Seid Memić, known by his stage name Vajta, (born 8 March 1950, in

Travnik Travnik is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west of Sarajevo. As of 201 ...

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 ...

) is a Bosnian singer and the vocalist for the Yugoslav

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Teška industrija Teška Industrija (trans. "''Heavy Industry''") is a rock band from Bosnia and Herzegovina, based in Sarajevo. They are noted for a mixture of hard rock and prog-rock sound with elements of bosnian folk music and "symphonic" arrangements. Teška ...

("Heavy Industry"). In 1973, Vajta moved to

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

and that is when his music career begins in earnest. From 1975 to 1976 he was a vocalist for Teška Industrija, who enjoyed great commercial success throughout the

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

countries but later dissolved. Soon, though, Vajta left the band to start a career as a pop singer. In the years from 1979-85, the albums "Zlatna Ribica" (Goldfish), "Vajta 2 Ponoćni valcer" (Midnight Waltz), "Tebi pjevam" (Singing to You) and "Kad bulbuli pjevaju" (When Bulbuls Sing) brought him to the heights of popularity throughout former Yugoslavia and made him a household name. He became internationally known in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest during which he represented

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. He achieved 15th place for Yugoslavia with the song "Lejla", which became a hit and still is throughout the

countries. He hosted ''Nedeljni zabavnik'' kids programme in the 1980s. With the breakout of 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 ...

, he moved to Germany, settling in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, where he lives today. In early 2007, Teška Industrija reunited and released a new album. In 2009, Vajta attained popularity by participating in the

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 ...

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show ''

Farma ''The Farm'' is a reality competition television franchise created by the Swedish producer Strix. Sold to more than 40 countries, ''The Farm'' is one of their most popular formats, including '' Survivor'', '' The Bar'' or ''Fame Factory''. In s ...

'', where he was expelled in the 6th duel on April 10.

References

1950 births Living people People from Travnik Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Yugoslav musicians Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Yugoslavia Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1981 Bosnia and Herzegovina rock singers 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Germany {{BosniaHerzegovina-singer-stub