Young Zerka

Donald Najtellari (;, known professionally as Young Zerka, is an Albanian singer and songwriter. Born in Korçë and raised in London, Najtellari grew up in a Jamaican household and began singing and writing music as a teenager. He later relocated to Albania and eventually rose to significant prominence in the Albanian-speaking Balkans. His musical career is marked by fusing elements of reggae and pop as well as his distinctive vocal and writing style.

Life and career

Najtellari was born into an Albanian family in the city of Korçë, Albania. At an early age, Najtellari emigrated to England settling in the city of London. He was raised in a Jamaican household, which according to him, had a particular influence on his artistic formation. In both 2008 and 2009, Najtellari appeared on the music competition Top Fest with the songs "Sfera" and "Shpirt i plakur", respectively. In 2014, he was featured on Kosovo-Albanian singer Dhurata Dora's "Roll" and "A Bombi", as well as on Albanian singer Alban Skënderaj's "24 orë". His success continued in May 2015 with the release of the follow-up single "Boom Boom", which reached number 11 in Albania.

Following the 2022 release of his original song, "Nafije", produced by popular artist and producer Alandy, on January 12, 2023, a remix was introduced to the public. The collaboration between Young Zerka, DJ Geek, Dafina Zeqiri, and MC Kresha peaked charts in Albania at #2 on Top Music Awards. Young Zerka, along with Alandy, appeared on Albania's top performing television show hosted by Luana Vjollca, Zemër Luana, for a debut television performance of the original "Nafije".

Artistry

Najtellari's musical style has generally been regarded as reggae and pop.

2015 11

13

2

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32

2017 —

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53

2

11

8

5

42

—

—

48

34

27

23 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist

+ List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions Title Year Peakchartpositions Album ALB "Pa Lule" 2013 "Roll" 2014 "Hotel" "24 orë" "A Bombi" "Pa kontroll" "Papalove" "Habibi" 2016 — "Uhh Baby" — "Nona" 2017 14 "Belly Dancer" 2018 — "Deja Vu" 5 "Smile" 80 "Kce sonte" 2019 32 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.