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

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, Czechia and

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. 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

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. 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

. 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

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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

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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

, 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

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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