Amela Agastra, 19 years old, Miss Albania 2021, is studying architecture at Newcastle University, USA. Born in Tirana, the capital city of Albania, she had an amazing childhood. Her parents have invested much time and energy in raising her. Encouraging her to follow her dreams and passions, they were not only supportive but also instilled in her a strong work ethic.
Dress, Moschino.
A passion for music
Amela Agastra has been passionate about singing since her childhood. When her parents learned she had talent, they encouraged her to train extensively through private singing lessons. From there, she participated in many competitions from a young age. She recalled with a smile, “The first song I loved singing was Valsi I Lumturise from Vace Zela, an Albanian music icon. It can be translated as The Waltz of Happiness. I was very young, so I didn’t mind what the lyrics actually meant. I just loved the melody. I remember singing it with my grandmother. We used to sing a lot because my family loves music and art.”
Dress, Liuyanjun.
When asked about her favorite performance stage, Agastra laughed heartily, “I sing everywhere and anytime because that’s how I am. I’m a very expressive person, which I try to keep in control of, but when it comes to singing I can’t because it’s a part of who I am.”
Full look, Versace.
Music comes naturally to Amela Agastra
Amela Agastra has also started playing piano since 8. The piano has helped her not only in music but also with her mental well-being. She listens to different genres of music, but she feels better singing Pop and Rn’B. Looking at her music notebook, Agastra said, “Lately, I’ve experimented with different genres, because I want to explore a lot with my artistic vision.” Music comes naturally to her, “I write more in Pop and RnB – the genres that I perform, and the topics change because I love trying new things.”
Full look, Versace.
Besides music is design and architecture…
As mentioned above, Amela Agastra is studying architecture. She has a creative mind and is always in good standing academically. She laughed, “My drawing skills weren’t very good, but I love art. Drawing skills can be improved over time with a lot of practice. Nowadays technology helps us a lot in architecture, so if you spend time analyzing, researching, and designing, you can become a good architect.”
Top, Han K Jobenhavn. Necklace, Chanel.
Cubism, abstract and modern art are her favorite design styles. Amela Agastra is fascinated by shapes and colors, “especially if they are arranged in a weird shape.”
Dress, Alvina Tare.
…and modeling
In 2021, Agastra was crowned Miss Albania and represented her country in Miss World 2021 in Puerto Rico. For her, participating in the beauty pageants brought her plenty of interesting experiences.
Dress, Alvina Tare.
Since 15, the young beauty queen has worked as a model. “I have worked with Albanian designer Joni Peci. I like working in the modeling field because it connects you with many artistic people. I was lucky to work with people who make me feel great and give me opportunities and ideas. Modeling is an achievement to make me a better person,” she reveals.
Dress, Erdem.
Her idols…
In music, Dua Lipa is her idol, because the world-famous singer stems from Kosovo. Agastra feels connected with Dua Lipa because of the shared cultural background, “I love her music and how inspiring she is. She makes Albanians around the world proud.”
In art and architecture, Amela Agastra adores many artists, but the one who has a strong influence on her is Frida Kahlo. “Her artwork represents identity, humanity, and several themes which are very inspiring to me. Her personality attracts me even more because of the strength that she has and presents to other females.”
Dress, Erdem.
…and her dreams
Though interested in many different artistic fields, her heart is still with music. However, because of her time-consuming major study, she has not had much time for her passion recently. But she always strives to keep her passion alive, “I’m always working on new music. I don’t often publish those works, but I would work to get the product that I want to publish later on. I’m publishing my content more on social media than participating in actual competitions or events.”
Catsuit, David Koma.
“I love music, and my life is surrounded by it. The music industry is very challenging. It is hard to find the right people to achieve success.”
For Amela Agastra, life has just started. She is making efforts every day to reach her goals. She loves a saying by Jim Rohn, “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.”
Blazer, Liuyanjun.
**Credits**
Photography: Niklas Haze @niklashaze
Styling: Ignacio de Tiedra @ignaciodetiedra
Talent: Amela Agastra @_amelz_
Makeup: Hila Karmand @hilakarmand
Hair: Marcia Lee @marcialuvlocks
Fashion assistant: Moira González @moiralez
Fashion assistant: Alex Kim @alexkim21
PR agency: Say Media @say__media
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
