Svetlana Piljikić (; ; born 23 April 1981), better known as Seka Aleksić ( sr-Cyrl, Сека Алексић), is a Serbian singer. She rose to prominence with her debut album ''Idealno tvoja'' (2002). Aleksić has collectively released nine studio albums of predominately

pop-folk Folk-pop is a broad musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been popularized by mainstream media in recent years. Music ...

music. In addition to music, she starred in the movie '' We Are Not Angels 3: Rock & Roll Strike Back'' (2006) and her own

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

show ''Moja desna ruka'' (2010). Aleksić has also launched several clothing lines. She is currently the most followed woman from Serbia on

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 ...

with over two million followers.

Early life

Svetlana Aleksić was born on 23 April 1981 in

Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. Zvornik is located on the Drina River, on the eastern slopes of Majevica mountain, at the altitude of ...

SFR 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 ...

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

father Milorad Aleksić and

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

mother Ibrima. Her parents divorced when she was seven years old. She stated that she was exposed to scenes of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

from her father as a child. During 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 ...

, Aleksić fled to

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 ...

with her mother and older brother. They had initially lived in

Banja Koviljača Banja Koviljača ( sr-cyrl, Бања Ковиљача, ) is a popular tourist spot and spa town located in the city of Loznica, Serbia. Situated on the west border of Serbia by the Drina River and from Belgrade, it is the oldest spa town in Serbi ...

before eventually settling down in the village of Lipolist near

Šabac Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...

a year later.

Career

Due to her family's financial struggles, Aleksić became a working singer early in her life. At the age of 19, she moved to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

where she started performing with a band. Seka rose to prominence in 2002 by winning at the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

festival Moravski biseri in

Ćuprija Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 16,522, while the municipality has 25,325 inhabitants (2022 census). History The Romans ...

with the song "Idealno tvoja". It was followed with the release of her debut album of the same name under

Grand Production Grand Production ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Гранд продукција, separator=" / ", Grand produkcija) is a Serbian record label and production company predominantly focused on folk performers. The label produces the weekly television show ''Grand ...

. Her subsequent albums ''

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

'' (2003) and '' Dođi i uzmi me'' (2005) spawned regional hits such as "Crno i zlatno", "Sviđa mi se tvoja devojka" and "Svi tvoji milioni". Aleksić made her on-screen debut starring in the 2006

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

'' We Are Not Angels 3: Rock & Roll Strike Back'', directed by Petar Pašić. Her third album '' Kraljica'' was released in November 2007. Selling in 300,000 copies, it became that year's best-selling album by a Serbian artist. ''Kraljica'' produced popular songs like "Aspirin" and "Poslednji let". While promoting her fifth release, titled '' Slučajni partneri'' (2009), Aleksić announced her first solo concert in the

Belgrade Arena The Belgrade Arena ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Београдска арена, Beogradska arena, separator=" / ") is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs. ...

. It was held on 24 October 2010 to 15,000 people. In 2010, she also appeared on her own

reality competition show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

, called ''Moja desna ruka'', which aired on

TV Prva Prva (; sr-Cyrl, Прва, lit=First) or Prva Srpska Televizija ( sr-Cyrl, Прва српска телевизија, lit=First Serbian Television), is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage. It was launched on 31 Dece ...

documenting the search for her new personal assistant. Following the release of '' Lom'' in April 2012, she embarked on a tour across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Aleksić provided the voiceover for the character Vexy in the Serbian adaptation of ''

The Smurfs 2 ''The Smurfs 2'' is a 2013 American fantasy comedy film loosely based on ''The Smurfs'' comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo, produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, The Kerner Entertainment Company, and ...

'' (2013). She posed for the cover of the May 2014 issue of the Serbian ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine. In May 2015, Aleksić released ''Lek za spavanje'' through

City Records City Records (full legal name in Serbian: Предузеће за издавачко-пропагандну делатност City Records д.о.о. Београд/''Preduzeće za izdavačko-propagandnu delatnost City Records d.o.o. Beograd'' ...

, featuring hits such as the title song, "Crveni ruž" and "Ti se hrani mojim bolom". Her eighth album "Koma" was subsequently released in April 2017. It included hit songs like "Evo" and "Ti i ja smo par". ''Koma'' was followed with her second concert in the Belgrade Arena on 14 April 2018. In May 2022, Aleksić released album ''Bioskop''. She announced her tenth studio album, titled ''Disco Seka'', with its lead single "Priđi ako smeš" in December 2022. During the 2023 Folk Music Assembly, Aleksić was declared the National Music Artist of Serbia.

Personal life

Aleksić married former

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

Veljko Piljikić on 12 September 2010. They have two sons, Jovan (born 24 September 2016) and Jakov (born 22 January 2020). Both were conceived through

in vitro fertilisation In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an ovum, egg is combined with spermatozoon, sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the Ovulation cycle, ovulatory process, then removing ...

. Aleksić and her family reside in

Stara Pazova Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...

. She practices

Eastern Orthodox Christianity Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

and is vocal about her faith.

Philanthropy

In December 2011, she held a benefit concert in

Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...

for a young man, named Kemal Kremić, who was diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. The event reportedly raised €40,000. Following the

2014 Southeast Europe floods Between 13 and 18 May 2014 a low-pressure cyclone designated ''Tamara'' and ''Yvette'' affected a large area of Southeastern and Central Europe, causing floods and landslides. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the greatest damage, as t ...

, Aleksić supplied shelters in Serbia with food and hygiene products. In August 2022, Aleksić condemned religious rallies against

EuroPride EuroPride is a pan-European identity, pan-European international event dedicated to Gay pride, LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established gay pride, pride event or a significan ...

in Belgrade and has since been known for showing her public support for the LGBT community in Serbia. In March 2023, she also denounced the assault against an LGBT activist 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 ...

and addressed the mayor

Draško Stanivuković Draško Stanivuković (; born 21 May 1993) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician serving as mayor of Banja Luka since December 2020. He is the current president of the Party of Democratic Progress. From 2018 to 2020, Stan ...

to solve the case. She has continuously supported the 2023 protests under the title Serbia Against Violence, organized following the Belgrade school shooting.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Idealno tvoja'' (2002) *''

'' (2003) *'' Dođi i uzmi me'' (2005) *'' Kraljica'' (2007) *'' Slučajni partneri'' (2009) *'' Lom'' (2012) *''Lek za spavanje'' (2015) *''Koma'' (2017) *''Bioskop'' (2022) *''Trilogy'' (2024)

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aleksic, Seka Living people 1981 births 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Bosnia and Herzegovina turbo-folk singers Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Bosniak descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Serbian descent People from Zvornik Grand Production artists Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Serbia Yugoslav Wars refugees Refugees in Serbia 21st-century Serbian women singers Serbian turbo-folk singers Serbian folk-pop singers Serbian people of Bosniak descent