Maja Sarihodžić (; ; born 12 July 1981), known by her stage name Maya Sar, is a Bosnian singer-songwriter. She represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the

2012 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azer ...

with the song "

Korake ti znam Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Korake ti znam" written and performed by Maya Sar. On 15 December 2011, the Bosnian broadcaster Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) revealed t ...

". Her debut album '' Krive riječi'' was released 1 June 2013.

Early life and education

In 2005, Maya Sar graduated with a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

with concentration on piano from

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the larges ...

Sarajevo Music Academy The Sarajevo Music Academy or Music Academy , University of Sarajevo ( bs, Muzička Akademija Univerziteta u Sarajevu or MAS) is a Faculty of Music of University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History Sarajevo Music Academy was foun ...

. Before she started her solo career, Sar was a backing vocalist for many famous singers, including

Dino Merlin Edin Dervišhalidović (; born 12 September 1962), known professionally as Dino Merlin (), is a Bosnian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Born in Sarajevo, he was the founder and leader of Merlin, which eventually became one of ...

Career

Her first single "Nespretno" (''Awkwardly'') was released in March 2010 and it became big hit in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in neighboring countries. She is the founder of the regional humanitarian project in the fight against cervical cancer ''Moj je život moja pjesma'' (''My Life Is My Song'') and the composer and songwriter of the eponymous song which is performed by leading some of the leading stars in the region –

Nina Badrić Nina Badrić (; born 4 July 1972) is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. She began performing in the early 1990s, and competed in " Dora" – the Croatian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 4 times. She won 7th place in 1993 with "Ostavljam ...

Karolina Gočeva Karolina Gočeva ( mk, Каролина Гочева, ; born 28 April 1980), sometimes credited as Karolina Gocheva or known only as Karolina, is a Macedonian pop singer. Gočeva launched her music career in 1991 with a performance at a local ch ...

Aleksandra Radović Aleksandra Radović ( sr-cyr, Александра Радовић, born 10 September 1974) is a Serbian singer-songwriter, vocal coach, television judge and voice actress. Born in Bogatić, she graduated from the Music Academy in Novi Sad, majori ...

, and Sar herself. For this, she received the Gold plaque of the great human heart by the International League of Humanists in 2011 and the European award by European Cervical Cancer Association (ECCA) in February 2014. Sar's debut studio album '' Krive riječi'' was released 1 June 2013 through the record label Hayat Production.

Eurovision

Maya Sar participated on

Eurovision 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 ...

as a back vocalist in 2004 and 2011 (both times for the Bosnia and Herzegovina entry). She also played the keyboard on Dino Merlin's "

Love in Rewind Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Love in Rewind" written and performed by Dino Merlin, who had represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. On 1 December 2010, the ...

" during the semi-finals and finals at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...

. On 15 December 2011 it was confirmed that Maya Sar would represent

Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 H ...

with the song "

" in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. The song premiered on 15 March 2012. She progressed from the second semi-final into the grand final where she finished in 18th place.

Personal life

Sar met her future husband Mahir Sarihodžić (born June 1974) when she was 16 and he was 23 in 1997. They wed in 2008. Sarihodžić is a music producer and together they own the recording studio "Long Play Studio". They live in Sarajevo. In addition to her native Bosnian, Sar is fluent in English and Italian.

Discography

*'' Krive riječi'' (2013)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sar, Maya 1981 births Living people Musicians from Tuzla Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Bosnia and Herzegovina pop singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Bosnia and Herzegovina University of Sarajevo alumni