Durim Morina (born October 17, 1994), known professionally as Mirud, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. His accolades include a MME Award, an MTV Europe Music Award, a Turkey Golden Palm Award, a Turkey Youth Award, a Golden Butterfly Award, a Top Music Award, five Netët e Klipit Shqiptar awards, a Gaviota de Plata, a Presidential Medal from Albania, a Premio Lo Nuestro, and a Premios Juventud award.
Early life and background Morina was born on October 17, 1994, in Los Angeles, California to Kosovo Albanian parents. He started his musical career after graduating in opera studies from the Juilliard School in New York.Morina is multilingual and has recorded music in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Arabic, Albanian, Turkish, and Persian.
Career Morina began releasing original music in 2013. He has appeared in interviews or music segments on several broadcasters. In 2014, he received an MME Award, and in 2015, he was awarded as Best New Upcoming Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2015, Morina joined the cast of the Turkish historical television series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, portraying a Janissary soldier (Yeniçeri Askeri). He appeared in 60 episodes between 2015 and 2017. For the role, he won Supporting TV Series Actor of the Year at the Turkey Golden Palm Awards, Best Supporting TV Actor at the Turkey Youth Awards, and the Rising Star award at the Golden Butterfly Awards. In 2016, Morina was awarded Best International Artist at the Top Music Awards 2016 and received five awards at the Netët e Klipit Shqiptar.
On January 8, 2018, his song "Puzzle" reached No. 23 among American pop songs. In 2017, his songs "Ti Me Harro" and "Puzzle" reached No. 15 and No. 74, respectively, on The Top List.
In 2018, Morina joined the cast of the Spanish-language television series El Señor de los Cielos as Adrián Morán, a role he played for two episodes. In 2018, Mirud released the music video for “Sonte”, directed by Joely Fisher, which received more than one million views and led to Fisher being shortlisted to direct multi-camera television for the Disney Channel. On January 8, 2018, Morina released "Ende të Dua," which reached No. 3 in Albania and No. 33 on the U.S. pop charts. In November 2018, "Ende të Dua" had sold more than 10,000 copies in the United States. The song received a platinum certification in the United States, and four platinum certifications in Europe.
In 2018, he participated in the 57th Festivali i Këngës, Albanians national festival, with the song "Nënë". The following year, he represented Albania at the 60th edition of the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile, becoming the only Albanian artist to date to have been invited to compete at the festival. He reached the final and was awarded with the Gaviota de Plata. In 2019, Morina signed with Sony Music.
In 2020, Morina released "Nëse vdes" for the 59th edition of Festivali i Këngës, where it won the public vote as the festival's favorite song. In 2021, Morina competed in the 60th edition of Festivali i Këngës with "Për dreq," reaching the top four. By 2021, "Nëse vdes" had surpassed one million views on YouTube, making Morina the second artist at the time to reach the milestone with a Festivali i Këngës entry, after Elvana Gjata's "Me Tana". In 2021, his album Djali (Deluxe Version) surpassed five million streams across platforms.
After a three-year absence from music, Morina returned in 2024 with "Whispers From The Red Dunes".
In 2024, MIRUD received a Presidential Medal from Albania in recognition of his contribution to the country’s arts and culture on international stages. On 23 August 2025, his song "Back & Forth" reached No. 9 on The Top List. In 2025, his song "Dios Me Lo Quitó" received the award for Best Vocal Performance in Bachata at Premio Lo Nuestro. On 11 November 2025, his songs "Escondes" and "Vivir Sin Ti" reached the top 10 of Apple Music Charts in several Latin American countries. In December 2025, Mirud announced the forthcoming release of his studio album Desnudo in Latin America.
In 2026, Mirud was confirmed as a finalist in the San Marino Song Contest, San Marino's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. However, it was reported that after the success of his 2026 album Desnudo, he withdrew from the contest. In 2026, Desnudo achieved commercial success in Latin America, reaching number one on Apple Music in several countries and surpassing 100,000 copies sold worldwide.He supported the album with the Éter Latin America Tour, a sold-out ten-city tour of Latin America held between February 20 and March 5.
On September 3, 2026, he was awarded at Premios Juventud for Desnudo in the Best Pop Vocal Performance category.In September 2026, his album Desnudo entered the Top 10 of Apple Music in the United States.
Public image Mirud drew national attention in Albania for challenging traditional ideas of masculinity and how male performers were expected to present themselves. His performance of "Nëse vdes" at Festivali i Këngës 59 sparked widespread discussion over his clothing and stage image and led to homophobic comments and death threats. Mirud defended his appearance publicly, arguing that clothing and artistic expression should not be treated as indications of sexual orientation. International media described him as a "trailblazer" who had broken social barriers and brought greater visibility to people rarely represented in mainstream Albanian entertainment. Morina, brought questions of masculinity, queer visibility, and artistic freedom into public national discussion, which led to greater openness toward individual expression on major Albanian platforms such as Festivali i Këngës and Big Brother VIP Albania.
Mirud also built a career outside the traditional Albanian and diaspora markets. His participation in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival and followed career in Spanish-language music established him within the Latin American market and showed a wider international path for Balkan performers. His public image has since been defined by his approach to masculinity, fashion, artistic freedom, and his efforts to take Albanian identity beyond its traditional cultural boundaries.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Result 2014 MME Award Best New Artist 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Upcoming Artist 2015 Turkey Golden Palm Awards Supporting TV Series Actor of the Year 2016 Turkey Youth Awards Best Supporting TV Actor 2016 Top Music Awards Best International Artist 2016 Netët e Klipit Shqiptar Various categories (5 awards) 2017 Golden Butterfly Awards Rising Star 2019 Viña del Mar International Song Festival Gaviota de Plata 2024 Presidential Medal of Albania Contribution to arts and culture on international stages 2025 Premio Lo Nuestro Best Vocal Performance in Bachata 2026 Premios Juventud Best Vocal Performance
Discography
Albums Year Title 2024 Djali (Deluxe Edition) 2025 Entre mundos/Entre os mundos 2025 Desnudo
EPs Year Title 2021 Valide-i maktûle 2025 Dónde va el alma
Compilation albums Year Title 2025 Whispers from the Red Dunes
Singles Year Title 2013 "Block Me" 2014 "Shén" 2015 "Stuck in My Bed" 2016 "Aether" 2017 "You Got Me" 2018 "Ende të dua" 2018 "Nënë" 2019 "Explodiu o baile" 2020 "Blessed" 2020 "Nëse vdes" 2021 "Për dreq" 2022 "Si ke dasht" 2022 "Blind" 2025 "Deep End" 2025 "Come to Me" 2025 "Escondes" 2025 "Reste encore" 2025 "Dangerous" 2025 "Mountain Top" 2025 "Chance on Me" 2025 "Back & Forth" 2025 "Sweet Tajine" 2025 "Ride the Sin" 2025 "Màtame lento" 2025 "Mallkim" 2025 "Dios me lo quitó" 2025 "Sin sentencia" 2025 "Cerca del vicio" 2025 "El silencio de Dios"
Filmography Year Title Role Episodes 2018 El Señor de los Cielos Adrián “El Europeo” Morán 2 2015–2017 Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem Yeniçeri Askeri 60
References
External links