Azra Kolaković (1 January 1977 – 2 October 2017), known by her stage name Donna Ares, was a Bosnian pop and

pop-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...

singer. Her final studio album '' Povratka nema'' was released in 2011. She died at age 40 following a three-year long battle with

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uteru ...

Early life

Azra Kolaković was born in the northwestern

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

n city of

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

Bosnian Muslim The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...

parents Osman and Ajka. She attended local music schools and graduated in 1995, during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

. She started attending a music academy, but stopped due to the ongoing war in the country. In 1997 she started her solo singing career. She debuted in 1997, under her stage name Donna Ares, to sing in the Croatian Dora competition to represent

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

Illness and death

Kolaković had been

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

d and losing weight for months before being hospitalized in early October 2014. She was diagnosed with

She died at age 40 of the illness in her hometown on 2 October 2017, while in a coma. She was buried two days later next to her father who had died in 2006.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Ti me više ne voliš ''Ti me više ne voliš'' (''You Don't Love Me Anymore'') is the debut studio album by Bosnian pop singer Donna Ares. It was released in 1998 through Sani Records. All of the songs were written by Ares and produced by her husband Džavid Ljubovc ...

'' (1998) *''Čuvaj se dušo, ja sam tatin sin'' (2002) *''

Jackpot Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to: * A prize, such as a progressive jackpot * Gardena jackpots, a poker variant * Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border Comics * Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters * ''Jack ...

'' (2004) *'' Nemam razloga za strah'' (2006) *'' Fantastična'' (2009) *'' Povratka nema'' (2011)

Remix and live albums

*''Live Mix I'' (2000) *''Live Mix II'' (2001) *''Live Mix III'' (2003)

Compilation albums

*''The Best Of Donna Ares (Nemoj da pogađam)'' (2003) *''Mega mix'' (2003) *''Best Of Donna Ares (To mi nije trebalo)'' (2006) *''Deset godina sa vama (Live)'' (2007) *''The Best Of Donna Ares (Želim da te gledam)'' (2010)

Other works

She is author of her autobiography book entitled ''Soba za nikoga'' (lit. 'Room for Nobody'), published in 2015 by Buybook; in the illustrated book, she confession-talks her disease, hospital days and remission recovery.

References

External links

*
2015 interview
for Maxmagazin.ba 1977 births 2017 deaths People from Bihać 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Bosnia and Herzegovina folk-pop singers Hayat Production artists Grand Production artists BN Music artists Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Deaths from uterine cancer Deaths from cancer in Bosnia and Herzegovina 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers {{BosniaHerzegovina-singer-stub