I am so excited to introduce the second part of my interview with international superstar Bleona. You might recognize her from the Bravo TV hit series Euros of Hollywood. I knew of Bleona from my days of living in Poland, where she is a legend. She has been a star since the age of 5 in Albania, gaining the nickname the "Madonna of Albania."
Andrew: You have been performing since the age of five, conquering the world with your talent. What has brought on the driving passion to conquer the United States?
Bleona: Music is my passion: fashion and dance pop music and crazy visuals are what I do. This is how I express myself; this is what I have been doing in my country for many years! I am blessed that I can afford to choose to live anywhere in the world, and I have chosen LA. There is no better place to live than Los Angeles, California, for me! America is the best country in the world and the land of opportunities, and I love living here. Considering the fact that I can't live without my music, and I can't even be considered a whole person without it, it's time now for America to find out what my music is all about. My music is dance pop and is fun, but it also has a very strong message about female empowerment.
A: I hear that you never take no for an answer. Is this true?
B: Ha, I hear no every day, on a daily basis. I just don't take it for an answer—and I find a way to make it a yes. True story.
A: What is your favorite scent?
B: The scent of the person you love. There is no replacement for that.
A: I love it when you say that in America, you constantly hear less is more, when in fact I think more is more. Many people feel the same way but are afraid to express their opinion. Where did you develop that opinion, and is that the true Bleona? ( I think it might be...at least i hope so.)
B: Ha, baby, indeed it is the real Bleona! I usually say everything that many people think but will never say. But I am in control of my out-of-control-ness.
A: I used to work with a famous makeup artist who taught me that when she put on her red lipstick, she felt she could rule the world. Red is so sexy on you: is that your favorite color?
B: Red, baby, red!
A: Your music is hot, you are hot! What separates your beats from what we are hearing out there?
B: I think I have a more global approach to my pop dance music than the American pop singers simply because of my past history as an artist and the experience I have living all over the world. I think I bring the best of every culture, musically speaking, and I combine it, of course, with the American beats. This has become an undeniable fingerprint of my music. If you hear my current single, "Still In Love," and "FUIF," you will hear that these two songs are not "100% American," but the have a global sound approach.
A: What is one thing that you still have not done in America that is on your to-do list?
B: I haven't visited Middle America yet. I am planning to do so very soon! I can't wait to eat the real biscuits and gravy.
A: How do you feel about all the comparisons to Madonna, namely being known as the "Madonna of Albania"?
B: Yes, that title has followed me around because of my high-energy performances, the outrageous visuals and fashion sense, and the support of the gay community. It's an honor anytime you are compared to someone who is that successful, and I have incredible respect for her, but I want be the first Bleona.
A: Let's talk about your American Music Awards dress.
B: Yes, it was an over-the-top look, but I am an over-the-top kind of person, and I like to have fun with fashion So, following up the the fashion commotion that I caused at the AMAs with my " naked dress," which was sold to the silent action for MusiCare, I had to come up with a statement-making piece for the Grammys. And I did! We were the "best dressed" on the Grammys.
Bleona at the AMAs, courtesy of Just Jared