Sanja Vučić ( sr-Cyrl, Сања Вучић, ; born 8 August 1993) is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Initially the lead vocalist of the Serbian crossover band ZAA, she
represented Serbia at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Goodbye". From 2017 to 2022 she was a member of
pop folk girl group
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
,
during which time they represented Serbia in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "
Loco loco". In addition, Vučić and Hurricane were scheduled to represent Serbia in
the 2020 contest, which ended up being cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Life and career
Early career
Vučić finished both primary and secondary music school in
Kruševac
Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
, at the department of
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
singing. During her studies, she sang in various ensembles, ranging from the band performing
ethno music Bele vile, to the town
jazz orchestra, and in the church choir Saint Prince Lazar.
ZAA (2012–2016)
The band ZAA was founded in Kruševac in 2008 and Vučić joined in April 2012. Their music is a mix of styles from
ska music and
dub, to
post-rock,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
punk. They have performed in over 200 cities throughout the
former Yugoslavia, and also performed in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Czechia 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 ...
. The band has participated in numerous festivals, like
Exit,
Nišville, and Reggae Serbia fest. As a member of ZAA, Vučić has made one album called ''What About'' (2014).
Eurovision Song Contest 2016
Radio Television of Serbia internally selected Sanja Vučić for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. A press conference with the artist, held by RTS, took place on 7 March 2016 in
Košutnjak,
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 ...
where it was announced that the song Vučić would perform at the Eurovision Song Contest would be titled "Goodbye (Shelter)" and was written by Serbian singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band
Negative,
Ivana Peters.
The Serbian performance at the Eurovision stage featured Sanja Vučić performing together with four backing vocalists and a male
ballet dancer
A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...
. The choreography and staging of the performance interpreted the song's
abuse of women in
domestic violence message.
In the final, Serbia performed in position 15 and placed eighteenth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 115 points.
Vučić was an international jury member in the
Czech national selection process to the
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 and in the first semi-final of the
selection for the French entry to the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
Hurricane (2017–2022)
In 2017, Sanja became a member of the Serbian
girl group Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
. Their first single, "Irma, Maria", was released shortly afterwards. The group gained regional popularity with the song "Favorito". They participated in the
2020 edition of Beovizija, the Serbian national selection for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2020, where they won the competition and were selected to represent
Serbia
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, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song
"Hasta la vista". However, in March the contest was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.
In November 2020, it was confirmed that Hurricane would represent
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
Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "
Loco loco". At the contest, Hurricane performed in the second semi-final and placed 8th with 124 points, therefore qualifying for the grand final. In the final, they placed 15th in a field of 26 entrants, scoring 102 points. After the contest, "Loco loco" went on to become a hit in the
Balkan region.
After the contest, the group released various singles and collaborations. On 4 May 2022, Hurricane announced that they would be disbanding, with its members going on to pursue their solo careers.
Solo career (2022–present)
On 20 September 2022, Vučić released her first solo single titled "Omađijan". On 29 November of the same year, Vučić released her second solo single "Đerdan", featuring Serbian rapper
Nucci. On 19 October 2023, Vučić announced the release of her first solo album called ''Remek-delo'' which would be made of eight songs, including another duet with Nucci. The album was released on 31 October 2023.
Controversies
On 20 September 2022, Vučić was a guest on
Pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
talk show ''Ami G Show'', together with
Maja Nikolić,
Sajsi MC,
Predrag Azdejković and
Vesna Vukelić Vendi. Following the 2022
EuroPride, held the previous week 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 ...
, all of the guests stated their opinions on
Belgrade Pride, leading to a conflict between the
LGBT activist Azdejković and the
anti-LGBT Vukelić. Vučić stated: "I am
liberal and I believe that everybody needs to express their freedom, and love is love. About the
parade itself, I don't want to make a stance." Her hesitance to unequivocally support the parade was met with controversy from her fans. The next day, Vučić took to
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
and made a statement: "I would like to clarify some things about last night's show, I have to say I was very uncomfortable and I was not used to the tone that the show took in its certain parts, and led by that I wanted to avoid being part of the discourse, primarily because I was a guest on the show for different reasons. I have always been an
ally, love and equality will always have my support!"
Discography
Albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charted songs
Filmography
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vucic, Sanja
Living people
Musicians from Kruševac
21st-century Serbian women singers
Serbian punk rock musicians
Women punk rock singers
1993 births
Eurovision Song Contest entrants