Severina Vučković
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Severina Vučković (born 21 April 1972), better known mononymously as Severina, is a
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 singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, the Croatian weekly ''
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'' listed her among the 100 most influential Croats, calling her "the only ''bona fide'' Croatian celebrity", as well as "''Queen of Croatian music''". She represented Croatia at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcas ...
, held in
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, Greece, with the song " Moja štikla", finishing 12th. She won the award "Zlatna ptica" for the best selling artist of the decade in Croatia. In 2015, she was the most searched person on
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in
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 ...
and
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. She is considered one of the most popular figures in Croatia and Croatia's pop-culture, and one of the most popular musicians on
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 ...
region, having collaborated with numerous artists like: Jala Brat, Ministarke, Azis,
Marina Tucaković Marina Tucaković ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Туцаковић; 4 November 1953 – 19 September 2021) was a Serbian lyricist and songwriter. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Tucaković had a degree from the Economic Faculty at the Universit ...
,
Saša Matić Aleksandar "Saša" Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Матић; born 26 April 1978) is a Bosnian Serb pop-folk singer. He is the twin brother of fellow singer Dejan Matić. Life and career Early life Matić was born on 26 April 1 ...
, Miligram, Petar Grašo,
Kemal Monteno Kemal Monteno (17 September 1948 – 21 January 2015) was a Bosnian recording artist and singer-songwriter whose career stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s. He is widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of the former Yugoslavia. Mon ...
,
Željko Bebek Želimir "Željko" Bebek (born 16 December 1945) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian-Croatian vocalist and musician most notable for being the lead singer of the SFR Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme from 1974 until 1984. He has since ...
, Crvena Jabuka,
Goran Bregović Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
,
Boris Novković Boris Novković (born 25 December 1967) is a Croatian singer-songwriter. He has been active since the 1980s. Biography Novković was born in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Federal Re ...
,
Lana Jurčević Lana Jurčević (; born 7 November 1984), internationally better known as La Lana (pronounced ), is a Croatian pop singer. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2003, with all of the songs on the album written by Milana Vlaović. In her ear ...
, Danijela Martinović and many others. She wrote many of her songs including: '' Ostavljena'', '' Da si moj'', '' Ja samo pjevam'', '' Ajde ajde zlato moje'', '' Mili Moj'', '' Pogled ispod obrva'', '' Djevojka sa sela'', '' Ante'', '' Ko me tjero'', '' Adam i Seva'', '' Parfem'' and many others. She is the only person in
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 ...
to accumulate more than 1 billion views on her
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channel.


Early life

Severina was born in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
,
SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
,
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 ...
on 21 April 1972, the youngest daughter of Ana (who was from
Drniš Drniš is a town in the Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. Located in the Dalmatian Hinterland, it is about halfway between Šibenik and Knin. History The name Drniš was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, the ...
) and Sever Vučković.
Aljoša Vučković Aljoša Vučković ( sr-cyrl, Аљоша Вучковић; born 17 December 1946) is a Yugoslav retired actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films since 1967. Biography He is of Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slav ...
is her uncle. She also has two older sisters, Zdenka and Marijana. Severina has had a love for music and stage performance from an early age. When asked how did she got her name "Severina", she responded by saying: "''My father wanted me to be Nataša, but my mom adored my father whose name was Sever, and my grandfather was giving his children names by
Cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The ...
s''" (
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
: Sever - North) From a young age, she was interested in
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
,
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...
and the
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
. She started singing as a girl in KUD Mozaik, which was led by Lepa Smoje, wife of
Miljenko Smoje Miljenko Smoje (14 February 1923 – 25 October 1995) was a Croatian writer and journalist. Biography Smoje was born in Split, at the time in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in a family of poor labourers. The neighbourhood where he grew up was kn ...
, who immediately recognized Severina as a future star. Lepa Smoje assigned her the role of Carmela in the musical "'' Frane Štrapalo''". Lepa Smoje once said: "''The moment I saw her on the stage of the Frano Štrapalo musical, I said: this little girl is a born star''" Later, she started singing in the Treća smena group and won first prizes at competitions, one of which was from the Student summer, where she was declared the best singer. After finishing elementary school, Severina enrolled in the Josip Hatze High School of Music in Split, but she stopped her education in order to devote herself to a musical career.


Career


Beginnings (1982 - 1993)

Severina's career was launched in the late 1980s when she began performing in local festivals and competitions. In 1982, in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
, at the ''Dječji prvi pljesak'' (Children's First Applause) competition, Severina won with the song ''Moja Milena''. In 1987, at the Croatian amateur singer competition in
Daruvar Daruvar is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia, with a population of 8,567. The area including the surrounding villages (Daruvarski Vinogradi, Doljani, Donji Daruvar, Gornji Daruvar, Lipovac Majur, Ljudevit Selo, Marko ...
, Severina won with
Josipa Lisac Josipa Lisac (; born 14 February 1950) is a Croatian and SFR Yugoslavia, Yugoslav singer whose work has spawned many different genres, from Rock music, rock and Pop music, pop to jazz and ethnic music. Known for her unique contralto, Lisac is wid ...
's song '' O jednoj mladosti'' ('About one youth'). One of her first major performances came in 1989, when she was 17 in her hometown of
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
. In Hotel Marjan, she performed "''Tata čuješ li muziku''" ("Dad can you hear the music"). She performed at various festivals, and in 1990 she moved to
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
where she won the radio competition "Demo X" at
Radio Zagreb ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' ( HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is a Croatia, Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided int ...
, which won her an opportunity to record her first album. Severina started playing music professionally in 1990. In July 1991, she performed "''Vodi me na ples''" ("Take me to dance") at
Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals. Since its ...
. She released her first self-titled album called "'' Severina''" in 1990. After meeting Zrinko Tutić in 1992, Severina recorded her second self-titled album "'' Severina''", released by
Croatia Records Croatia Records is a record label in Croatia owned by AUTOR d.o.o., based in Zagreb. Summary Croatia Records d.d. is a joint-stock company currently led by the chief executive officer Želimir Babogredac, a sound engineer. It releases mostly (but ...
. The album contained songs like "Vodi me na ples" ("Take me to dance") and "Kad si sam" ("When you’re alone"), "Idemo se ljubiti" ("Let's kiss"), which quickly won the hearts of the audience and became hits. During the collaboration with Tutić, she also recorded the albums "Dalmatinka", "Trava zelena", "Moja stvar" and "Djevojka sa sela". She signed a six-year contract with the production company Tutico and Zrinko Tutić, who introduced her to Croatian singer and songwriter Gibonni. At the singer's urging, Zrinko gave Gibonni the chance to record the song "Zlatne godine" (Golden Years), which he had written. In addition to the two of them, she also collaborated with Dino Dvornik. That same year she won the first prize at the Zagreb Festival with the song "Sklopi oči muzika dok svira" (''Close Your Eyes While the Music Is Playing''). She soon became the host of the show ''Top Cup'' on
Croatian Radiotelevision ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' ( HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into three ...
(HRT), which she hosted for a year, and at the end of the year she went on her first tour in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. In 1993, Severina with her previous producer Zrinko Tutić recorded the album "'' Dalmatinka''" (''
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
n girl'') for the same record company, which brought her great popularity. The title song can be considered one of Severina's signature songs. The leading song from her third studio album, ''Dalmatinka'' (''Dalmatian Woman''), became a sensation and captured the emotions of many at the time of release. In the song, Severina sang about her love for her native
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
, the color of white and
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. The album had a total of 10 songs among which were "Ne bi' ti oprostila" (''I Wouldn't Forgive You''), "Ne spavaj mala moja" (''Don't Sleep, My Baby Girl'';
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
cover), "Paloma nera" (''Black Dove''), "Ljubi me noćas" (Kiss me tonight) and others. Both "Paloma nera" and the title track became number one hits on the national top list, and a very successful tour of Croatia and
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
followed.


Further success (1993 - 1998)

In 1995, the album "'' Trava zelena''" (''Green Grass'') was released. Although it did not have as many hits as the previous ones, it was commercially successful. It contains ten tracks: "Trava zelena" (Green grass), "Vatra i led" (Fire and ice), "Mr. Taliman", "Bože moj" (My God), "Bambola", "Lude godine" (Crazy Years), "Poželi me" (Wish for me), "Pruži mi ruku" (Give me your hand), "Ludo moja" (Crazy mine), "Ti si srce moje" (You are my heart) a duet with Žera from Crvena Jabuka. Other collaborators on the album were Faruk Buljubasic, Nenad Ninčević,
Rajko Dujmić Rajko Dujmić (7 August 1954 – 4 August 2020) was a Croatian songwriter, composer and music producer best known as a member of the pop group Novi fosili. He composed the winner entry of Eurovision Song Contest 1989, " Rock me", along with Ste ...
, and for the first time Severina herself is credited as a writer on three songs. The title track was the most popular song of the year and Severina's primacy on the Croatian media platform rose as a result. It was another collaboration with Tutić. Her fifth studio album was '' Moja stvar'' (''My Thing''), released on 5 November 1996. The album was influenced by
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
sounds. The title track was written and composed by Severina herself. To promote the album, Severina held a sold-out concert on 14 November 1996 in
Dom Sportova Dom sportova (), is a multi-purpose indoor sports arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The venue was built in 1972 in the Trešnjevka neighborhood, in the western part of the city. It has 32,000 m2 of floorspace, and it features six halls. The se ...
venue in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. She opened the concert with the song "Moja stvar" (My thing). In ''Zrcalo'' interview on HRT, when asked why the album was not
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
influenced, she responded by saying: "''Why should we separate music on only dance and
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
?'' ". Her biggest breakthrough at the time was in 1998 when she released the album '' Djevojka sa sela'' (''Girl from a village''), which was composed and written partly by Tutić and partly by Severina. Severina wrote six songs. The title track is one of her biggest hits and was used by the
Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team () represents Croatia in men's international Association football, football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEF ...
as their unofficial anthem during their campaign at the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
. ''Djevojka sa sela'' was her last album composed by Tutić and his production company Tutico. They parted ways following its release due to a contract dispute.


Continued success (1999 - 2003)

In early 1999, Severina went on a second tour of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and in July of the same year she performed at the Melodies of Croatian Jadran (MHJ) festival with
Đorđe Novković Đorđe Novković (; 2 September 1943 - 6 May 2007) was a Croatian songwriter of partly Serbian descent who was known for his work in Yugoslavia and Croatia. Novković composed more than 2,500 songs and sold approximately 20 million records. He is ...
's song 'Da si moj'. She also released a new album ''Ja samo pjevam'', which returned her to the top of all charts and from which the song 'Ante' stood out. Severina cut off her long hair and started wearing more provocative tops. Severina's seventh studio album, '' Ja samo pjevam'' (''I'm just singing''), was a continuation of the
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
sounds heard on her previous albums. It was released in 1999 by
Croatia Records Croatia Records is a record label in Croatia owned by AUTOR d.o.o., based in Zagreb. Summary Croatia Records d.d. is a joint-stock company currently led by the chief executive officer Želimir Babogredac, a sound engineer. It releases mostly (but ...
, It had a total of 10 songs. The composer of this album was
Đorđe Novković Đorđe Novković (; 2 September 1943 - 6 May 2007) was a Croatian songwriter of partly Serbian descent who was known for his work in Yugoslavia and Croatia. Novković composed more than 2,500 songs and sold approximately 20 million records. He is ...
with whom Severina started working on her next album. ''Ja samo pjevam'' is Severina's best selling album till this day, with more than 55,000 copies sold only in Croatia. The album includes a cover of the song " Dodirni mi kolena" (''Touch my knees'') by Serbian group Zana. Four singles from the album "Da si moj" (''If you were mine''), "Ante", "Ja samo pjevam" and "Dodirni mi koljena" were released. The album was not supported by an indoor tour, but on 6 July 2000, she held a solo concert at the
Stadion Stari plac Stari plac (lit. "Old ground"), also often referred to as Plinara Stadion, (or incorrectly in some foreign sources as ''Plinada Stadion'') is a stadium in Split, Croatia used originally for association football and later mainly for rugby union. I ...
in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
in front of more than 20,000 people. Following the success of her album '' Pogled ispod obrva'' (''The Look Underneath the Eyebrows'') which was released on 15 May 2001, Severina's 2002 concert tour and live album ''Virujen u te'' (''I Believe in You'') won her an award for best selling live album along with a nomination for hit song of the year. Virujen u Te was her first major tour during which she performed in most of the big cities on 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 ...
including
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 ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
, Slovenia and confirmed her status as one of the most popular Croatian music artists. In 2001, she performed again at the MHJ with the song ‘Ajde, ajde, zlato moje’, and at the end of the year she went on her third tour of Australia. She, along with Dorđe Novković, was the primary author on that album. With the song ‘Virujen u te’, she won the MHJ that same year and won the Grand Prix, and the album ‘Pogled ispod obrva’ became the best-selling album of her career. The album has sold over 30,000 copies in Croatia. In 2002, she released the
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
"''Virujen u te (najbolje uživo!)''", which was later awarded the award for the best-selling live album. ‘Pogled ispod obrva’ was nominated for album of the year at the Porin discography award, and the song ‘Virujen u te’ for hit of the year.


Career setbacks and Eurovision Song Contest 2006 (2003 - 2010)

In 2004, Severina made headlines internationally because of a
sex scandal A sex scandal is a public scandal involving allegations or information about possibly immoral sexual activities, often associated with the sexual affairs of film stars, politicians, famous athletes, or others in the public eye. Sex scandals r ...
, when a
sex tape Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models, actors or non-professionals performing without pay, or actors for whom this material is not their only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is professionally made pornogra ...
from 2002 featuring her and Herzegovinian Croat Milan Lučić, leaked on the internet. She said that her manager Tomislav Petrović was the first person to tell her the news and she though it was a lie. According to her, the
video tape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasset ...
was stolen from her property. Milan Lučić was married at the time the video was released and Severina was engaged to Srećko Vargek. Severina was publicly scrutinised, and had to call-off the wedding to Srećko Vargek. After a two-year break, she released her ninth studio album '' Severgreen'' in 2004. This was her first major project and public appearance after the sex-tape scandal which occurred in 2003. The album was influenced by
jazz music 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, hymns, m ...
. Severina also collaborated with
Lana Jurčević Lana Jurčević (; born 7 November 1984), internationally better known as La Lana (pronounced ), is a Croatian pop singer. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2003, with all of the songs on the album written by Milana Vlaović. In her ear ...
on the song "Rođena da budem prva" (''Born to be first''). In 2006, she won the Dora competition with the song " Moja štikla" (''My high-heel'') and represented
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 ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcas ...
in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece, finishing in 13th place. The song caused controversy in Croatia when several journalists and musicologists claimed the song resembled the
music of Serbia Music of Serbia represents the musical heritage of Serbia, both historical and modern. It has a variety of traditional music styles, which are part of the wider Balkan musical tradition, with its own distinctive sound and characteristics. Musi ...
. However, prominent Croatian ethno musicians such as
Dunja Knebl Dunja Knebl (born 1946, Zagreb) is an acoustic folk and ethno music singer/performer and translator from Croatia. Knebl was born in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia and lived in Skopje, Belgrade, Karlovac, but has also lived in Washington, Moscow and Jaka ...
and Lidija Bajuk disagreed, and both the song's composer
Boris Novković Boris Novković (born 25 December 1967) is a Croatian singer-songwriter. He has been active since the 1980s. Biography Novković was born in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Federal Re ...
and Severina herself have claimed that the song includes
Croatian folk music The music of Croatia, like the divisions of the country itself, has two major influences: Central European, present in central and northern parts of the country including Slavonia, and Mediterranean, present in coastal regions of Dalmatia and Is ...
influences from the
Dalmatian Hinterland The Dalmatian Hinterland () is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name means 'beyond (the) hills', which is a reference to the fact that it is the part of Dalmatia that is not coastal and the existe ...
such as
ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...
and rere singing and
lijerica The lijerica () is a musical instrument from the Croatian region of Dalmatia and Croat parts of eastern Herzegovina. It is a pear-shaped, three-stringed instrument which is played with a bow. It is played to accompany the traditional linđo dan ...
instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...
. In 2007, she sang the song "Gardelin" for the film "'' Rooster's Breakfast''". She got the role of Baroness Kasteli in the theater play "Gospoda Glembajevi", where her acting skills met with conflicting comments. left, Severina performing in 2008 After the contest, she started working on her tenth studio album together with
Goran Bregović Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
, one of the most successful music composers in the Balkans, and soon Severina's long-anticipated tenth studio album '' Zdravo Marijo'' (''Hail Mary'') was released in May 2008 by Dallas Records The album had songs: "Gas, gas", "Pucajte u tamburaše", "Muškarcu treba samo kurva" (A man only needs a whore), "Gade" (Bastard), "Da nisi možda gej" (If you're not maybe gay), "Ljute cigare" (Spicy cigars), " Tridesete" (Thirties), "What does she have that I don't", "Hail, Mary". The author and producer is
Goran Bregović Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
, and the texts were written by
Marina Tucaković Marina Tucaković ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Туцаковић; 4 November 1953 – 19 September 2021) was a Serbian lyricist and songwriter. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Tucaković had a degree from the Economic Faculty at the Universit ...
and Ljilja Jorgovanović. In terms of sales, the album reached first place on charts in Croatia and
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, where Severina was presented with a gold plaque. She started her self-titled tour in Zagreb, which she crowned with a performance 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. ...
in front of 20,000 people. After having made several public appearances wearing clothes depicting religious imagery (most notably a tight shirt with an image of Virgin Mary with Severina showing ample cleavage), some protested the abuse of religious elements, calling them offensive. However, the album achieved popularity and Severina released four more official music videos for the singles " Tridesete" (''Thirties''; cover of
Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer. She is one of the most successful Turkish people, Turkish singers, having sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Q ...
's " Kaçın Kurası"), "Gade" (''Bastard''), "Haljinica boje lila" (''Little Lilac Dress''; Nikola Pejaković cover) and the title track. Following the release of the album, Severina went on her second major regional tour. On 15 December 2009, Severina was featured on Miligram's song "Lola", which was included on their self-titled debut album. In 2010, Severina started dating Serbian businessman Milan Popović, and in 2012 gave birth to their first child - a son Aleksandar. She gave birth in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
, and baptized him in
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
.


International success (2010–2014)

Her album '' Dobrodošao u klub'' (''Welcome to the Club'') held her at the top of Croatian pop music for all of 2012 and 2013, and established her position as the most popular pop singer in
former Yugoslav countries 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 ...
. The album had a total of 12 songs, seven of them singles. In 2011, at the final of the
reality 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 ...
"'' Big Brother''", she announced her new album by singing the single "Brad Pitt", which received a phenomenal response from the audience. "Brad Pitt" became one of the biggest hits of 2011. A few months later, she promoted the track " Grad bez ljudi", which reached a record number of views on YouTube. 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 ...
, in just 24 hours after its release, 'Grad bez ljudi', was listened to more than 180,000 times, which was a record for a domestic artist at the time. The songs were composed by Filip Miletić and Miloš Roganović. "Italiana", released in the summer of 2012, was viewed more than half a million times in the first 24 hours, till this day accumulation of that song has 95 million views on YouTube. Later on, she released "Uzbuna" (''Alert''), the title track "Dobrodošao u klub" and "Tarapana" (''Agitation''). In support of the album she embarked on her Dobrodošao u Klub Tour. She performed, yet again, in every large city in the region. The tour started in
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
in March 2013 and continued 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 ...
(in front of 20,000 people),
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
(in front of 19,000 people),
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 front of 15,000 people),
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
(in front of 11,000 people) and her native
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
(in front of 12,000 people). The whole tour sold more than 250,000 tickets. In 2013, Severina released the song "Hurem", named after Hürrem Sultan. It was composed and written by Andrej Babić, and the arrangers were Ivan Popeskić and Branko Berković. In March 2014, she released the song "Alcatraz", named after the Alcatraz Prison. Soon after, she released the song "Brazil" to support the Croatia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Croatia national football team's campaign at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the country. In 2014, Severina made headlines again, posing completely naked with only a crown on her head on the cover of the February issue of ''Elle magazine'', has also attracted attention beyond the border. The famous designer duo Dolce&Gabbana posted the cover on their official Twitter account with the caption "''stunning Croatian pop-folk singer Severina Vučković in Elle Croatia''". In July 2014, she released "Uno momento" (''One Moment''), a duet with Serbian band Ministarke. The song was noted for its provocative music video. The single was viewed over 728,000 times on YouTube in just 24 hours, breaking the regional record held at the time by the single 'Italiana', which was streamed 500,000 times in its first day. It turned out to be highly popular across the Balkans, becoming a summer hit in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, accumulating more than 130 million views on YouTube. In October 2014, she released a duet with Serbian singer
Saša Matić Aleksandar "Saša" Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Матић; born 26 April 1978) is a Bosnian Serb pop-folk singer. He is the twin brother of fellow singer Dejan Matić. Life and career Early life Matić was born on 26 April 1 ...
called "More tuge" (''Sea of Sorrow''). At the end of 2014, she released the song "Generale" (''Hey, General (military rank), General'') with the Croatian band Učiteljice, which has more than 70 million views on YouTube.


''Halo'' (2019)

At the beginning of 2017, she released "Kao" (''Like''), the lead single from her twelfth studio album ''Halo'' (''Hello''). On 27 March 2017, she released the second single, "Otrove" (''You Poison'') featuring Bosnian rapper and producer Jala Brat. Its music video was viewed around 15 million times in less than a month, and 29 million times after two months, and overall 105 million views on her YouTube channel. The third single along with its music video, "Mrtav bez mene" (''Dead Without Me'') was released on 5 June. In June 2018, she released two music videos for collaborations with Croatian singer Petar Grašo named "Unaprijed gotovo" (''Over in Advance''), and with Serbian child singer Ljuba Stanković named "Tutorial". In July 2018, she released the music video for the single "Magija" (''Magic''), featuring Jala Brat once again.


''Sorry'' & Superstar Hrvatska (2023)

On 4 July 2023, she released an Extended Play, EP titled "''Sorry''" with 5 new songs: ''Sorry'', ''Metak'' (Bullet) collaboration with Serbian Rapper Nucci (rapper), Nucci, ''Nebo'' (Sky) with Sandi Cenov & KIMMV, ''Pravda za ljubav'' (Justice for Love) and ''100 Stepeni'' (100 Degrees) with L'Amiral. On 31 March 2022, she published her music video with Bulgarians, Bulgarian superstar Azis titled "Fališ mi" (''Missing you'') on her
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 ...
Channel. Till this day the music video accumulated more than 78 million views. In June 2023, Severina was announced as one of the four judges on RTL (Croatian TV channel), RTL's singing reality television series Superstar (Croatian TV series), ''Superstar'', along with Nika Turković, Tonči Huljić and Filip Miletić. The first season of ''Superstar'' aired from September to December 2023. Severina re-joined the judging panel for the show's second season, which premiered in September 2024.


Superstar Hrvatska 2nd Season & New songs (2024)

Severina continued as a judge on singing reality show series ''Superstar Hrvatska'', and on the finale of the show, she performed her new song she wrote: "Tako ti je sine moj" ("''That's how it is my son''"), which was released on 15 December on her YouTube channel. The performance of that song gained positive responses. When talking about the song she said: "It is a lesson that a mother tells her child. I started writing it at the beginning of the year, in order to "shake off" the sadness and anger that came over me after that decision of the Supreme Court of Croatia, Supreme Court, in which they said that my child should be taken away because of a "procedural error" - the singer continued, then concluded: "Then she seemed sad to me, and I didn't care for anything, so I put her aside To Serbia, which fights for justice and does not want to sell honor, and which was supported by fellow students in Croatia - wrote the singer." For New Year's Eve 2025, Severina performed a concert 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 ...
with a record audience of 55,000 people and said: "''My heart beats for this city!''"


Theatre and film

In 2003 Severina landed her first theatre role at the Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theatre, Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka (HNK Rijeka) and played the title role in the rock opera ''Karolina Riječka'' (''Caroline of Rijeka''). Two years later she produced and acted in the monodrama ''Čekajući svog čovika'' (''Waiting for My Man'') at the Satirical Theatre Kerempuh in Zagreb. In 2007, she was cast for one of the main roles in HNK Rijeka's musical ''Gospoda Glembajevi'' (''The Glembays''; based upon Miroslav Krleža's Messrs. Glembay, 1929 play). Although the decision to cast Severina was met with criticism by some commentators who questioned her acting credentials, the musical premiered in March 2007 with considerable success. Severina also starred along Davor Janjić and Enis Bešlagić in a 2007 Bosnian film ''Duhovi Sarajeva'' (''Ghosts of Sarajevo''), set in Sarajevo. In 2007, she made a five-minute cameo appearance playing herself in the Slovenian film ''Petelinji zajtrk'' (''Rooster's Breakfast'').


Personal life


Sex tape scandal

In 2004, Vučković was involved in an internationally reported
sex scandal A sex scandal is a public scandal involving allegations or information about possibly immoral sexual activities, often associated with the sexual affairs of film stars, politicians, famous athletes, or others in the public eye. Sex scandals r ...
after a Celebrity sex tape, sex tape featuring her and Herzegovinian Croat businessman Milan Lučić leaked onto the Internet, which was reported by the Croatian online tabloid Index.hr. The graphic nature of the video and the fact that Lučić was married when the tape was filmed shocked the public. Vučković sued the website that released the tape for damages, claiming that the video was stolen from her and that it was her intellectual property. In 2004, part of the lawsuit about intellectual property was dismissed by the court, but violation of privacy was approved with a compensation of 100,000 Croatian kuna, kunas.


Relationships

At the beginning of her career, Severina was reported to have been in a relationship with the singer Zrinko Tutić, who was married at the time. Afterwards, she entered into a relationship with singer Alen Marin of the band Kojoti. She later entered into a relationship with music producer Ante Pecotić. In 1999, Severina entered into a brief relationship with the Croatian model Adnan Taletovich, Adnan Taletović, whom she met while filming her "Da si moj" (''If You Were Mine'') music video. In 2000, while still in a relationship with Bosnian-Herzegovinian Croat general Stanko Sopta, she began an affair with Milan Lučić, a married businessman with whom she recorded Severina (singer)#Sex tape scandal, a sex tape, which was leaked to the public in 2004. At the time of the tape's release, Severina was reported to be in a relationship with Srećko Vargek, but the two soon broke up. Severina soon entered into a relationship with the economist Mate Čuljak. The relationship lasted a year and a half, but the couple broke up one week before Severina's 35th birthday. Severina soon began dating sports entrepreneur Slavko Šainović. After two and a half years of dating, the couple broke up. In December 2010, Severina met wealthy Serbian businessman Milan Popović at his birthday celebration, where she was hired to perform. They soon began dating, and in August 2011 she announced that she was pregnant with her first child. On 21 February 2012, she gave birth to a boy named Aleksandar in Split. During the period she lived between Belgrade, Vršac and Zagreb. In October 2012, Severina announced that she and Popović have separated and that she has moved back to Zagreb. At the same time it was announced she had her son baptized in a Catholic Church in Croatia, Catholic church in Rijeka. Several months later the couple reunited until separating for good in August 2013. Since then the couple have been embroiled in Child custody, custody disputes, with Popović claiming he was not allowed access to see their son, a claim Severina denied. On 22 November 2015, Severina married 15-year younger Serbian footballer Igor Kojić (son of Serbian Musician Dragan Kojić Keba) in Bale, Croatia, Bale, Istria County, Istria. Severina and Igor's wedding deservedly won the title of wedding of the year because 50,000 euros were invested in it and they had 600 guests. The celebration was held at the "Genex Impuls Hall" hotel in New Belgrade, and the couple came to the "stojadina". The song to which they played the first dance was "Zlato moje", sung by Petar Grašo. The wedding was attended by a large number of people from the entertainment industry such as Lepa Brena, Rada Manojlović, Željko Joksimović, Nada Topčagić, Goran Karan, Džej Ramadanovski, Aca Lukas and others. After 6 years the couple formally divorced in Zagreb on 19 August 2021. In 2013, she publicly supported the LGBT rights in Croatia, LGBT community in Croatia ahead of the 2013 Croatian constitutional referendum.


Controversies

On 25 August 2024, when scheduled to perform at a 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 ...
, Vučković was denied entry into Serbia on the Bajakovo border crossing. According to media and herself, she was denied entry due to her comments on the Srebrenica genocide which she made shortly after the United Nations designated 11 July as the annual International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Additionally, she claimed that Police of Serbia, Serbian police asked her about Operation Storm, Jasenovac concentration camp, Jasenovac and Franjo Tuđman. She blamed this incident on Aleksandar Vučić and his political regime and claimed that he was the one who prohibited her from entering Serbia. Shortly after news of the incident broke, she stated that she will never enter Serbia while Aleksandar Vučić is in power. Serbian Minister of Internal affairs Ivica Dačić later stated that she will be removed from their list of "verbal offenders". At a New Years concert in Sarajevo on January 1, 2025, in front of the Eternal Flame on Ulica Maršala Tita, Severina told an audience of 55,000 "May this year bring peace to all of us and to the entire region, or rather to all of Yugoslavia – a Yugoslavia that politics has divided, but we are uniting it", leading to criticism from Croatian nationalists and veterans who described the comments as insulting.


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Severina'' (1990) * ''Severina (album), Severina'' (1992) * '' Dalmatinka'' (1993) * '' Trava zelena'' (1995) * '' Moja stvar'' (1996) * '' Djevojka sa sela'' (1998) * '' Ja samo pjevam'' (1999) * '' Pogled ispod obrva'' (2001) * '' Severgreen'' (2004) * '' Zdravo Marijo'' (2008) * '' Dobrodošao u klub'' (2012) * '':hr:Halo (Severinin album), Halo'' (2019)


EPs

* ''Bojate Bane Buski'' (2004) * ''Moja štikla'' (2006) * ''Moja štikla / Moj sokole'' (2006) * ''Sorry'' (2023)


Live albums

* ''Paloma nera – uživo'' (1993) * ''Virujen u te (najbolje uživo!)'' (2002) * ''Tridesete – uživo'' (2010) * ''Dobrodošao u klub live'' (2014)


Singles


Other charted songs


Filmography

Films starred *'':hr:Gdje je nestala Slovenija?, Gdje je nestala Slovenija?'' (2004) *'':hr:Duhovi Sarajeva, Duhovi Sarajeva'' (2005) *'' Rooster's Breakfast'' (2007) *'':hr:The Last Serb in Croatia, The Last Serb in Croatia'' (2019) Documentaries *''Kad se pretvorim u Severinu'' (When I turn into Severina) (2009)


Tours


Headlining

*''Zdravo Marijo Tour'' (2008–12) *'' Dobrodošao u Klub Tour'' (2013) *''The Magic Tour (Severina), The Magic Tour'' (2019)


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Severina 1972 births Living people Musicians from Split, Croatia Croatian pop singers Croatian folk-pop singers 21st-century Croatian women singers Hayat Production artists Croatian expatriates in Serbia Croatian LGBTQ rights activists Croatian women activists Controversies in Croatia Sex scandals Eurovision Song Contest entrants