Kimi was born in Kosovo during the war, while his family hid in the mountains for safety. When they returned home they slept in barns and abandoned trucks, and rebuilt their house by hand. To soothe her children, his mother sang to them with her beautiful voice.

Now, more than twenty years later, Kimi is stepping onto the stage of Albania’s national FiK 64 festival, on his quest to qualify for Eurovision, with a song that reaches back to those roots. 

Prap Dielli Del (“The Sun Will Rise Again”) is a message of hope drawn from a childhood shaped by uncertainty and a young adulthood marked by resilience.

We talk about his move to New York seven years ago, the dark moments he fought through, and the choice he keeps making to lean into whatever hope he can find, even when it’s only one percent.

We also revisit his American Idol moment when Katy Perry had him call his mother in Kosovo and sing to her before handing him a golden ticket to Hollywood, and that fateful day I met him in a studio in New York City and became his vocal coach.

And, for the first time publicly, we share that I’ll be traveling with him to Albania to coach him during the festival!

To listen to Prap Dielli Del, visit the RTSH YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt5Ajfg1EJA

To follow Kimi's journey and connect with him directly, visit him on IG or TikTok @urboykimi

To connect with me, please visit http://mastermindroad.com