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". Her debut album ''
Krive riječi'' was released 1 June 2013.
Early life and education
In 2005, Maya Sar graduated with a
Bachelor of Music with concentration on piano from
University of Sarajevo's
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 found ...
. Before she started her solo career, Sar was a backing vocalist for many famous singers, including
Dino Merlin.
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,
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" during the semi-finals and finals at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011.
On 15 December 2011 it was confirmed that Maya Sar would represent
Bosnia and Herzegovina with the song "
Korake ti znam" in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in
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. 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