Vesna Zmijanac Весна Змијанац | |
|---|---|
 Zmijanac performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Vesna Zmijanac (1957-01-04)4 January 1957 (age 69) |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | |
Vesna Zmijanac (Serbian Cyrillic:Весна Змијанац,pronounced[ʋêsnazmijǎːnats]; born 4 January 1957) is aSerbian singer. Debuting in 1979 with the single "Hvala ti za sve", she has been dubbed the "Queen of Sadness" (Kraljica tuge) due to her emotional vocal delivery and melancholicballads.
Zmijanac has released fourteen studio albums and is known for hits songs such as "Nevera moja" (1975), "Kad zamirišu jorgovani" (1988), "Svatovi" (1990), "Idem preko zemlje Srbije" (1994) and "Malo po malo" (1995). With 6.7 million units in record sales, she is regarded as one of the most successful singers from the formerYugoslavia, and has also maintained popularity in neighboringBulgaria.[1][2][3]
Additionally to her career in music, Zmijanac starred in the 1981 movieSok od šljiva and competed on thereality television showsSurvivor Srbija VIP: Philippines (2010) andFarma (2016).
Vesna Zmijanac was born on 4 January 1957 inNikšić,PR Montenegro,FPR Yugoslavia to mother Kovina fromKraljevo,SR Serbia and father Dušan fromSisak,SR Croatia. Zmijanac's nationality is Serbian. Her parents divorced when she was just a year old, as they believed that they were too young to be married. Subsequently, Zmijanac was raised by her maternal grandmother in the village of Kovače nearKraljevo because her parents went abroad to work.[4] Zmijanac also briefly lived inVienna with her mother, where she attended high school, from which she eventually dropped out. She did, however, finish a typing course.[5]
According to Zmijanac, she showed interest in music from an early age, citing folk singersŠaban Šaulić,Esma Redžepova, andSafet Isović as the biggest influences on her vocal performance.[6]
While living in Vienna, Zmijanac was discovered by singerŠaban Šaulić, who offered her to join him on his European tour.[7][6] Šaulić also helped her get a recording contract withPGP-RTB, under which she released her first single "Hvala ti za sve" in 1979. Three years later, she starred in the movieSok od šljiva, directed byBranko Baletić. Her first album,Ljubi me, ljubi, lepoto moja, was released in 1982. Zmijanac also made a cameo in the television seriesKamiondžije ponovo voze in 1984.
During the early eighties, she started collaborating with Miroljub Aranđelović Kemiš, who wrote her first major hit - "Nevera moja" (1975). Her fifth album, titledDođi što pre, was released the following year, selling 400,000 copies.[4] Same year, she won the grand prix at the International Music Fair (MESAM) inBelgrade with the song "Kraj nogu ti mrem". The album was also followed with her first national tour. With this success Zmijanac was propelled into the first rank of Yugoslav singers, only competing withLepa Brena. The follow-up album,Jedini si ti, was sold in half a million copies.[4] Her 1987 album, titledIstina, was sold in 850,000 copies, making it of one the best-selling albums in the former Yugoslavia.[8] The album featured a popular duet withDino Merlin, called "Kad zamirišu jorgovani". Zmijanac embarked on her second tour, performing at theHala Pionir, Belgrade andZetra Olympic Hall, Sarajevo to over 10,000 people.[4] Other big hits of hers from this period include "Ne kunite crne oči" (1986), "Kunem ti se životom" (1987) and "Kazni me, kazni" (1988).
In 1990, Zmijanac released her eighth studio album,Svatovi, under new labelKomuna, which was promoted with a tour and ten consecutive concerts at the Belgrade'sSava Centar. During the nineties, four more bodies of work were released, on which she collaborated with the likes ofMomčilo Bajagić Bajaga andRambo Amadeus.[9] These albums include popular songs such as "Svatovi" (1990), "Idem preko zemlje Srbije" (1994), "Ja imam nekog, a ti si sam" (1994) featuring Slavko Banjac, "Malo po malo" (1995) and "Da budemo noćas zajedno" (1997).
In the year 2000, Zmijanac published a book, calledKad zamirišu jorgovani, which was described by her as "an attempt at an autobiography".[10] In October 2010, she participated onSurvivor Srbija VIP: Philippines alongside her daughter, Nikolija. Zmijanac was the second contestant to be eliminated on the show.[11] Her final album to date,Sokol, was released in 2011 throughPGP-RTS. Zmijanac competed on the seventh and final season of thereality television showFarma. She eventually voluntarily left the show after finding out that her daughter is pregnant.[12] In December 2019, Vesna Zmijanac, among other artists, received the Life Achievement Award from the Union of Serbia's Music Artists.[13] In October 2020, she was proclaimed the National Music Artist of Serbia at the Folk Music Assembly of Serbia.[14]
During the 1980s, Zmijanac was for three years married to songwriter and instrumentalist Miroljub Aranđelović Kemiš, who later remarried to singerZorica Brunclik.[15][16]
From her second marriage with the former chief of marketing atPGP-RTS, Vlada Jovanović, she has a daughterNikolija (born 19 October 1989), who is also a well-known singer.[17]
Zmijanac was a member ofNew Serbia political party.[18]
| Year | Title | Genre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Sok od šljiva | Film | Kadivka | |
| 1984 | Kamiondžije opet voze | Television | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Novogodišnja priča | TV movie | ||
| 2010 | Survivor Srbija | Season 3, 2nd eliminated | ||
| 2016 | Farma | Season 7, walked on day 95 |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
