Era Istrefi – Bonbon (Music Video)
Era Istrefi, that’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot soon, and if it’s not her name, get familiar with “Bonbon,” the hit record coming straight from Albania. Having grabbed every major label’s attention with her video and the 30 million people that have viewed it till date, shot somewhere in Kosovo, donning a pink fur jacket, and some candy lipstick, surrounded by snow, Era ultimately signed to Ultra/RCA, home to Kygo, and last year’s Billboard #1 “Cheerleader” by Omi. I’ve personally haven’t been this excited for an upcoming pop star, nothing about her seems fabricated, or manufactured, and it’s the realness that’s going to carry her to superstardom. Reminiscent of Major Lazer‘s “Lean On” meets Rihanna, you’re going to have “Bonbon” on repeat, it’s a hit!
A little more on where Era’s coming from: she was born and raised in Pristina, Kosovo, and sings in Albanian — which is why you’ll see her described as both a Kosovar and an Albanian artist depending on the outlet. “Bonbon” was originally released independently before the video’s massive view count, and that unmistakable visual of Era in a pink fur coat surrounded by snow, started pulling in attention from major labels.
The Ultra/RCA signing is a big deal in context — Ultra Music has built a track record of turning regional viral hits into global crossover moments, and pairing Era with the label that had already broken Kygo and Omi’s “Cheerleader” internationally signaled that “Bonbon” wasn’t going to stay a Balkans-only phenomenon for long. Sonically, the comparison to Major Lazer’s “Lean On” makes a lot of sense: both tracks lean on a hooky, slightly off-kilter dancehall bounce underneath a pop vocal, and both turned into the kind of song you’d hear blasting out of car windows well outside their original target market.
Whether or not you can understand a word of Albanian, “Bonbon” is built to be catchy regardless — that’s usually the surest sign a song is about to travel a lot further than its home scene. Watch the video below and see what the hype, and the 30 million views, is about.
