Arilena Ara (better known under the stage name “Arilena”) was born in Shkodër, Albania on the 17th of July in 1998. The career of this talented singer started during the “Gjeniu i Vogël” contest. Its name translates in English as “Little Genius”. This was the contest for children. Since Arilena did great during the contest, the judges awarded her the 3rd place. It was a great result proving that she has chances to be successful if she chooses a career of musician later on.
Arilena decided to repeat her success as a kid during the 2nd season of the Albanian X Factor show. In order to be included in the list of those taking part in it, she should come to Tirana, the capital of Albania, for audition. She chose to perform the song “We Are” by Ana Johnson. The judges liked her voice and the manner she performed the song very much. She was selected as a participant of the show. During it, she was mentored by a worldwide well-known singer Altuna Sejdiu. Her final performance for the show included the following songs: “No More Drama” (by Mary J Blidge), “Man Down” and “S&M” (by Rihanna). The last one was performed in a duet with her mentor. The outstanding talent of this young start was hard not to be noticed. The judges announced her to be the winner of the show’s second season.
