Nenad Knežević (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...

: Ненад Кнежевић; born 5 December 1967), better known as Knez, is a Montenegrin singer, based in

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 ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. Best known for his 1994 hit "Dal' si ikada mene voljela" (''Have You Ever Loved Me''), he rose to fame as a 1990s

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

singer. Knez also represented Montenegro in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

with " Adio", finishing 13th out of 27 countries, the best result Montenegro has ever achieved at the contest. Additionally, he appeared on the reality TV shows '' Survivor Srbija VIP: Philippines'' (2010) and '' Tvoje lice zvuči poznato'' seasons one (2013) and

five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

(2019).

Life and career

Early years

He was born and grew up in Titograd (now

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

) in a family of musicians. At six years of age, Knez sang "Bio jednom jedan lav" on the ''Naša Radost'' Festival in Titograd. He was schooled in the same city. After high school, he was a member of group "Milan i Luna". Whilst in high school, he started his first band, Visoka frekvencija ( en, High Frequency), with guitarist Leo Đokaj. With the band, he wrote the songs "Da l' si ikada mene voljela" and "Kao magija" that would later become his greatest hits. Later, he established The Moon Band, which played on the Montenegrin coast, and subsequently the "Montenegro Band" with his father, Milija Mili Knežević.

Career

In 1992, Knez began his solo career and appeared at the Belgrade Pop Festival, MESAM, with the song, "Da l' si ikada mene voljela". In that same year, Knez recorded his first album, ''Kao magija'', with the help of former band member, guitarist Leo Đokaj and songwriters, Ljubo Jovović and Zlatko Jovović. In 1994, Knez recorded his second album, ''Iz dana u dan''. In 1996, Knez recorded his third album, ''Automatic''. This album was the highest-selling album. The biggest concert he had in his career was in

Sava Center Sava Centar ( sr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business centre of various multi-functional activities located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and entire forme ...

. In 1999, a compilation was released under the name, ''The Best of Knez'', which included 18 old songs, 2 new songs, "Nijedna žena na svijetu" and "Ti ne znaš ko sam ja", and a remix of "Kao magija". In 2000, he competed in the Budva 2000 Festival with the song, ''Vjeruj'', which won the first place. In 2001, Knez recorded his fourth album, ''Daleko, visoko''. In 2003, Knez recorded his fifth album, ''Ti me znaš''. He won the third place at the ''Music Festival Budva 2006''. In 2005, Knez recorded his sixth album, ''Vanilla''. On 31 October 2014, it was officially announced that Knez would represent Montenegro at

in Vienna, Austria. Performing in Montenegrin with his song " Adio", Knez came ninth in the second semi-final, and ranked 13th in the Grand Final with 44 points, making this, up to date, Montenegro's most successful entry. Song ''Adio'' has two versions, in French and English. English version is written by Milica Fajgelj, Tami Rodriguez, Nicole Rodriguez and Dunja Vujadinovic. Knežević collaborated with actor and academic

Branislav Lečić Branislav Lečić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Лечић; born 25 August 1955) is a Serbian actor, director, academic, writer, politician. Known for his versatile portrayals of emotionally vulnerable characters with strong senses of moral justic ...

on the popular ''Bubamara'' ballad.

Personal life

Between 1995 and 2013 he was married to Ninoslava Knežević, with whom he has two daughters, one of which is

Ksenija Knežević Ksenija Knežević ( sr-Cyrl, Ксенија Кнежевић, ; born 24 January 1996), also known mononym as Ksenia (stylised in all caps) is a Serbs, Serbian-Montenegrins, Montenegrin singer. She rose to prominence after her collaborations wit ...

from the girl group

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

Discography

;Studio albums *''Kao magija'' (1994) *''Iz dana u dan'' (1996) *''Automatic'' (1997) *''Daleko, visoko'' (2000) *''Ti me znaš'' (2003) *''Vanilla'' (2005) *''Otrov i med'' (2008) *''Opa cupa'' (2012) ;Compilations *''The Best of Knez'' (1999) *''Balade'' (2006) *''Opa Cupa'' (2012)

References

External links

Biography in Serbian at BalkanMedia.comInformation Card in Serbian at BalkanMedia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knez 1967 births Living people Musicians from Podgorica 21st-century Montenegrin male singers Montenegrin singer-songwriters 20th-century Montenegrin male singers Indexi Award winners Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2015 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Montenegro