A Field Guide To Bleona

Bleona Qereti - more commonly known as Bleona – recently made headlines after showing up at the AMAs in a seethrough dress that she (literally) had to be sewn in to. While that act of sartorial daring was enough to endear her to us for life, a bit of research reveals that Bleona's more than just a pretty face (and a rocking bod in an invisible dress). The talented singer, actress, and reality star has oft been referred to as "the Madonna of Albania" – and like Madonna, she really knows how to make an impression.

Bleona was born May 14, 1979, in Albania. Fame came early to this talented lass: by the age of five, she was already performing in Albanian music festivals and joined the cast of "The House of Pionieri" (apparently the Albanian equivalent to the Mickey Mouse Club). But even with that early success, her prudent parents still encouraged her to have a back up plan. As a teenager, Bleona enrolled in a private school to study finance. Though the lessons never really won her over (she's said she frequently skipped out of class to rehearse for shows), her education did leave her with some important life skills. Bleona's multilingual (she speaks – and sings in – English, Albanian, Italian, and German), a skill that's come in handy as she's racked up fans across Europe and around the world. But more on that in a second.

Despite her parents' attempts to make her into a banker (or whatever career you follow with a finance education), the pull towards entertainment was too much for Bleona to resist. In 1996 she released her first single, with her first album following a mere year later; not long after she embarked on her first major tour, playing over 25 summer shows at concert halls in Switzerland and Germany. And once she'd started, there was no stopping her: Bleona continued to record and tour at a frantic pace, with four albums and over a 100 live shows under her belt by the age of twenty-one. (And, just to prove she wasn't neglecting her education, she also managed to go to school too: Bleona holds a BA from the Academy of Performing Arts in Tirana.)

As Bleona's star rose ever higher in the European music scene, she found herself hungering after a more elusive goal: American fame. In 2004, the pop star took her first our of the US, performing at New York City's Webster Hall. Five years later, she'd moved to our fair shores and and began networking (and working) with various American music luminaries, including Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Makeba, and Jimmy Douglass. And in 2011, Bleona's American dream went one step further, when the Albanian star formally became a citizen of the United States. She also put her college studies to work, dipping her toe into the world of acting with a role in a 2012 episode of Steven Segal's "True Justice."

So, after all that success, how does a Euro pop princess turned American celebrity take things to the next level? Why, the most American thing of all: become the star of her very own reality series. As of this year, Bleona is one of the stars of Bravo TV series "Euros of Hollywood," a show following six European celebrities as they try to make it in America (Bleona's costars include Fawni, Isabel Adrian, Jannik Olander, Massimo Dobrovic, and Sascha Gerecht).

If you're curious to see what Bleona's like when she's not nearly naked on the red carpet, take a gander at a few of these clips. Even the jaded recappers over at Gawker found themselves blown away by her sheer star power, commenting that, "I don't know if he or really any of us was ready for Bleona, the self-described 'Madonna of Albania.' She has come to LA to drive around a gold car with the license plate 'Bleonaire' and drink the tears of customer service workers and studio engineers... She's loud! She's brassy! She's aggressive! And apparently with good reason: she started supporting her family at the age of 14 after civil unrest cost her father his job, and hasn't stopped since. She has that 'Beyonce effect' where when she's on screen everyone else just seems like a backup dancer."

(Is it just us, or does sound like the perfect woman?)

It remains to be seen whether Bleona conquers the US the way she conquered Europe, but friends, we are most definitely rooting for her. She's a talented and spunky lady with serious star power, which is more than enough to keep us entertained. And hey, at the very least, Bleona media domination means more of Bleona's fabulous fashion – and we could definitely do with a few more shots of her in a barely there dress. Or maybe even no dress at all? (Hey, it's not that much of a stretch after her red carpet wear.)

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