Željko Samardžić (

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

: Жељко Самарџић; born 3 October 1955) is a Bosnian-

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer who is popular throughout the

former Yugoslav republics The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. He achieved fame after having to move to

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

as a result of the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

Biography

Samardžić was born in

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

, at the time part of PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, in

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. His father Milivoje was from

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, and his mother Nada was a

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

from the

Ilići Ilići is a suburban neighborhood of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, centered on the main strip of Ilićka Street immediately west of downtown and extending until the spring of Radobolja river. Ilići is located at 43.3472 N, 17.7681 E, at an ave ...

suburb of Mostar. Samardžić's father was a

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

officer, which meant that the family had to move around a lot. After spending the first seven years of his life in Mostar, young Željko lived and attended school in

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

Igalo Igalo (, ) is a small town in the Herceg Novi Municipality of Montenegro. It is accessible via the E65/ E80 north headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia. According to the 2011 Census, it has a population of 3,355. The town adjoins Herceg Novi and is adminis ...

and

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

before eventually returning to Mostar during his teenage years. He first started singing during high school, and soon became known around Mostar as a good

Kemal Monteno Kemal Monteno (17 September 1948 – 21 January 2015) was a Bosnian recording artist and singer-songwriter whose career stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s. He is widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of the former Yugoslavia. Mon ...

impersonator. Samardžić's musical activity during this period was essentially little more than a hobby as he did not put out any official releases and mostly sang in kafanas and restaurants in addition to competing in the occasional obscure festival. The closest he came to wide mainstream success was a schlager "Moja Marija je drugačija" that became a hit in Bosnia during the 1970s after he performed it at ''Prvi aplauz'' festival in

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

, but he mostly earned his living running a café in Mostar, located in proximity of the famous Old Bridge. When the

broke out in 1992, Željko was wounded sitting in his apartment while chaotic fighting was raging outside. A stray bullet entered his leg and exited his hip. After much trouble, along with his wife and their daughter, he managed to flee the city through the Croat-controlled western part of

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

and eventually reach

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

after going through

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. Once in Serbia, they lived in the

suburb of

Borča Borča ( sr-cyr, Борча, ) is an urban settlement of the municipality of Palilula, Belgrade, Palilula, Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the left-bank part of the municipality, separated by the Danube from the rest of the city. , it has a popu ...

and Samardžić soon started getting low-paying gigs in various

discothèques A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

and cafés, building up a fairly devoted niche audience. Almost 40 years old at this point, his big break came unexpectedly when some businessmen who enjoyed his nightclub performances brought him to the elite club Ambassador and also financed him with DM30,000 to record an album with

Marina Tucaković Marina Tucaković ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Туцаковић; 4 November 1953 – 19 September 2021) was a Serbian lyricist and songwriter. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Tucaković had a degree from the Economic Faculty at the Universit ...

and Aleksandar "Futa" Radulović. In 1995, he also appeared at the ''

Pjesma Mediterana ''Pjesma Mediterana'' ( sh-Cyrl, Пјесма Медитерана, lit=Song of the Mediterranean; formerly ''Music Festival Budva'', sh-Latn-Cyrl, Muzički festival Budva, Музички фестивал Будва) was a pop music festival held ...

'' festival in

Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...

, where he left a great impression singing "Sipajte mi još jedan viski", which further opened the doors to show business.

Personal life

Samardžić is married to Maja Džaferović, with whom he has three daughters, Sanja, Danijela and Minja, and has three grandchildren Luka, Aleksa and Nina.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Jednom kad nam dođu sijede (1987)'' *''Želja (1990)'' *''Oko tvoje neverno (1993)'' *''Sudbina (1995)'' *''Sećanje na ljubav (1996)'' *''Zveket srca (1997)'' *''Sve je moje tvoje (1999)'' *''Sentimentalan čovek (2001)'' *''Pokaži mi šta znaš (2004)'' *''Lice ljubavi (2006)'' *''Kojim dobrom mila moja (2009)'' *''Mila (2017)''

References

External links

Official website

Publika me održava u životu
''Blic'', 8 March 2008
Koncert Željka Samardžića – 'Ljubavna adresa' bila je Zetra
Sarajevo-x.com, 31 October 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Samardzic, Zeljko Living people 1955 births Musicians from Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina pop singers Serbian pop singers Yugoslav Wars refugees Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Serbia Refugees in Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Croatian descent Serbian people of Croatian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Montenegrin descent Serbian people of Montenegrin descent 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers 20th-century Serbian male singers 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers 21st-century Serbian male singers Indexi Award winners