Swiss-born singer Ilira was born Ilira Gashi in Brienz on October 29, 1994, and
is of Kosovo-Albanian extraction, drawing upon various aspects of her cultural
heritage within her music. She cites her musical influences as ranging from
Nirvana to Rihanna but also references Middle Eastern styles of music within her
writing. Her career in music began in 2010 when she entered the Swiss regional
heats for the Eurovision Song Contest with her band The Colors. The band
performed “Home” and were placed third in the competition, not enough to secure
a place in Eurovision but it did bring...