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 27 April 1986), often called Elena, is a famous singer from North Macedonia. She became well-known when she represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens. Her song was called "Ninanajna". She finished in 12th place, which 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 took part in a TV show called Your Face Sounds Familiar in Serbia. On this show, she imitated other famous singers and came in second place.
Contents
Biography
Early life and first steps
Elena Risteska was born in Skopje 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 was for folk dance and songs. Elena also sang in school shows and was part of the drama club.
In 1996, Elena first appeared on TV. She sang on a show called Mak-Karaoke Show. At the same time, she started learning English and French. She sang in the school choir and went on her first tour to Bulgaria with her folk dance club. Elena also won many awards for her drawings.
Becoming a professional singer
Elena became famous in North Macedonia after winning a music reality television show. It was 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 this album also became popular in North Macedonia and other Balkan countries.
Elena also writes songs for other artists. She has written for singers like 4Play, Lambe Alabakoski, and Aleksandra Pileva.
After her first album did well, Elena started to perform outside North Macedonia. In 2004, she sang at the Golden Stag Festival in Romania. In 2005, she performed at the Sunčane Skale music festival in Montenegro. Her music video was even shown on MTV Adria. This helped her become more popular.
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
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 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.
Elena made it to 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.
After Eurovision - 2007
In July 2006, Elena sang "Ne Mogu" ("I Can't") at the Sunčane Skale festival. She came in 10th place. In September, Elena went to Yerevan, Armenia. She performed as a guest at a concert by Andre, who represented Armenia in Eurovision 2006. Her 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, came out at the end of 2006. It included "Ninanajna," "Esen Vo Mene," and a Macedonian version of "Ne Mogu."
In 2007, Elena helped with Skopje Fest 2007. This was the contest to choose North Macedonia's song for Eurovision. She didn't sing, but she wrote the lyrics for "Belo e se" ("Everything is White"). Lambe Alabakoski performed this song, and it came in third place. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Elena announced the voting results for North Macedonia.
Elena also sang at the Radijski Festival in December 2007. She performed "Kreveta dva," which is the Serbian version of her song Ima li kraj. She finished second with Karolina Gočeva. Elena won two awards: one for best singing and another from Radio OSM Pale. At the end of 2007, she released her first Serbian language album, Milioner. It had many of the same songs from "192," but sung in Serbian.
From 2008 to today
In 2008, Elena released her first English song, "Million Dollar Player." This was the English version of her popular song "Milioner." She made a music video for it.
She also made videos for her songs "Nekade Daleku" and "Bye, Bye." She also sang a new duet with "Parketi" called "Sakam Da Te Galam."
On December 19, 2008, Elena had her first big solo concert in Skopje. Many guest artists joined her, like Lambe Alabakovski and Tuna.
In 2009, she released a video for her song "Usni Kako Temno Mastilo". On November 3, 2009, Elena released "Dosta." This was the first song from her fourth album. In 2010, she released "Sakam Po Dobro Da Te Pamtam" and "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 first discovered. In 2011, she won "Best Song in the Balkans from North Macedonia for 2010" for "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). They also made a music video for it. In August, Elena had a special concert in Ohrid. She sang many traditional Macedonian songs and some of her hits with a traditional style. In September 2012, she announced her new song, "Opasni Vreminja," which came out in October with a new video.
In late 2014, Elena was on the Serbian TV show Your Face Sounds Familiar. She imitated singers like Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. She won one week as Jennifer Lopez. She made it to the finals and finished as the runner-up, singing as Beyoncé.
In 2022, Elena performed her song "Dozivotno" with Macedonian singer Karolina Gočeva. They sang it for a New Year's Eve show on Macedonian Radio Television (MRT).
Artistry
Musical influences
Elena Risteska is known for her strong mezzo-soprano voice and exciting stage performances. People often compare her to famous singers like Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. Elena has said that these two artists inspire her singing, dancing, and stage presence. She even covered Beyonce's song "Halo" in 2010.
When she was very young, Elena was influenced by Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. But as she grew up, she found more inspiration in Beyonce Knowles and Christina Aguilera. In 2010, Elena also covered "Hit the Road Jack" with Lambe Alabakovski.
Discography
Albums
- Den i Nok (2003)
- 192 (2006)
- Milioner (2008)
- The Very Best of ... Elena Risteska (2009)
- Bez Šminka (2016)
Compilations
- Play: Search for a new Star (Compilation)
- Makedonija Zasekogaš
- Oriental Garden - VOL 7
- Najdobro od Makedonija (The Best of Macedonia)
- Best Of Elena Risteska & Lambe Alabakovski
Solo 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"
Featured Singles
- 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
Golden Lady Bug
- Discovery of the Year
2006:
- Female Singer of the Year
Night of Stars
2004:
- Most Attractive Singer of the Year
Sunčane Skale
2006:
- Princeton Award for Debut of the Year
2007:
- Duet of the Year: "Love Is Not For Us"
High School Union
- Discovery of the Year
2006:
- Most Successful Female Singer of the Year
Other awards
- SMS Hit of the Year (as voted by the listeners of Antenna 5 radio)
- Female Singer of the Year (as voted by the listeners of MS television)
2006:
- Duet of the Year: "Ljubav Nije Za Nas" (Love is not for us)" (Oscar of Popularity)
Radijski Festival
2007:
- The best interpretation
- The award from Radio OSM Pale
Balkan Music Award
- Best Song in the Balkans from Macedonia - 2010
See also
In Spanish: Elena Risteska para niños
