with a music video. The video was made by "Corrino Media Group" and directed by Mike Static. Leroy Chambers, who wrote the lyrics, appeared in the video as her "Millionaire."
After that, she made a video for her song "Nekade Daleku" from the album 192. She also made a video for the Serbian version of the same song, called "Bye, Bye." This song was on her album Milioner. The director of the video was Aleksandar Ristovski - Princ. She also released a new duet with "Parketi" called "Sakam Da Te Galam."
On December 19, 2008, Elena held her first solo concert in Skopje. It took place at the Metropolis Arena. Other artists like Lambe Alabakovski, Tuna, Parketi, and Regina joined her on stage.
In 2009, she released a video for her song "Usni Kako Temno Mastilo". Aleksandar Ristovski - Princ directed this video too. On November 3, 2009, Elena released her song "Dosta." This was the first song from her fourth album. On March 14, 2010, she released her second song from that album, "Sakam Po Dobro Da Te Pamtam." Later that year, Elena released "Srekna Nov Godina" (Happy New Year).
In 2010, Elena became a judge on the "M2 Search For A Star" show. This was the same show where she was discovered. In 2011, Elena was named "Best Song in the Balkans from North Macedonia for 2010" for her hit song "Sakam Po Dobro Da Te Pamtam." On June 24, 2011, Elena and Lambe Alabakovski released their second duet, "Najdobro Do Sega" (The Best Til Now). A music video was made for this song, which became a summer hit.
Later in August 2011, Elena held a special concert in Ohrid, North Macedonia. She sang many traditional Macedonian songs and some of her past hits with a traditional style. In September 2012, she announced her new song, "Opasni Vreminja." It was released in October with a new video. She filmed the video in different places in North Macedonia, including Ohrid.
In late 2014, she was a contestant on the Serbian TV show Your Face Sounds Familiar. She imitated singers like Nina Badric, Severina, Jennifer Lopez, and Esma Redzepova. She won one week as Jennifer Lopez, singing "Booty." She was chosen by the public to be in the finals. She finished as the runner-up in the finals, performing as Beyoncé and singing "End of Time."
In 2022, Elena performed her song "Dozivotno" with Macedonian singer Karolina Gočeva. This was during Karolina's New Year's Eve show on Macedonian Radio Television (MRT). The video of their live performance was released online in July 2023.
Elena's Artistic Style and Influences
Her Unique Voice and Stage Presence
Elena Risteska is known for her special voice, which is called a mezzo-soprano vocal range. She is also known for her strong presence on stage. Throughout her career, people have often compared her to famous singers like Beyonce and Christina Aguilera.
Elena has said that Beyonce and Christina Aguilera have greatly influenced her singing, dancing, and stage performances. She even covered Beyonce's song "Halo" in 2010. When she was very young, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston were her main influences. But as she grew older, she found more inspiration in Beyonce Knowles and Christina Aguilera. In 2010, Risteska also covered "Hit the Road Jack" with Lambe Alabakovski.
Elena Risteska: Music Albums and Singles
Studio Albums
- Den i Nok (2003)
- 192 (2006)
- Milioner (2008)
- The Very Best of ... Elena Risteska (2009)
- Bez Šminka (2016)
Solo Songs (Singles)
- 2002: "Ona Drugoto"
- 2003: "Den I Nok"
- 2003: "Raj I Pekol"
- 2003: "Vo Tvojot Svet" (with Adnan)
- 2003: "Ne Sakam Da Krijam"
- 2004: "Pobeda Za Nas" (with Emil Arsov)
- 2004: "Ni Na Nebo, Ni Na Zemja"
- 2006: "Ninanajna"
- 2006: "Ne Mogu"
- 2006: "Ljubav Nije Za Nas" (with Grupa Regina)
- 2006: "Esen Vo Mene"
- 2007: "192"
- 2007: "Milioner" (featuring Leroy Chambers)
- 2007: "Kreveta Dva"
- 2008: "Million Dollar Player
- 2008: "Nekade Daleku/Bye, Bye"
- 2008: "More Sokol Pie"
- 2008: "Sakam Da Te Galam" (with Parketi)
- 2009: "Usni Kako Temno Mastilo/Usne Boje Tamnog Mastila"
- 2009: "Dosta"
- 2010: "A moževme"
- 2010: "Sakam Po Dobro Da Te Pamtam"
- 2010: "Srekna Nova Godina"
- 2011: "Najdobro Do Sega" (with Lambe Alabakovski)
- 2012: "Opasno Vreme"
- 2012: "Ne laži me"
- 2013: "Što si ti"
- 2015: "Doživotno"
- 2015: "Na ista adresa"
Songs Featuring Elena
- 2006: "Zaspana Ubavica" feat. Vrčak
- 2006: "Na Nekoi Drugi Svetovi" (with Lambe Alabakoski feat. Vrčak)
- 2008: "Sakam Zeleno" (feat. other singers)
- 2008: "Come and Get Me" (with SnowBlack)
- 2009: "Icelenie" (feat. other singers)
- 2011: "Makedonija"(Memorija) (feat. other singers)
Awards and Recognitions
Golden Lady Bug Awards
- Discovery of the Year (2006)
- Female Singer of the Year (2006)
Night of Stars Awards
- Most Attractive Singer of the Year (2004)
Sunčane Skale Festival Awards
- Princeton Award for Debut of the Year (2006)
- Duet of the Year: "Love Is Not For Us" (2007)
High School Union Awards
- Discovery of the Year (2006)
- Most Successful Female Singer of the Year (2006)
Other Awards
- SMS Hit of the Year (voted by Antenna 5 radio listeners)
- Female Singer of the Year (voted by MS television listeners)
- Duet of the Year: "Ljubav Nije Za Nas" (Love is not for us)" (Oscar of Popularity) (2006)
Radijski Festival Awards
- The best interpretation (2007)
- The award from Radio OSM Pale (2007)
Balkan Music Award
- Best Song in the Balkans from Macedonia - 2010
See also
In Spanish: Elena Risteska para niños
