Tinka Milinović Pichler (; born 27 November 1973) is a Bosnian-American recording artist.

Early life

Milinović was born in

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 ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

. She was raised by her mother Janja, father Drago Ivan, and an older brother, Dren. In 1991 she moved to the United States on her own as a high school exchange student.

Education and classical music

In 1992 Milinović entered

Louisiana College Louisiana Christian University (LCU) is a private Baptist university in Pineville, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,100 to 1,200 students. It is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Louisiana Christia ...

to study Vocal Performance/Opera with Dr. Loryn E. Frey. She graduated with

Cum Laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

honors with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1996. In 1998, Milinović received a Master of Music degree in Opera/Vocal Performance from the

University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

where she held a graduate teaching assistant position in the School of Music. Starting at age 18, Milinović represented herself before the U.S. immigration system and became a U.S. citizen. Milinović performed in different operas both in the United States and Sarajevo, as well as musicals, recitals, and opera scenes. Additionally while a scholar in Louisiana, she further trained her voice with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

primadonna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pers ...

Martina Arroyo Martina Arroyo (born February 2, 1937) is an American operatic soprano who had a major international opera career from the 1960s through the 1980s. She was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success. Arroyo first ...

from New York. Apart from these stage roles, Milinović also held solo concerts and has collaborated with Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Sarajevo Philharmonics.

Music career

Milinović competed at the Bosnia-Herzegovina Eurovision Song Contest national final with the song "Sve što imaš ti" (2002). Milinović's profile increased and resulted in her receiving offers to host her own TV and radio shows, as well as a lead role in Emerich Kalman's "Die Czardas Fürstin" at Sarajevo Opera. Milinović further went on to

Eurovision Song Contest 2002 The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tallinn, Estonia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. Organised by the Euro ...

Tallinn, Estonia Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

, as a backing vocalist and dancer to the Bosnia-Herzegovina representative that year. After competing in Bosnia-Herzegovinian national selections for the

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 songs "I’m Never Gonna Fall" (2003), and "Sometimes I Wish I Were a Child Again" (2005), Milinović went on to represent Switzerland at

Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

finals in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

with the song "If We All Give A Little" as a member of the group

Six4One six4one was a six-piece supergroup formed in November 2005 for the sole purpose of representing Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The group was made up of six people who were chosen at a casting session that took place November ...

gathered by

Schweizer Fernsehen Schweizer Fernsehen (SF; "Swiss Television") is the German-language division of SRG SSR, in charge of production and distribution of television programmes in Switzerland for German-speaking Switzerland. It has its head office in Zürich. ...

. They released an album with 17 songs in English for the foreign market entitled “If We All Give A Little” (2006 CHIPS RECORDS, EDEL, PHONAG). Her solo pop album T.I.N.K.A was released soon afterwards and was nominated in all 6 categories for Bosnian Music Awards 2007: Pop Album, Pop Song, Pop Video, Pop Artist of the Year, The Best New Artist, and the Best Female Performance. Tinka Milinović foray into the world of jazz performances is documented in series of concerts in Austria and Balkans.

Television

Milinović's television career started overnight after TV producers saw her Eurovision 2002 performance and offered her to host ''TV Bingo Show'', a live prime time evening show on Federal Television (FTV) of Bosnia and Herzegovina that soon became the highest rated television show in the country. Tinka Milinović became a household name and hosted TV show for 6 years. During this time, Milinović also hosted TV show ''Summer with FTV'' also airing live on FTV, and she was a television host for Knotika TV, Dubai, UAE. She created, produced and hosted ''The Tinka Show'' on Federalna televizija in 2019 and run successfully all throughout her late pregnancy. The TV show is an entertaining educational talk show that inspires and supports viewers to explore the world they live in, without fear, prejudice and stereotypes, through conversations with women of different ages, professions and interests.

Radio

For three years, Milinović hosted ''Tinka's Show – No Offense'' on the national radio station of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH Radio 1). The show ran on Tuesday evenings and was heard all over Europe and the Internet. It was particularly popular among women due to Tinka's broadening women's perspectives, surpassing the limits, and breaking the molds of society.

Author

Tinka Milinović released the book The Success Secret in collaboration with Jack Canfield. The book hit seven separate best-seller lists on the day of its release cementing her place among the best-selling authors. Milinović was also a contributing author for #1 Middle Eastern female fashion magazine U Magazine in Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon, and British HEIR Magazine. Her writings cover topics related to women empowerment, relationships, love, lifestyle, and travel.

Personal life

Presently residing in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

, Milinović is working on ''The Tinka Show'' targeting the US audience and international television markets. She is developing a docu-reality show based on her life story in Louisiana.

Discography

* T.I.N.K.A (2007 Big Best Company) *

six4one six4one was a six-piece supergroup formed in November 2005 for the sole purpose of representing Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The group was made up of six people who were chosen at a casting session that took place November ...

"If We All Give a Little" (2006 Chips Records, Edel,

Phonag Records Phonag Records is a major record label in Switzerland based in Zurich, Switzerland. It was founded in 1960 as Phonag Schallplatten AG later renamed Records AG. In 2007, Phonag Records AG was taken over by TBA AG with Phonag remaining an independe ...

)"If We All Give A Little – The Album"
Last.fm.

References

External links

* *
Tinka Official Bosnia-Herzegovina website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milinovic, Tinka 1973 births Living people Musicians from Sarajevo 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Naturalized citizens of the United States Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2006 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Switzerland Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States