| Aurela Gaçe | |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Llakatund, Vlorë, Albania |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1982-present |
Aurela Gaçe (in Albanian pronounced as /auˈɾɛla ˈɡatʃɛ/; born 16 October 1974) is an Albanian singer and songwriter. She is a three-time Festivali i Këngës winner, a three-time Kënga Magjike winner and a two-time Balkan Music Award winner for Balkan's Song of the Year and Best Singer from Albania. She was a judge on the third season of The Voice of Albania.[1] [2]
In 2010, she won the 49th edition of Festivali i Këngës with the song "Kënga ime" and represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Aurela Gaçe was born on 16 October 1974 into an Albanian family in the village of Llakatund, Vlorë, then part of the People's Socialist Republic, present Albania.[3]
In 2010 Gaçe won the 49th edition of "Festivali i Këngës" with "Kënga Ime", written by Shpëtim Saraçi.[4] Her most successful song Origjinale (feat. Dr. Flori & Marsel) has more than 8 million views on YouTube.[5]
After experiencing success during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gaçe quit singing and moved to the United States where she spent 8 years. She returned to the music industry in 2010 releasing "Origjinale", a song composed by Flori Mumajesi, that became a success in Albania. In late 2010, Gaçe was invited by Shpëtim Saraçi to participate in the Festivali i Këngës. Initially she denied the request, as she stated "It is time for new artists to be promoted with original music performed by an orchestra". However, she later decided to participate.
Gaçe participated in the Festivali i Këngës, 10 years after her last participation. She won for the third time, and was chosen to represent her Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, which was held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Gaçe flew to Los Angeles, California to record the final version of her song, cooperating with Capitol Records. Later, it was announced that the song title would be "Feel the Passion", as the song was translated to English. The final version was released on 12 March 2011.
Gaçe appeared on the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, performing third. She finished 14th in total with 47 points, thus failing to qualify to the final of the competition.