Vesna Zmijanac (, ; born 4 January 1957) is a
Montenegrin-born
Serbian singer and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Sadness", she is known for her emotional vocal delivery and melancholic
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s. Also noted for her provocative appearance and western-influenced image, Zmijanac debuted in 1979 and had the biggest success during the 80s and 90s in
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 has established herself as one of the most successful Serbian folk singers of all time, having sold around 6.7 million records. Zmijanac has also experienced popularity in the neighboring countries like
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
.
Additionally, Zmijanac appeared in the movie ''Sok od šljiva'' (1981) and the
reality television
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 ...
shows ''
Survivor Srbija VIP: Philippines'' (2010) and ''
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 ...
'' (2016). She is the mother of singer
Nikolija Jovanović.
Early life
Vesna Zmijanac was born on 4 January 1957 in
Nikšić
Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
,
PR Montenegro
The Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора), commonly referred to as Socialist Montenegro or simply Montenegro, was ...
,
FPR 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 Yu ...
to mother Kovina from
Kraljevo
Kraljevo ( sr-cyr, Краљево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar, in the geographical region of Šumadija, between the mountains of K ...
,
SR Serbia
, life_span = 1944–1992
, status = Constituent state of Yugoslavia
, p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia
, flag_p1 = Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg
, p2 ...
and father Dušan from
Sisak
Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...
,
SR Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Social ...
. Her parents divorced when she was just a year old, as they believed that they were too young to be married. Subsequently, Zmijanac was raised by her maternal grandmother in the village of Kovače near
Kraljevo
Kraljevo ( sr-cyr, Краљево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar, in the geographical region of Šumadija, between the mountains of K ...
because her parents went abroad to work.
Zmijanac also briefly lived in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
with her mother, where she attended high school, from which she eventually dropped out. She did, however, finish a typing course.
According to Zmijanac, she showed interest in music from an early age, citing
Šaban Šaulić
Šaban Šaulić ( sr-cyr, Шабан Шаулић; 6 September 1951 – 17 February 2019) was a Serbian folk singer. Renowned for his refined baritone vocals and performances characterised by emotional intensity and crowd interaction, his career ...
,
Esma Redžepova
Esma Redžepova-Teodosievska ( mk, Есма Реџепова-Теодосиевска, ; 8 August 1943 – 11 December 2016) was a Macedonian Romani vocalist, songwriter and humanitarian. Because of her prolific repertoire, which included hund ...
and
Safet Isović
Safet Isović (; 20 October 1936 – 2 September 2007) was a Bosnian singer who performed the Bosnian traditional music sevdalinka.
Early life and family
Isović was born into a Bosniak family in Bileća, located in the Herzegovina region of mod ...
as the biggest influences on her vocal performance.
Career
While living in Vienna, Zmijanac was discovered by singer
Šaban Šaulić
Šaban Šaulić ( sr-cyr, Шабан Шаулић; 6 September 1951 – 17 February 2019) was a Serbian folk singer. Renowned for his refined baritone vocals and performances characterised by emotional intensity and crowd interaction, his career ...
, who offered her to join him on his European tour.
Šaulić also helped her get a recording contract with
PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB (abbreviation for sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd) was a major state-owned record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. After the breaku ...
, under which she released her first single "Hvala ti za sve" in 1979. Three years later, she starred in the movie ''Sok od šljiva'', directed by
Branko Baletić
Branko Baletić (; born 5 June 1946 in Belgrade, Serbia) is a Montenegrins (ethnic group), Montenegrin film director and Film producer, producer.
His films include Granica (film), Granica (1990) (producer), Stela (film), Stela (1990) (executive p ...
. Her first album, ''Ljubi me, ljubi, lepoto moja'', was released in 1982. Zmijanac also made a cameo in the television series ''Kamiondžije ponovo voze'' in 1984.
During the early eighties, she started collaborating with Miroljub Aranđelović Kemiš, who wrote her first bigger hit - "Nevera moja" (1975). Her fifth album, titled ''Dođi što pre'', was released the following year, selling 400,000 copies.
Same year, she won the grand prix at the International Music Fair (MESAM) 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 ...
with the song "Kraj nogu ti mrem". The album was also followed with her first national tour. With this success Zmijanac was propelled into the first rank of Yugoslavian singers, only competing with
Lepa Brena
Fahreta Živojinović (; ; born 20 October 1960), known by her stage name Lepa Brena (), is a folk singer, actress, and businesswoman. She is the best-selling female recording artist from the former Yugoslavia.
Lepa Brena grew up in Brčko, Bosni ...
. The follow-up album, ''Jedini si ti'', was sold in half a million copies.
Her 1987 album, titled ''Istina'', was sold in 850,000 copies, making it of one the best-selling albums in the former Yugoslavia. The album featured a popular duet with
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 ...
, called "Kad zamirišu jorgovani". Zmijanac embarked on her second tour, performing at the
Hala Pionir
Hala may refer to:
People
* Hala (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
* David Hala (born 1989), Australian Rugby League player
* Hāla (fl. 20-24), Indian king of the Satavahana dyn ...
, Belgrade and
Zetra Olympic Hall, Sarajevo
The Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Olimpijska dvorana Juan Antonio Samaranch'' / Олимпијска дворана Хуан Антонио Самаран; formerly Zetra Olympic Hall) is an indoor multi- ...
to over 10,000 people.
Other big hits of hers from this period include "Ne kunite crne oči" (1986), "Kunem ti se životom" (1987) and "Kazni me, kazni" (1988).
In 1990, Zmijanac released her eighth studio album ''Svatovi'', under new label
Komuna, which was promoted with a tour and ten consecutive concerts at the Belgrade's
Sava Centar
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 ...
. During the nineties, four more bodies of work were released, on which she collaborated with the likes of
Momčilo Bajagić Bajaga
Momčilo Bajagić (; born 19 February 1960), better known under pseudonym Bajaga (), is a Serbian rock musician. He is best known as the leader of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, as well as a former member of the ...
and
Rambo Amadeus
Antonije Pušić (; born 14 June 1963), known professionally as Rambo Amadeus () is a Montenegrin author. A self-titled "musician, poet, and media manipulator", he is a noted artist across the countries of former Yugoslavia.
His songs combine ...
.
These albums include popular songs such as "Svatovi" (1990), "Idem preko zemlje Srbije" (1994), "Ja imam nekog, a ti si sam" (1994) featuring Slavko Banjac, "Malo po malo" (1995) and "Da budemo noćas zajedno" (1997).
In the year 2000, Zmijanac published a book called ''Kad zamirišu jorgovani'', which was described by her as "an attempt at an autobiography". In October 2010, she participated on ''
Survivor Srbija VIP: Philippines'' alongside her daughter, Nikolija. Zmijanac was the second contestant to be eliminated on the show. Her final album to date ''Sokol'' was released in 2011 through
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS ( sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije) is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1959 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and So ...
. Zmijanac competed on the seventh and final season of the
reality television
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 ...
''. She eventually voluntarily left the show after finding out that her daughter is pregnant. In December 2019, Vesna Zmijanac, among other artists, received the Life Achievement Award from the Union of Serbia's Music Artists. In October 2020, she was proclaimed the National Music Artist of Serbia by the Folk Music Assembly of Serbia.
Private life
During the 1980s, Zmijanac was for three years married to songwriter and instrumentalist Miroljub Aranđelović Kemiš, who later remarried to singer
Zorica Brunclik
Zorica Brunclik ( sr-cyr, Зорица Брунцлик; born 29 June 1955) is a Serbian singer of folk music; both traditional and newly composed. Arguably one of the most famous ex-Yugoslavian artists, Zorica Brunclik is known for her singing ...
.
From her second marriage with the former chief of marketing at
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS ( sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije) is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1959 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and So ...
, Vlada Jovanović, she has a daughter
Nikolija
Nikolija Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Николија Јовановић, born on 19 October 1989) is a Serbian singer and rapper. Born in Zagreb and raised in Belgrade, she is the daughter of singer Vesna Zmijanac. Nikolija initially gained prominenc ...
(born 19 October 1989), who is also a well-known singer.
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''Ljubi me, ljubi, lepoto moja'' (1982)
* ''Ti mali'' (1983)
* ''Šta će meni šminka?'' (1984)
* ''Zar bi me lako drugome dao'' (1985)
* ''Dođi što pre'' (1986)
* ''Jedan si ti'' (1987)
* ''Istina'' (1988)
* ''Svatovi'' (1990)
* ''Ako me umiriš sad'' (1992)
* ''Idem preko zemlje Srbije'' (1994)
* ''Malo po malo'' (1995)
* ''Posle svega, dobro sam'' (1997)
* ''Šta ostane kad padnu haljine'' (2003)
* ''Sokole'' (2011)
Filmography
See also
*
Music of Serbia
Music of Serbia represents the musical heritage of Serbia, both historical and modern. It has a variety of traditional music styles, which are part of the wider Balkan musical tradition, with its own distinctive sound and characteristics.
Music ...
*
List of singers from Serbia
*
Turbo-folk
Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zmijanac, Vesna
1957 births
Living people
Musicians from Nikšić
Musicians from Kraljevo
20th-century Montenegrin women singers
Montenegrin folk singers
20th-century Serbian women singers
Serbian folk singers
Serbian folk-pop singers
Yugoslav women singers
Grand Production artists
Montenegrin expatriates in Serbia
21st-century Montenegrin women singers
21st-century Serbian women singers
Montenegrin people of Serbian descent
Serbs of Montenegro