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Lepava Mušović ( sr-Cyrl, Лепава Мушовић; born 13 January 1940), known professionally as Lepa Lukić ( sr-cyr, Лепа Лукић), is a Serbian folk singer with a career spanning more than six decades. One of her biggest hits is "Srce je moje violina" (''My Heart is a Violin'').


Early life and family

Lepava Mušović in the village of Miločaj near
Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...
in
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 ...
, at the time part of
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
. Contrary to most sources, Lepava was actually born 13 January 1940, rather than 16 January 1940 when she was given a birth certificate. Her father, Radisav, died in 1942, at age 30, when Lepava was two years old. Her mother, Milosija (1913–2007), lived to the age of 94. Lepava has one older brother, Radomir, born in 1936.


Career

Lepava began singing at about the age of ten, circa 1950 in her village. Her professional singing career began in the 1960s, when she recorded duets with singers Mića Stojanović and Gvozden Radičević. At the beginning of her professional career, Lukić wished to sing as a soloist instead of in the then-popular duet format. During a concert in
Aleksandrovac Aleksandrovac ( sr-cyr, Александровац) is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of central Serbia. As of 2022, the town has a population of 5,586 inhabitants, while the municipality has 22,069 inhabitants. History Fr ...
, Lukić expressed her desire to sing as a soloist to accordion player and composer Radojka Živković (1923–2002). At first hesitant, Živković agreed after Lepa began crying and begging her to allow her to prove herself as a solo singer. Upon hearing Lepa sing one song, Živković asked her to sing a second, a third, and a fourth. There are two versions of how Lepa Lukić got her solo recording deal. Her version says that on a bus ride 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 ...
in 1967, the composer Petar Tanasijević was sitting behind her and tapped her shoulder and asked her if she wanted to record as a soloist, which she immediately agreed to. The next day, Tanasijević offered her the song "Od izvora dva putića" (''From the Spring of Two Roads''), which she recorded along with three other songs for her first album, released in 1967. The other version of the story, as told by Petar Tanasijević, was that one night in autumn of 1964, on a bus ride ''to'' Aleksandrovac, he was sitting ''in front'' of Lepa as she sang a song which annoyed him, so he asked her to stop. She looked at him in defiance and continued singing. After they arrived to Belgrade and got off the bus, he asked somebody who that "uncivilized" girl on the bus was. He was told that she was just a "
kafana Kafana is a type of local coffeehouse, bistro or tavern, common in the countries of Southeast Europe, which originally served coffee and other warm drinks while today usually also offer alcoholic beverages and food. Many kafanas feature live mus ...
singer". During the concert that night, he was in the audience when Lepa came onto the stage with accordion player Radojka Živković to sing. He said that he shuddered and a chill went down his spine when he heard her voice on stage, even comparing her to popular
sevdalinka Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional genre of folk music originating in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sevdalinka is an integral part of the Bosniak culture, but is also spread across the ex- Yugoslav region, including Croatia, Mo ...
singer Nada Mamula. After her performance, he found her backstage and congratulated her. He promised to write a song for her and she said "''I love you. Help me get out of the
kafana Kafana is a type of local coffeehouse, bistro or tavern, common in the countries of Southeast Europe, which originally served coffee and other warm drinks while today usually also offer alcoholic beverages and food. Many kafanas feature live mus ...
s. I'm sick of everything.''" As his version of the story goes, one year later he composed the song "Od izvora dva putića" and thought of her. He contacted her and gave her the song. Although she never met novelist
Ivo Andrić Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1961. His writ ...
(1892–1975), it was rumored that he liked her song "Vremena su prošla stara" (''Old Times Have Passed''), also written by Petar Tanasijević. Lukić announced the last solo concert in her career for 27 September 2023 at
Dom Sindikata Dom Sindikata (lit. Trade Union Hall), known as mts Hall for sponsorship reasons, is a non-residential, multi-purpose building in downtown Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Finished in 1957, by the 1970s it became the most popular entertainment ve ...
, Belgrade.


Personal life

Lukić has been married three times. Her third husband is named Milan Milanović. She did not have children with any of her husbands. She was a friend of footballer
Miljan Miljanić Miljan Miljanić ( sr-Cyrl, Миљан Миљанић; 4 May 1930 – 13 January 2012) was a Yugoslav and Serbian football administrator, coach and player who played as a defender. He was the all-powerful President of the Football Association ...
(1930–2012), as well as Bosnian singer Silvana Armenulić (1939–1976), with whom she was asked to perform with at Silvana's final concert the night she died in 1976, but overslept for the first time in her career and did not make it to the concert. Had she gone, she believes she would have lost her life in the car accident that killed Silvana and her sister Mirsada Mirjana Bajraktarević. In 2013, Lepa revealed in an interview that she hasn't driven a car since Silvana's death, out of fear that she would share the same fate as the two sisters.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukic, Lepa 1940 births Living people Musicians from Kraljevo 20th-century Serbian women singers Yugoslav women singers Grand Production artists Serbian folk singers Parovi