Golden Voices | Adriana Ceko, the most charming singer of the time!

“The leaves were dripping, the evening was blue.
The wind, the wind of autumn awakens the memory of love. The words I love you …”

Adriana Ceko started her activity in Albanian “light” music early, since she was in high school during the 70s.

Ceko started singing at the Festival in 1975 at the 15th Radiotelevision festival. It was the golden generation in infancy, among them the famous Vace Zela. It was another time, when there was more seriousness and appreciation for work, when they spend working about two months for a song, in the time when they worked a lot with poets.

Xhuliana Jorganxhi was one of those who worked for hours on the piano, with Adriana, until the word, regardless of the other components, especially brought her emotions.

Another motif of a song she sang was:
“Where can I find the mimosa, where can I find it/ It blooms only once/ in its flowering we met/ I said a word and you saw me in the eyes.

Yes, exactly as the song says.
Where can we find the singer Adriana Ceko now?

It’s even hard to find her songs, with the exception of some here and there on YouTube!
There are no less than 60 songs lost from her repertoire, which she testified herself with tears in her eyes a few years ago in an interview given to the newspaper “Tema”.

Although the songs with partisanship were among the contenders to win awards at festivals, Adriana was more attracted to songs with melancholic motives and a fragile nature.

However, even though she never wins the first prize at the Festival, Adriana Ceko belongs to an outstanding generation of Albanian “light” music. With a full sense of the word, she ranks with a generation of singers, a prominent part of current history, from the mid-70s to the end of the 80s, Liliana Kondakçi, Kozma Dushi, Ema Qazimi, Lindita Theodhori, Afërdita Zonja, Ermira Babaliu, Irma Libohova. A generation that doesn’t repeat itself, it’s hard to find such singers full of emotions.

One of these was Ceko, who was “abandoned” and later forgotten as a singer, just like the above names, they did not manage to “survive, being forgotten year after year and one after another without anyone knowing how it happened, but the songs and their voice to the spectator who is still able to distinguish the quality compared to what is served in music today.

You don’t need a big school for this. Everyone can be given a reason that causes this forgetfulness, and perhaps the lack of interest of the organizers to attract the old generation, under the pretext that you left, you are old now.

It is true that a festival should promote new voices, but the national festival should never lack the voice of a professional who, from experience, knows how to express emotions and own the song with all its elements.

Regarding the motivation and appearance at festivals, Adriana Ceko will say this:
“…..I remember how happily I was waiting for the festival to go on stage with beautiful hair, sandals and a beautiful dress. I knew that the viewers would comment for several days that the artists had done their hair, what Adriana, Parashqevi was wearing, etc..
But unlike today’s young people, back then we had many obstacles.
I had put a pendant in a festival and the director Vera Grabocka came and violently removed it me from the neck.
“What is this!? Scandal, why do you put this pendant on…?!”

The 28th song festival at RTSH will also mark the last appearance of A. Ceko with a song by Kujtim Laros, where surprisingly again the director Vera Grabocka tells her “it’s a scandal, you’re still at the festival, you sang a lot, let others sing now”.

She continues to remember: “…….then I got a little heavy shortly after the birth of my son. At that time, other professional singers also began to become rare, and if someone participated, it was someone who was supposed to receive the award. From that time I think it was predetermined that this ‘X’ will receive the prize. From that moment I felt that I should not go anymore. This was the first reason that I finally broke away from the Radiotelevision festival.”

The activity in music has cost her great sacrifices, but also her family, her husband and parents had to sacrifice. Adriana has also collaborated with artists who sacrificed for the song, with the composer Kujtim Laro, one of the best composers.

It was Kujtim Laro’s first song “Cradle of bravery” that she sang duet with Muharrem Herri. Some of Kujtim Laro’s songs quickly became youth motifs, “When hearts beat like a heart” is a song that has received an award and I had as doubles the well-known Irma Libohova.

Adriana Ceko is the winner of the second awards, awards for young people, prizes of the music polls “Anketa Muzikore” that were held every Sunday, she also received prizes in the May decades.

Often awarded “For the best singer” and these make her always remembered by Albanian fans.

Ceko has participated in 13 Festivals, over 60 songs recorded in RTSH, including the participation in the spring concert editions. But she doesn’t have a music album yet!!

“Nothing, even when I went to television archive to find out my hits, they tell me that they are not available and they are poor recordings;  the songs after the 70s-80s are not available, they are in the archive, etc., etc.. Maybe it’s my fault, but I don’t even have a simple tape with my songs at home. Sometimes I see from TVSH songs of my colleagues. When I look at Kozma Dušhi, Liliana Kondakçi, etc., and I say “Hey, maybe my songs will be released later…”.

Adriana Ceko also took part in the Artistic Films “Stars over Drin” in 1978 (with the voice dubbed by Pavlina Mani) and in “Event in the Port” in 1980. It is a curiosity because in both mentioned films the character she plays is named Zana.

Participation in the Song Festival
In December 1976, Adriana Ceko & Kujtim Kamberi participate in the 15th Festival at RTSH with the song “Fshati I Ri”.
In December 1977, Adriana Ceka & Ylli Çiftja participate in the 16th RTSH Festival with the song “Sa Lule Çel Pranvera”.
In December 1978, Adriana Ceka & Muharrem Herri participate in the 17th RTSH Festival with the song “Djepi i trimerise”.
In December 1978, Adriana Ceka & Kozma Dushi participate in the 17th RTSH Festival with the song “Dasem ne ditën e lirisë”.
In December 1979, Adriana Ceko & Muharrem Herri participate in the 18th RTSH Festival with the song “Lulet e basmave”.
In December 1980, Adriana Ceka participates in the 19th RTSH Festival with the song “Shtatori i pare”.

In December 1981, Liliana Kondakçi & Ardiana Ceka participate in the 20th RTSH Festival with the song “Agimet tona”.
In December 1982, Adriana Ceka participates in the 21st RTSH Festival with the song “Kur zemrat rrahin si nje zemer”.
In December 1982, Adriana Ceko & Muharrem Herri participate in the 21st RTSH Festival with the song “Kur diga shtatin hedh”.
In December 1983, Adriana Ceka participates in the 22nd RTSH Festival with the song “Mimoza e dashurise”.
In December 1983, David Tukiqi & Adriana Ceka participate in the 22nd RTSH Festival with the song “Vatra e Shqiperise”.
In December 1987, Adriana Ceka participates in the 26th RTSH Festival with the song “Mes dy yjesh ngjan si hene”.

VIDEO | THREE SONGS FROM ADRIANA CEKO
1 – Mimosa of love
2 – When hearts beat like a heart
3 – Among the stars looks like the moon!

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It was first published on the Facebook page of the same name – January 2014 (it was edited and reposted on August 1, 2019, and in September 2021

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Albanian Cinematography in activity since 2013
The text was built on the basis of information and statements made by the singer Adriana Ceko herself in the newspaper “Tema”. 

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