The Singles Jukebox

Possibly the first Kosovar appearance on the Jukebox?

[Video][Website]
[4.86]

Iain Mew: The still-increasing success of Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” suggests that the American label that’s signed up Istrefi could be onto a winner with this kind of of-the-moment bounce, though it will probably need more English. Istrefi brings vocal individuality too, joyfully stretching and squashing words in a way that reminds me of less mainstream Nordic pop. “Bonbon” is, though, still a bit too light and sweet a confection for the giggled cut-off to feel deserved.
[6]

Will Adams: I have some misgivings about “Bonbon”‘s “viral” rise to fame. Given that it’s been both touted as a exact soundalike of Rihanna or Sia and as having a uniqueness that’s “almost oriental,” there’s a lot more unpacking than a not-even-three-minute song might normally need. It’d be effort wasted, anyway; Era Istrefi is engaging, the track bends and snaps fine, but there’s not really any song here.
[5]

Cassy Gress: Era sings with her voice pushed so strongly up against her soft palate that you can anticipate it slipping off into her falsetto. Considering how echoey everything else in the song is, the fingersnaps are oddly flat, and lyrically I’m thrown a little bit when the song suddenly stops talking about how much she doesn’t need him and starts talking about him stealing her password and leering at her. The flipness of the former doesn’t really go with the betrayal of the latter.
[4]

Brad Shoup: I’m taking an L here. I’m one of those who thinks Rihanna’s one of the most important personalities we have, even as only a couple songs have gotten anywhere near capturing that. And here comes this goonish mimic: to Ultra’s ears, I guess, her Albanian sounded like “Work”. If you shrug off the mercenary aspect (from Istrefi and Ultra), maybe you can see this as someone’s candlelit meditation on/summoning of Rihanna’s existential fronting. Maybe you’ll just cue up “Work” again.
[5]

Katherine St Asaph: The brief bars where Istrefi raps are the only ones that stand out from otherwise unremarkable tropical-syrupy pop.
[4]

Edward Okulicz: Rihanna is great. We need more great Rihanna songs; we don’t really need any more Rihannas just now.
[5]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Even when the production feels like Diplo by-the-numbers, and Era’s tone is a Zara Larsson/Pia Mia/Rihanna frankenstein, I’m just a big fan of the rhythmic qualities of the Shqiptar language. Or maybe I’ve listened to too many poor English-sung takes on this style that I find this one kind of fresh. 
[5]