Meet Xhuljo Zere | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xhuljo Zere and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xhuljo, why did you pursue a creative career?
The reason I pursued an artistic career is because I was placed in the industry as soon as I could speak. I grew up in Albania in a very musical family, my father is a guitarist and my aunt is a folklore singer. Having these two around me made me fall in love with music, I wanted to go with them to every concert, tour and I loved every second of it. They helped me get my foot in the door in Albania and I performed all over the country until the age of 11 when I moved to America. I then continued pursuing music because in a way it’s all I’ve known and it’s truly makes me happier, better and an overall healthier person . Music is my therapy and I truly feel that without writing, creating melodies and the people who guided me on the journey I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art has come a long way from when I started. I started singing at the age of 7 and songwriting at 14 years old. My music has evolved with me. The older I get the strong my lyrics and ideas are however I always try to use my old writings and melodies and revamp them into a new sound today. What makes me different from other artists out there is my influences of the Albanian and Balkan culture. Growing up in Albania I was introduced to many different sounds that here Americans would call “Ethnic” and thats my favorite part about making music. Breaking the barriers of what a song is supposed to sound like and adding elements from my culture to showcase my ethnicity and background. I am still developing my sound as an artist and finding out my lane in the industry but till then I will continue to create art based on my life and what makes me happy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting L.A I’m sure they would want to check out the tourist spots however that wouldn’t be my recommendation. Personally I love museums and pieces of art and I am lucky because L.A has many to visit and get inspiration from. I would start by taking my friend to my favorite museum, then a trip to a local coffee shop since Los Angeles is known for having some amazing coffee. I used to work as a barista at one of the (in my opinion) best coffee shops in town. We would follow the L.A tradition of hiking, going to the beach of course take as many photos as possible. Then we would end with a night out in our best outfits to check out the night life, which is the most fun part. We would most likely go to West Hollywood and catch a drag show, have a few drinks and let loose on the dance floor.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The person I would like to give a shoutout to is my first cousin Rafaela. Rafaela is the person in my life who is and has been supportive of everything I do, I know that if I need advice or someone to be on my side I will call her.
She has been with me every step of the way with my music career, my self development and so much more even though she lives 6,743 miles away from me. I truly love Rafaela and her support so much because even if something isn’t up to par with my vision she always had a different perspective and will always be there to help me fix it no matter the circumstance. She’s the only person I feel I can share every part of me with and it’s rare to find these kind of people. I wish she was here in California with me, I love you Rafi and I’ll see you when I’m back home.

Website: www.xhuljo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xhuljozz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/xhuljozz