Marija Nikolić (, born 11 April 1975), better known as Maja Nikolić, is a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

singer and reality television personality. Born and raised in

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

, she pursued a singing career in the early 90s by competing on music festivals. Nikolić has released six studio albums.

Career in music

In February 1994, Nikolić rose to prominence by competing on the International Music Fair (MESAM) in

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 ...

with "Odlazi", winning three first prizes. The following year, she released her debut album ''Sad me pronađi'' under

PGP-RTS PGP-RTS ( sr-Cyrl, Продукција грамофонских плоча Радио телевизије Србије, translit=Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije ) is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is ...

. Nikolić has cited singer Maja Odžaklijevska as her musical influence and supporter during her beginnings. In May 1998, she participated on the Slavianski Bazar in

Odesa, Ukraine Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrat ...

and

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

, Russia where she sung "Više nisi moj" and " Đelem, Đelem", arranged by her frequent collaborator

Vladimir Graić Vladimir Graić (, born 19 February 1968) is a Serbian composer of popular, film and television music. Among other pieces, he composed the song Molitva, performed by Marija Šerifović, which won the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. Biography Born ...

and

Željko Joksimović Željko Joksimović ( sr-Cyrl, Жељко Јоксимовић, ; born 20 April 1972) is a Serbian vocalist, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He plays 12 different musical instruments including accordion, piano, guitar a ...

. As the winner, Nikolić performed at the

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

. Also in 1998, she released her second album ''Uzmi me'', which was promoted with her first solo concert in

Sava Centar Sava Centar ( sr-cyr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business center of various multi-functional activities located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and the enti ...

, held in February 1999. Following her third album ''Iz inata'', released in 2000, Nikolić left

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 ...

and moved to the United States where she performed at Harry's Velvet Room in

downtown Chicago ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district (CB ...

, Illinois. She also served as the opening act at

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

' charity concert for disabled children at the China Club in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Nikolić also performed " Something To Talk About" from the 2002 movie '' About A Boy'' at the

7th Golden Satellite Awards The 7th Golden Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2002, were presented by the International Press Academy on January 12, 2003. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding contribution to the enter ...

Personal life

Nikolić stated that she graduated from the Svetozar Marković Grammar School in

and later attended the

Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She has two sons.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''Sad Me Pronađi'' (1995) * ''Uzmi Me'' (1998) * ''Iz Inata'' (2000) * ''Za Moju Dušu'' (2006) * ''Crveno'' (2011) * ''Zemlja Čuda'' (2018)

Music festivals

* MESAM (1994) - "Odlazi" * Beogradsko proleće (1994) - "Napustio si sve" *

Sunčane skale Sunčane Skale was a pop music festival held every summer in Herceg Novi, Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_ ...

(1994) - "Baš sam se zaljubila" * Budvanski festival (1994) - "Milion suza" * MESAM (1996) - "Svaki sam tren tebi suđena" * Beogradsko proleće (1998) - "Ne traži me više" * Slavianski Bazar (1998) - "Više nisi moj" and "Đelem, đelem" * Sunčane skale (1998) - "Varali me svi" *

Beovizija ''Beovizija'' () was a music festival established in 2003. Since 2007 it was the national selection for Serbia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. ''Beovizija'' was organised and broadcast live each year by RTS1, on RTRS in Bosnia, ...

(2003) - "Granica" * Zrenjaninski festival (2003) - "Bolesna" * Golden Satellite (2003) - "Something To Talk About" *

(2004) - "Otrov u malim bočicama" (feat. Ceca Slavković) * Sunčane skale (2005) - "Stoti put" * Radijski festival (2006) - "Pokloni se" *

Evropesma ''Evropesma'' ( sr-Cyrl, Европесма) or ''Europjesma'' () was a pop song contest in Serbia and Montenegro which ran from 2004 to 2006. The winning song represented the country in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was organized by the Serbia ...

(2006) - "Kad ti treba" *

(2007) - "Ja znam da ti me ne voliš" * Budvanski festival (2007) - "Delirijum" * Ohridski festival (2008) - "Samo za tvoje oči" * Vrnjačka banja (2012) - "Glas" * Beosong (2013) - Blagoslov" * Ohridski festival (2017) - "Suvenir" *

(2018) - "Zemlja čuda" *

Pesma za Evroviziju '25 25'' ( sr-Cyrl, Песма за Евровизију '25; PzE '25) was the fourth edition of , the national final organised by Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) to select the Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. The selection ...

(2025) - "Žali srce moje"

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Maja 1975 births Living people Serbian pop singers 21st-century Serbian women singers Musicians from Niš 20th-century Serbian women singers