Lana Jurčević (; born 7 November 1984), internationally known under the stage name La Lana (pronounced ), is a Croatian pop singer.
Her
self-titled debut album was released in 2003, with all of the songs on the album written by
Milana Vlaović. In her early career she had already worked with big names of the Croatian music industry, such as Vlaović,
Nikša Bratoš
Nikša Bratoš (born 17 August 1959 in Travnik, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian musician. He is known for having played in bands Valentino and Crvena jabuka. He has worked on so ...
, Ante Pecotić, Muc Softić,
Luka Nižetić
Luka Nižetić (born 12 August 1983) is a Croatian singer. His debut album '' Premijera'' was recorded in 2006. He is best known for his hits "Ponekad poželim" ("Sometimes I wish") and "Proljeće" ("Springtime").
Biography
Luka Nižetić was b ...
and
Severina. Alongside her musical career, she also holds a degree in journalism.
In the span of fifteen years, she has released five studio albums. In January 2020, she began her international music career, releasing her debut international single "
So Messed Up
"So Messed Up" is the debut international single by Croatian pop singer La Lana. It was released on 31 January 2020 by Warner Music. It was written and produced by Damon Sharpe and Eric Sanicola, with additional writing from Jazelle Rodriguez an ...
" for
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
under the stage name La Lana.
Early life
Lana was born on November 7, 1984 in Zagreb,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
(today
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 ...
) to a
Croatian father from
Imotski
Imotski (; it, Imoschi; lat, Emotha, later ''Imota'') is a small town on the northern side of the Biokovo massif in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imotski, like the surrounding inland D ...
, Damir, and a
Bosniak
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 ...
mother, Esma ( Karaselimović). At an early age, she had a passion for singing, and thought she would eventually become a singer.
Career
Early career: Teen idol image
In 2003 at the beginning of her musical career, Jurčević released her self-titled debut album
''Lana'' for
Croatia Records. It spawned hit singles such as "Odlaziš" (''You're Leaving''), "Otkad te nema" (''Ever Since You're Gone''), "Najbolja glumica" (''The Best Actress''), "Ovo nije istina" (''This Is Not True''), and "Pravi razlog" (''Real Reason''). In 2004, she performed "Odlaziš" at the
Croatian Radio Festival The Croatian Radio Festival ( Croatian: Hrvatski Radijski Festival, abbreviated as HRF) was a music festival held annually in Croatia from 1997 to 2009. The festival was first held in 1997 in Vodice. It remained in Vodice until 2002, when it was h ...
. She has also taken part in
Dora 2004, Croatian national pre-selection for
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 ...
, with the song "Prava istina" (''Real Truth''), finishing sixth in the final. In 2005, her song "Ovo nije istina" won
''24sata'''s award for most interesting performance at the Croatian Radio Festival.
In 2006, Jurčević released her sophomore album,
''1 razlog'', released by
Hit Records
Hit Records was a record company based in Nashville, Tennessee, which specialized in sound-alike cover versions of hit records. These types of releases are often categorized as exploito.
Background
It was run by entrepreneurs Bill Beasley an ...
. The same year she performed a duet with
Luka Nižetić
Luka Nižetić (born 12 August 1983) is a Croatian singer. His debut album '' Premijera'' was recorded in 2006. He is best known for his hits "Ponekad poželim" ("Sometimes I wish") and "Proljeće" ("Springtime").
Biography
Luka Nižetić was b ...
titled "Prava ljubav" (''Real Love'') at the Croatian Radio Festival, which was a major commercial success and is one of Jurčević's
signature song
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...
s to date. In 2007, she represented Croatia at the
OGAE Song Contest
The (OGAE) () is a Non-governmental organization, non-governmental and Nonprofit organization, non-profit international organisation, consisting of 42 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs from across Europe and beyond. It was founded in 1984 in Sav ...
with "1 razlog" (''1 Reason''). She competed again at
Dora in 2006 with the song "Najbolja glumica". Lana performed "Ljubav nije greška" (''Love Is Not a Mistake'') at
Sunčane Skale
Sunčane Skale was a pop music festival held every summer in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. The festival began in 1994. The festival was held every year from 1994 to 2015, except in 1999 - NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. In 2016, it was cancelled for financi ...
, and finished twelfth. On 15 April 2007, she starred in the TV show ''
Nad lipom 35'', playing herself.
She took part in
''Ples za zvijezdama'', the Croatian version of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' and finished second.
Later, in 2008, she released a number of singles, such as "Pronađi me" (''Find Me''), "Marija" (''Mary'') and "Miljama daleko" (''Miles Away''). Soon after she released her third album ''
Volim biti zaljubljena
''Volim biti zaljubljena'' () is the third album by Croatian singer Lana Jurčević. It was released in 2008, by Menart Records
Menart Records is a Slovenian full-service record label with partner companies also in Croatia and Serbia.
History
Men ...
''. At the 2008 Croatian Radio Festival, she performed "Zora bijela" (''White Dawn''). A year later, she performed the song "Začaran" (''Enchanted''). The same year she covered a traditional Croatian
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
"Djetešce nam se rodilo" (''A Child Was Born Unto Us'').
2010–2019: The change of image
In March 2010, she released another single "Kopija" (''Copy''), a lead single off her compilation album of the same name. In May 2011, she visited
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and appeared in a number of shows in Serbia, Macedonia and Slovenia, performing the last single off ''Kopija'', "Ubile usne moje" (''My Lips Have Killed''). In 2012, she released her fourth album ''Pobjede i porazi'', which was characterized by more mature sound than her previous studio efforts. The following year she performed a song "La la land" off the album at the
CMC Festival in
Vodice Vodice may refer to:
Croatia
*Vodice, Croatia, a town and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County
*Vodice, Cres, a village on Cres
Czech Republic
*Vodice (Tábor District), a municipality and village in the South Bohemian Region
*Vodice, a village an ...
. She concluded the year with a collaboration with Croatian
hip-hop group Connect, titled "Noć bez granica" (''Night Without Limits'').
Throughout 2014 she released a number of singles such as "Duša hrvatska" (''Croatian Soul''), the revenue of which was donated to the victims of
2014 Southeast Europe floods
Between 13 and 18 May 2014 a low-pressure cyclone designated ''Tamara'' and ''Yvette'' affected a large area of Southeastern and Central Europe, causing floods and landslides. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the greatest damage, as the ...
as part of the humanitarian action organized by
HDS ZAMP, "Majica" (''T-shirt'') and "Hollywood".
The following year she released "Od najgorih najbolji" (''The Best of the Worst''), a second duet with Luka Nižetić following 2006's "Prava ljubav". In the summer she dropped "Ludo ljeto" (''Crazy Summer''). The song received positive reviews from critics and it was performed at the CMC Festival in Vodice and ''
X Factor Adria
''X Factor Adria'', usually referred simply as ''X Faktor'', was a Balkan production of international talent show franchise of ''The X Factor''. The Adria edition of the show covered Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and as of ...
''.
In 2016 she took part in ''
Tvoje lice zvuči poznato'', Croatian version of ''
Your Face Sounds Familiar'', finishing third. In 2017 Jurčević released her fifth album ''Tabu'', which received positive reviews. It was preceded by singles "Kim Kardashian", "Daj da plovimo" (''Let's Sail'') as well as the title track (''Taboo''). She released two singles in 2018, "Usne od milijun watti" (''Million
Watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
Lips'') and "Upalimo ljubav" (''Let's Turn On Love'') with
Luka Basi, before taking a hiatus.
2020–present: International career
Jurčević ended the hiatus in January 2020, deleting all posts off her
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account and announcing that she had signed a contract with
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
. The same month she released her debut international single "
So Messed Up
"So Messed Up" is the debut international single by Croatian pop singer La Lana. It was released on 31 January 2020 by Warner Music. It was written and produced by Damon Sharpe and Eric Sanicola, with additional writing from Jazelle Rodriguez an ...
" under a new stage name La Lana.
Personal life
She completed senior year of journalism at
University of Zagreb. In September 2010, she opened her own dance studio in Zagreb, LA Studio. In June 2018, she founded her own
cosmetics
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
La Piel.
Discography
Albums
* ''
Lana
Lana may refer to:
*Lana (given name)
*Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist
*Lana (wrestler), professional wrestler and pro wrestling manager
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a 2006 Ukrainian fantasy novel
Sciences
* ...
'' (2003)
* ''
1 razlog
(English: '1 Reason') is the second studio album by Croatian singer Lana Jurčević. It was released in 2006 by Hit Records.
Track listing
# "" (with Luka Nižetić
Luka Nižetić (born 12 August 1983) is a Croatian singer. His debut album ...
'' (2006)
* ''
Volim biti zaljubljena
''Volim biti zaljubljena'' () is the third album by Croatian singer Lana Jurčević. It was released in 2008, by Menart Records
Menart Records is a Slovenian full-service record label with partner companies also in Croatia and Serbia.
History
Men ...
'' (2008)
* ''Pobjede i porazi'' (2012)
* ''Tabu'' (2017)
Compilation albums
* ''Kopija'' (2010)
References
External links
Lana official websiteLana official blog
Lana youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Lana
1984 births
21st-century Croatian women singers
Living people
Croatian pop singers
Croatian mezzo-sopranos
Musicians from Zagreb
Croatian people of Bosniak descent