Rona Nishliu Updates Her Look, Places Second at Russian Festival

Rona Nishliu sang her way to fifth place at Eurovision in Baku. Afterwards she didn’t just head home and start playing with her plaits. Hell to the no! Instead she ventured to the “White Nights of St. Petersburg” international music festival and placed second in a competitive field that featured singers from across the continent. It’s yet another achievement for the Kosovo-born songstress who some of y’all in Baku said could “scream” better than she could “sing.” Well take that, haters!

Rona performed her smashing ballad “Suus” on the first night of the competition, and it earned her the maximum score from the jury. During the second night she sang the timeless Aretha Franklin song “Natural Woman”. On the third and final night of the festival Nishliu sang “Suus” again—in case someone still wasn’t convinced of her great vocals the first time around. That secured her second place at the festival.

Interestingly, the Grand Prix went to Italian singer Gianni Fiorellino, who is also connected with Eurovision. His duet with Bulgarian signer Georgi Hristov—”Sogno”—was one of the finalists in the Bulgarian national selection for ESC back in 2008. Looks like there is a Eurovision mafia stalking the streets of St. Petersburg!

Rona appears to have taken note that she was this year’s recipient of the Barbara Dex Award for topping Eurovision’s Worst Dressed List. For the trip to St. Petersburg she detached the errant dreadlock from her chest, and went for a classier look while eating by a river (photo above). Notice that her wine glasses are empty: this is how she stays solvent, and how she keeps her skin looking like porcelain.

Anyway, while accepting her award on stage in Russia she looked totes fashionable with an always-on-trend black and red combo. But her hairstyle hasn’t really improved that much since Baku. The two locks in front give Rona a contemporary look, but we still wonder how she sleeps at night with that dome on her head.