[1][2] She was a leading figure in the music industry and is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Born in Lushnjë and raised in Tirana within Communist Albania, she developed a great interest in music at an early age before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1962.

An eleven-time winner, she built her reputation as a highly successful musician by winning the first edition of Festivali i Këngës as well as her future victories in the festival.

[4][5][6] Vaçe Zela was born on 7 April 1939 in the city of Lushnjë, then part of the Kingdom of Albania, into an Albanian family, as she herself said, in which music was "sitting cross-legged in everyone's soul".

[9] Zela was the first winner of Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës with the song "Fëmija i parë" (English: First Child), on 26 December 1962. International awards include "Golden Disk", "Woman of the year" in Cambridge, England for '97-'98, "Golden Microphone" from the Ministry of Culture of Kosovo, etc.