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Selma Bajrami (born 4 July 1980) is a
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
n singer-songwriter and media personality. Her professional music career began when she was a teenager joining the pop group "IF". With the release of her first studio album '' Kad suza ne bude...'' in 1998, Bajrami started her solo career. So far, she has released 9 studio albums. Deemed as the most popular and best selling female pop star in Bosnia, she is also one of the most popular Balkan singers of the 21st century.


Early life

Bajrami was born in
Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part 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 ...
to a
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 and
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
father. She grew up in the nearby village of Mramor where she spent the entirety of 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 ...
(1992–1995), during which she started singing in
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. In 1996 she moved back to Tuzla where she finished a hairdressing school. Bajrami started singing professionally at the age of 15, performing at local festivals and venues.


Career

Her first studio album, Kad suza ne bude..., was released in 1998 through the record label "Nimfa Sound". There are 12 songs on the album, and the most popular among the audience were the songs: "Njemu osmijeh, meni suze", "Šta će žena ta", "Zašto boli kad se voli", "Kad suza jednom ne bude", etc. Selma was a member of the pop music group "If" with whom she recorded 2 songs in the period 1999-2000; The songs "Ne vjeruj muškarcima" and "Ne mogu bez tebe". Bajrami's second studio album, '' Ljubav si ubio gade'', was released in 1999 through “Nimfa Sound” label. This album celebrated Selma in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and earned her the epithet "star” already at the beginning of her career. The biggest hits from this album are: "Pijanico", "Ljubav si ubio gade", "Život liječi rane", "Mrva hljeba", etc. The third studio album, Revolucija, was released in 2001 for the “Nimfa Sound” label for distribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and for
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 ...
for distribution 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 ...
. There are 10 songs on the album, and the biggest hits from this album are: "Svi ste vi isti", "Hajde, živio", "Nije više osamnaest meni", etc. The fourth studio album, Žena sa Balkana, was released in 2002 for the “Nimfa Sound” label and this album is also Selma's last release for that publishing house. There are 12 songs on the album, and the biggest hits are: "Nana", "Škorpija", "Žena sa Balkana", and the song "Žena sirena" (English: A woman - ''Siren'') became Selma’s nickname. Selma also competed in the selection for the representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
with the song "Zaljubena" which was held on March 1, 2003 in
Skenderija Skenderija is a cultural, sports and trade centre located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In boasts an area of 70,000 square meters, with multipurpose halls for various sports, with concert and cultural venues, and with trade areas which inc ...
in Sarajevo. Selma's fifth studio album, Kakvo tijelo Selma ima, was released on December 27, 2004 for the publishing house “Hayat Production”. This album is a major turning point in Selma's career and has gained great popularity throughout the
Balkans 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 ...
. The biggest hits from this album are: "Kakvo tijelo Selma ima", "Tijelo uz tijelo", "Muška suza" etc. On this album, Selma wrote the music for the songs "Divlji zov", "Prva ljubav" and is also the author of the music and lyrics for the song "Ljubavi jedina". After 6 years since the release of this album, in 2010, a demo version of the song “Muška suza” appeared on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
performed by
Dragana Mirković Dragana Mirković ( sr-Cyrl, Драгана Мирковић, ; born 18 January 1968) is a Serbian pop-folk singer and entrepreneur. She rose to prominence in the eighties as a member of the popular collective Južni Vetar. Mirković is recognise ...
. Her sixth studio album, Ostrvo tuge, was released in April 2007 for the publishing house
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 ...
. This is considered to be Selma's most successful album of her career, judging by the fact that the album has sold over 200,000 copies within its first year. Selma also recorded high-budget music videos for the songs "Ostrvo tuge" in
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
and "Promijeni se" in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, and besides those songs, the song "Lijepe žene" stood out the most, which is one of Selma's biggest hits. There are 9 songs on the album, and one of them is a duet with
Aca Lukas Aleksandar Vuksanović ( sr-cyrl, Александар Вуксановић; born 3 November 1968), better known by his stage name Aca Lukas ( sr-cyr, Аца Лукас), is a Serbian pop-folk singer and musician. Career Vuksanović began his ca ...
. In the same year, Selma won the award for “Singer of the decade” and “Album of the year” at the “Oskar popularnosti”. Bajrami's seventh studio album was called '' Zakon sudbine'', released in May 2010 for the record label
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 ...
in the territory of Serbia, and in January 2011 for “Hayat Production” in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are 14 songs on the album, and the singles that announced this album were; "Đavolica" with Deda, "Šta je od Boga, dobro je" with
Elvir Mekić Elvir Mekić () (born 15 October 1981) is a Macedonian musician. He gained popularity after performing his single "Opasno" with Maja Sazdanovska at Ohrid Fest in 2007. He went on to release a second and third single from his debut album, '' Op ...
and the single "Farmerice" released in December 2009. The album has sold more than 100,000 copies and is Selma's last album released by the record label Grand Production. The biggest hits from this album are; “Voli me do bola”, “Bakšiš”, “Rukujmo se kao prijatelji”, “Sarajevo”, etc. The following year, she won the “Duet of the year” award at the “Oskar popularnosti” 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 ...
for the song “Šta je od Boga, dobro je”. In the spring of 2011, Selma had her own reality show called "Voli me do bola: Reality Show" to select dancers for her music video "Voli me do bola" which was broadcast on Hayat TV in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2012, Selma recorded the single "James Dean" and retired from the scene to devote herself to motherhood. In August 2013, she recorded the comeback song "Nisam ti oprostila" and announced her eighth studio album the following year. The long-awaited eighth studio album, Selma, was released on July 23, 2014 for the publishing house
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'' ...
in the territory of Serbia and for the publishing house "Hayat Production" for the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are 9 songs on the album, and the songs "Tijelo bez duše", "Nisam ti oprostila", "Samo tvoje oči", "Zabrani mi da te volim" etc. In October 2015, she recorded the first female duet in her career with Enela Palavra; "Mlađe slađe", and the song soon became a hit, especially among the younger audience. Today, the song has over 15 million views on YouTube. In 2016, she collaborated again with her longtime collaborator, songwriter Dragan Brajović Braja, and released the song "Zvjerka", which achieved incredible success in her career and became one of her biggest hits. The song has over 30 million views on YouTube. The singles "Uzbuna", "U zemlji krvi i meda", "Sve mi nudi", "Indicentno" followed, and the interesting fact is that the song "U zemlji krvi i meda" was inspired by the tragic death of a young loving couple during
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 ...
, Boško and Almira. On 30 August 2024, she released her ninth studio album, ''Embargo''.


2012–14: ''Selma Bajrami''

Bajrami began work on her 8th studio album in 2012. The lead single "James Dean" premiered in December of that year. It was followed by "Nisam ti oprostila", "Moje milo", "Tijelo bez duše" and "Samo tvoje oči". The full album, ''Selma Bajrami'' was released 23 July 2014 through Hayat Production and
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'' ...
.


Personal life

Bajrami met her first husband, Zoran Vučković from
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, in March 2003 in the
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n city of
Makarska Makarska () is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, located on a horseshoe-shaped bay bet ...
, where they married six months later. They divorced in February 2004. Selma met her second husband, a Bosnian man named Mujo Musić in July 2011, during a performance of hers at the
Modrac Lake Modrac Lake ( Bosnian: Jezero Modrac) is an artificial lake in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located in the municipality of Lukavac, it is home to many species of fish and is popular with fishermen. A 2005 effort to turn it into a tourist attraction w ...
by
Lukavac Lukavac ( cyrl, Лукавац) is a city located in the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the urban centre has a population of 12,061 inhabitants, with 44 ...
. They were wed on 22 December 2011 in front of 100 guests at the hotel ''Tuzla'' in the same city, having been engaged a month. Bajrami moved with her second husband to his home in
Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. The couple filed for divorce in October 2014. Bajrami was about two months pregnant on her wedding day and although she had a birth due date of 4 July 2012, her 32nd birthday, she gave birth via
caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the Surgery, surgical procedure by which one or more babies are Childbirth, delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because va ...
to a baby boy named Daris seven days later than expected on 11 July 2012 in Vienna. Bajrami did not celebrate her son's first birthday in 2013 as he was born on the anniversary of the
Srebrenica genocide The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by units ...
. She has stated that she will never celebrate his birthday on that date out of respect for the victims. On 28 February 2010, Bajrami was attending a friends birthday party 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 ...
, when she was attacked and assaulted by a drunk man. She was treated in a hospital and sued her assailant. Earlier, Bajrami denied news in September 2008 that she had been attacked by a schizophrenic man with a chainsaw in a nightclub near
Srebrenik Srebrenik ( sr-cyrl, Сребреник) is a city located in Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Tuzla. As of 2013, the city had a population of 39,678 inhabitants, ...
.


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Kad suza ne bude...'' (1998) *'' Ljubav si ubio gade'' (1999) *'' Revolucija'' (2001) *'' Žena sa Balkana'' (2002) *'' Kakvo tijelo Selma ima'' (2004) *'' Ostrvo tuge'' (2007) *'' Zakon sudbine'' (2010) *'' Selma'' (2014) *''Embargo'' (2024)


Non-album singles

*Ne vjeruj muškarcima (1999) with IF *Ne mogu bez tebe (2000) with IF *Ako se desi (2000) with IF *Zaljubljena (2003) *''To vodu ne pije'' (2005) with Amir Kazić Leo *''Gdje će ti duša'' (2006) with
Enes Begović Enes Begović (born 6 June 1965) is a Bosnian pop-folk singer and producer. Early life Enes Begović was born on 6 June 1965 in Visoko, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. While attending a Visoko high school in 1978, Begović passed an audition as a sol ...


Videography


Filmography


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bajrami, Selma 1980 births Living people Musicians from Tuzla Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Albanian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina folk-pop singers Grand Production artists Hayat Production artists