Learn more about the Albanian beauty taking Europe by storm as she raps her way into the limelight, with her recent recording contract with Sony Music.
Who Is Tayna?
Although she isn't a household name like the undisputed Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj, Tayna real name Doruntina Shala, is an Albanian rapper and songwriter that's increasingly making waves throughout Europe. She was born on 14 December 1996 in the city of Prizren, Kosovo, which was then part of the FR Yugoslavia, and is one of the most successful artists to originate from the Balkans.
Tayna caught her big break after releasing the singles "Columbiana" featuring Don Phenom and "Shqipe". Both hits reached the top ten on the Albanian Charts (Top Channel) with "Columbiana" reaching number one, and "Shqipe" number two.
Collectively, "Columbiana" and "Shqipe" have amassed 90 million views on YouTube via the official Friends Entertainment channel. If our research proves correct, Friends Entertainment's a label under the management of Rinor Hykolli, and Hykoli has executively produced some of her work.
Tayna's Style of Music, Is She Reggaeton?
In most instances Tayna chooses to rap in her native tongue however, she can at times speak in English, fairly briefly, over Afro-Caribbean inspired beats. Considering her popular hits including "Bye Bye" and her most recent release "Bass", we'd label her an European Reggaeton artist, regardless of the traditional "missing" Spanish vocals you'd likely expect.
Commonly popular in Latin America, Reggaeton or "Reggae en Español‎" originated in Puerto Rico during the late 1990s. The genre has spawned hits from the likes of Luis Fonsi with his "Despacito" remix featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee, as well as the J Balvin hit "Mi Gente", to name a few.
Tayna performed at the Sunny Hill Festival in Pristina in August 2018, along side other acclaimed artists such as the Dutch DJ and record producer Martin Garrix, and the "New Rules" singer Dua Lipa. For those intrigued by fun facts, Tayna remarkably shares a similar heritage to Dua Lipa and the "Body on Me" singer Rita Ora.
In the same month that Tayna was named "personality of the year" by Privé, and marking her first prize or recognition in December 2018, she released her single "Aje" in collaboration with the Albanian rapper Ledri Vula. The song "Aje" peaked at number two on the Albanian charts, and has 34 million views on YouTube.
In 2019, Tayna's work rate dwarfed the previous years efforts as she released six singles including two collabs. Her single "Bye Bye" featured Dafina Zeqiri, and "Pasite" featured Lyrical Son and the "United States of Albania" pioneer MC Kresha. Her endeavours payed off, considering sales, as both singles took the number spot in the music chart of Albania.
With the talent and work effort she's undeniably known for, as well as her beautiful and modern hip image, it makes sense that she came to the attention of Sony Music Germany for whom she's signed to. In a social media post expressing her joy to her 1.5 million followers via the official Tayna Instagram account, she wrote:
"I am very happy to have agreed to work with Sony Music. After intensive discussions, we have decided that together we can take the next big step. So I will continue to develop artistically and I can fully focus on the music. @sonymusicde"
What Do Albanians Think Of Tayna?
With a little help from our best friend Google, we managed to find a few critics on Quora who have discussed Tayna. One user who openly claimed to be biased said: "She has an aggressive style of rapping, by dissing many other rappers and rapgirls around. That's what makes her special for me. I like aggressive women because it shows their self-confidence."
The same user also said: "What I highly dislike is the heavy use of English in her songs. Sometimes it feels like the song is not in Albanian. This is a critic to our music industry, especially R&B. Our language is really beautiful and there is no need to use English so much."
Another user didn't hold back and considered Tayna a "product of basically looking provocative" in videos. His reasoning wasn't something new, and it's become a widespread issue for women in the industry relating to ones "image", irrespective of poverty. He wrote:
"So, to become famous in a poor country like Kosovo, you have to sacrifice your body if you are a female. How so? You might ask. By showing your ass (if you have a good one)."
This came after: "The video you've brought up is the perfect example of that quote, even if you look at the top comments and the regular comments of the video, all you see is 'Oh my god she's hot', 'OMG look at that ass', etc etc."
What Does Tanizzle Think of Tayna?
We think that Tayna has great potential even though we don't speak a word of Albanian. For clarity, we took the time to translate some lyrics with the help of Google and it was very tedious, but the Reggaeton inspired music still managed to have us bop, with her punchy deliveries.
There's something we can't refrain from mentioning, and it somewhat relates to the view of the "very honest" user on Quora above. Tayna's very beautiful, perhaps sexy in some people's eyes, and her image will always be a factor in whatever she does.
If you take a look at her Instagram page, you'll likely see a "IG model" if you were unaware of her music; not a problem. We genuinely think she's dope, and for something we didn't think would mix being Albanian and Reggaeton, it's a vibe.
If all seems to fail, and we really wish it doesn't, Tayna can give thanks to her perseverance and intellect as she has a Bachelor degree in Computer Sciences (CSE). Without undermining anyone in general, there aren't many rappers many who have graduated. Another rapper who wisely prioritised education and someone we're extremely proud of is Saweetie - learn why we call her the Icy Girl who can't catch a break.
We'll be monitoring Tayna to learn how she develops, especially knowing that she's signed to Sony Music. In the meantime and in other news, we're still "waiting in the Benz" for Natalia Kills, commonly known as Teddy Sinclair, to drop something new. If you know, you know!
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