Slađana Milošević | |
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.jpg) Milošević in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Aleksandra Milošević Hagadone |
| Born | Aleksandra Milošević (1955-10-03)3 October 1955 |
| Origin | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Died | 26 March 2024(2024-03-26) (aged 68) Belgrade,Serbia |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1971–2024 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | www.sladjana.com |
Aleksandra Milošević Hagadone (Serbian Cyrillic:Александра Милошевић Хагадон; 3 October 1955 – 26 March 2024), better known asSlađana Milošević (Serbian Cyrillic:Слађана Милошевић,pronounced[slǎdʑanamilǒːʃeʋitɕ]), was aSerbian andYugoslav singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. Often referred to by the nickname "Rock Princess",[1][2][3][4] Milošević was one of the most prominent female artists of theYugoslav rock scene.
Milošević began learning classical music at the age of five, playing piano and later switching to violin. As a teenager, she played bass guitar in several bands, including one of the last lineups of the popular bandDžentlmeni. After performing and recording with theRadio Television Belgrade Orchestra and Saša Subota's Orchestra during early and mid-1970s and performing with thedisco groupZdravo, Milošević started her solo career in 1977 with the single "Au-au". Her following singles and her erotic image brought her large media attention. She released her debut albumGorim od želje da ubijem noć in 1980, joining in on theYugoslav new wave scene and gaining nationwide popularity. In 1983, she formed the band Neutral Design with a group ofWest German musicians, recording the albumNeutral Design to good reception in Yugoslavia and other European countries. During early and mid-1980s she was one of the most popular female vocalists and one of the biggestsex symbols of the Yugoslav rock scene. At the end of the decade, she turned towardsjazz andexperimental music, moving to the United States in 1989. She returned to Serbia in 1995, releasing her comebackmetal-oriented albumAnimal Tested in 2000. In the late 2000s, she began performing only occasionally, dedicating herself to work in other fields of culture.
Slađana Milošević was born inBelgrade on 3 October 1955.[5] Her talent for music became very apparent at the early age, so she started her education in classical music at the age of five, playing piano.[5] Few years later, her interest turned to studying violin.[5] At the age of twelve, she became singer and bass guitarist in arock and roll school band,[5] though she had not given up on the violin.[6] As a teenager she played bass guitar in the bands Nebeska Konjica (Sky Cavalry),Epitaf 8 (Epitaph 8), Juniori (The Juniors), Slomljena Srca (The Broken Hearts) and, for a period of time, she played in one of the last lineups of the bandDžentlmeni.[5] She made her debut recording at the age of fifteen, playing violin on the7-inch single "Za usnule oči" / "Gubim te" ("For the Sleeping Eyes" / "I'm Losing You") recorded by theIndian music-inspired band Ganesha from Belgrade.[5]
Simultaneously with playing bass guitar, Milošević acted in plays byexperimental theatre Ex Art Theatre.[5] She continued her career in theatre appearing in the playTom Payne byAtelje 212 theatre, in which she acted and played violin.[5] As a violinist, she continued her musical career as a member ofRadio Television Belgrade Orchestra, participating in recording of about 30 albums of different genres.[5]
Milošević debuted as a singer at the 1974 Student Summer festival inMaglaj, winning first place.[5] In 1976, she toured theSoviet Union as a member of Saša Subota's Orchestra.[5] With Saša Subota's Orchestra Milošević recorded a compilation of world hits for the Soviet market and the single "Mikado" for Soviet labelMelodiya.[5] The B-side of the single featured a cover ofKorni Grupa song "Ivo Lola", for which Milošević provided the vocals.[5] Besides extensive touring with hundreds of concerts performed throughout former Soviet Union, she took part in several TV shows. One of the highlights was her interpretation ofMarina Tsvetaeva's poem "I Like When You Are Yearning for Me", sung inRussian on Moscow TV, in a special birthday greeting forGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionLeonid Brezhnev.[6] After recording the single "Baloni" ("Balloons") with Saša Subota's Orchestra, she started performing with thedisco bandZdravo,[5] led by Boban Petrović, her boyfriend at the time.[7]
Milošević started her solo career in the summer of 1977, with the single "Au-au".[5] As major record labels in Yugoslavia were not interested in releasing the single, she financed the release of the single throughPGP-RTB herself.[5] She had her first major live appearance as an opening act onBijelo Dugme's concert at their famousHajdučka česma concert in Belgrade on 28 August 1977 with Zdravo as her backing band.[5] Following "Au-au", she released the singles "Simpatija" ("Crush") and "Sexy dama" ("Sexy Lady"), both in 1978, brandishing hererotic image to large attention of the Yugoslav media and mixed reactions by the Yugoslav public.[5] In 1978, she was invited by thejazz rock bandLeb i Sol to record vocals for the song "Talasna dužina" ("Wavelength"), released on their albumLeb i Sol 2.[5]
In 1980, Slađana Milošević released her debut albumGorim od želje da ubijem noć (I'm Burning with Desire to Kill the Night).[5] She composed part of the songs, while the rest of the songs were composed byAleksandar "Sanja" Ilić, Enco Lesić, Miki Petkovski (formerly of the bandSmak) and Aleksandar Milovanović (formerly ofDAG).[5] All the album lyrics were written by lyricistMarina Tucaković, with the exception of the lyrics for "Amsterdam", written by Mirko Glišić, the song becoming the album's biggest hit.[5] The album was produced by Miki Petkovski andLaza Ristovski, both of them playing keyboards on the album.[5] The rest of the musicians who took part on the album recording wereGeneracija 5 members Dragan Jovanović (guitar) and Miloš Stojisavljević "Cajger" (bass guitar) and formerBijelo Dugme memberIpe Ivandić (drums).[5] The album brought nationwide popularity to Milošević, as well as attention in neighboring countries. On the 1979New Year's Eve,Hungarian national television broadcast Milošević's one-hour performance.[6] During 1979, Milošević made a number of guest appearances: she appeared as a backing vocalist onYU Grupa albumSamo napred... andDado Topić's albumNeosedlani (The Unsaddled), and recorded the song "Imam sve" ("I've Got Everything") for theNational Class Category Up to 785 ccm soundtrack, composed byZoran Simjanović.[5]
Milošević appeared on the1981 Jugovizija festival, theYugoslav national final to select their entry for theEurovision Song Contest, with the song "Recept za ljubav" ("Recipe for Love"), written by Nenad Pavlović.[5] The song was released on a 7-inch single with the song "Srećan ti rođendan", written byIdoli memberVlada Divljan, as the B-side.[5] After release of the single, she started her studies ofveterinary medicine and retired from performing.[5]
In 1983, Milošević moved toMunich, Germany, where she formed the band Neutral Design with a group of German musicians, some of them previously performing withSantana andNina Hagen.[5] With them, she recorded the albumNeutral Design, released in 1983 under Slađana & Neutral Design moniker.[5] Milošević composed part of the songs and wrote part of the lyrics, while a part of the songs was composed by guitarist Bruce Werber and Peter Labontie, and a part of the lyrics were written by Papatra member Danko Đurić andRiblja Čorba guitaristMomčilo Bajagić "Bajaga".[5] The album was released in Yugoslavia, as well as in other countries of Europe, achieving success in West Germany and Sweden.[5] The album's biggest hit in Yugoslavia was the song "Miki, Miki".[5]Neutral Design was Milošević's first album produced by herself.[5]
After the release ofNeutral Design, she returned to Yugoslavia and embarked on a tour with her new backing band Ljudi (People) as an opening act for the Englishrockabilly bandMatchbox.[5] At the 1984Opatija Festival, Milošević won Special Award for Interpretation for the composition "Samsara", written by Dejan Tričković (formerly of the group Susret).[5] During 1984, she played guitar and sung backing vocals in the band Mama Co Co, which at the time featured vocalistDado Topić.[5] During the same year, Milošević and Topić recorded the duet "Princeza" ("Princess"), with which they appeared at1984 Jugovizija.[5] Despite not winning the festival, the song became a nationwide hit.[5] Later during the year, Milošević shot the TV showDjevojčica u svijetu čipova (Little Girl in the World of Microchips), directed by Ademir Kenović, forTelevision Sarajevo.[5] The show won the Best Yugoslav TV Show of the Year Award on national television festival inStruga[6] and was screened at theRose d'Or festival inMontreux.[5]
In 1985, Milošević took part inYU Rock Misija, a Yugoslav contribution toLive Aid. She took part in the recording of thecharity single "Za milion godina"[5] and in the corresponding charity concert held at theRed Star Stadium in Belgrade on 15 June.[8] She participated in the U.S.E. project (United States of Europe, produced byMidge Ure), recorded inParis, where she took a role of a vocal producer assistant.[6] In 1986, she was among the organizers of the charity concert for Yugoslavs suffering frommuscular dystrophy. The concert, entitled Ujedinjene snage YU rocka (United Forced of YU Rock), was held on the Belgrade'sTašmajdan Stadium.[5] For her support, the Belgrade Paraplegic Organization proclaimed her an honorary member.[6] In 1985, she appeared at theMESAM festival with the song "Fantastično putovanje" ("Fantastic Journey"), written bySrđan Jul,[5] and in 1987, she won first place at the MESAM festival with the song "Bez nade" ("Without Hope").[5] Soon after, Italian TV channelRAI2 filmed her 20-minute show.[6]
In 1988, Milošević recorded ajazz album with songs composed by prominent jazz composerDarko Kraljić.[5] The album, entitledAlexandra Slađana Milošević & Darko Kraljić, featured Radio Television Belgrade Jazz Orchestra, Milutin Lilić Vocal Quartet, Vladimir Vitas on piano, Vojin Draškoci on double bass, Lala Kovačev on drums, Mirjana Filipović on harp and Nikola Mitrović on trumpet.[5] Most of the lyrics were written by Milošević, and she also played violin on the recording.[5]
After the album recording, she represented Yugoslavia on the International Friendly Cities Singers Meeting festival inBeijing, China.[5][6] She had won a Special Honorary Award and a Silver Cup for an overall two-part competition that included interpretation of a traditional Chinese song and her original music.[5][6] During her staying in China, she performed in several concert venues and television shows.[6] Following the success at the festival, the Chinese record label Hundred Flowers Records released the compilation of her own songs.[5] Upon returning to Europe, she co-hosted a TV periodical titledCultural Bridge Beijing-Belgrade, produced by TV Belgrade.[6] In 1989, she went on a tour across China[5] and performed at theIlija M. Kolarac Endowment in the pieceTokata (Toccata) written by Igor Gostuški (formerly of the band Duh Nibor).[5] The piece won two first prizes, at the experimental classical music contests in Opatija and Munich.[6] During the same year, she performed theexperimental pieceNight Brother, written by Ognjen Bodranović, at the opening of the 23rdBelgrade International Theatre Festival.[5] During the festival, she also performed the piecePrvi obredni san (First Ritual Dream) byVuk Kulenović, using acoustic sculptures by sculptor Vladimir Labat.[5]
In 1989, she moved toLos Angeles, where she spent the next several years, performing in clubs with the band Baby Sister, also working in amarketing agency and asstock broker.[5] During these several years, she organized several charity actions for the victims ofYugoslav Wars.[5] During the years she spent in Los Angeles, she worked on improving her guitar skills, studying with Hollywood's MIT instructors likeScott Henderson,Bruce Bouillet, Scott Van Zen, James Hagadone and others.[6]
In 1995, Milošević returned to Belgrade.[5] She recorded vocals for the song "Harmony", forKornelije Kovač's 1996 albumMoja generacija (My Generation).[5] With her brother Goran Milošević (former vocalist ofGeneracija 5) she recorded the duet "Jednom će neko" ("Once Someone Will") for his 1996 albumDa li misliš još na mene (Are You Still Thinking of Me).[5] At the beginning of 1998, she released the compilation albumHarmony, which featured her old ballads, as well as previously unreleased songs "Samsara", "Harmony", "Times Are Changing" and "Prvi sneg (Dolazi zima)" ("First Snow (Winter Is Coming)").[5] The latter was written byDušan Mihajlović "Spira" and originally recorded by the bandSuncokret in 1977, Milošević's version recorded in 1988 in cooperation with Mihajlović.[5] The video for the title track was shot in Beijing and directed by Milošević herself.[6] During the1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Aleksandra and Goran Milošević recorded the anti-war song "Dosta suza" ("No More Tears"), which they wrote together.[6] The song was later covered by Finnish singerJanne Hurme.[6]
In 2000, Milošević released the albumAnimal Tested, which featured heavier rock sound that her previous releases and songs in bothSerbian andEnglish language.[5] Milošević authored all the songs on the album, produced the album herself and played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and percussion on the recording.[5] Beside Milošević, album featured Dejan Nikolić (drums), Igor Malešević (drums), Matija Bartulac (bass guitar) and Vlada Novičić (bass guitar).[5] The album featured a new version of her old hit "Sexy dama".[5] The video for the album opening track, "Legalize Freedom", was banned from national television as it alluded to the authoritarian regime ofSlobodan Milošević.[6]
Slađana Milošević took an active role in the protests against Slobodan Milošević's regime.[6] On 13 January 2000, the Serbian (Julian) New Year celebration day, Slađana Milošević appeared on the protest concert organized byOtpor! organization at the Belgrade'sRepublic Square, delivering the Most Resisting Media Reporter Award.[6] During the year, she performed with her band on theDemocratic Opposition rallies.[6] She also took part in "Vreme je" ("The Time Has Come") project conceptualized by ANEM (Association of Independent Media) and theG17+NGO. She sang and played in the song in support of the awakening of the democratic awareness in Serbia.[6] After speaking at a press conference in Belgrade's Media Center in July 2000 withMlađan Dinkić, one of G17+ leaders, she was arrested in her residence.[6] There was neither explanation nor there were any charges brought up. After questioning, she was let free.[6]
During the spring of 2002, in order to mark 25 years since her solo debut, she released three compilation albums entitledMetamorfoza (Metamorphosis), featuring selection of previously released songs as well as previously unreleased material.[5] In 2007, she released the compilation albumFantastično putovanje, featuring bonus DVD with her music videos.[5] In 2010, under the pseudonym Sweety, she recorded the song "Izdaja (Ja bih da odmorim dušu)" ("Betrayal (I Would Like to Rest My Soul") with theprogressive/power metal bandAlogia for the various artists albumVreme brutalnih dobronamernika (Time of Brutal Well-Intentioned People).[5]
Together with Jasmina Malešević, Milošević wrote a book ofshort stories entitledAdame, ne ljuti se (Don't Get Mad,Adam), published in 2001.[5] Milošević promoted the book with an outdoor theatrical performance in Belgrade'sKnez Mihailova Street.[6] She wrote a two-volume book on the women's role in history entitledMuška žena (Male Woman), published in 2012.[5] In 2016, she published the book onNikola Tesla's visionary work, entitledTri projekta Tesla (Three Tesla Projects).[5]
In 2002, in Los Angeles she recorded a five-episode documentary series,Muzička industrija Amerike (American Music Industry), for theRadio Television of Serbia.[5] For a short period of time, she hosted the showAnimal Tested onRadio 202.[6]
Milošević was a president of the Art Es Norma association and organizedA Better World campaign, with the goal of raising awareness about the importance ofcopyright.[5] As a part of an anti-piracy campaign, she composed the song "Osma i deveta zapovest" ("Eight and Ninth Commandment"), co-writing the lyrics withalternative rock musicianRambo Amadeus andrapperVoodoo Popeye.[5]
Slađana Milošević's brother Goran Milošević was the vocalist for thehard rock bandGeneracija 5 and a solo artist.[9]
Milošević died on 26 March 2024, at the age of 68 at a hospital inZemun.[5][10][11] For the last two years of her life she struggled withSjögren syndrome.[12] She was buried at theLešće cemetery in Belgrade. Belgrade city authorities refused the requests for her burial at theAlley of Distinguished Citizens at theBelgrade New Cemetery, which caused negative reactions in a part of Serbian public.[13][14]
Serbianpop punk bandOružjem Protivu Otmičara recorded a cover of Milošević's song "Miki, Miki" for their 2007 albumZnaš ko te pozdravio (You Know Who Sends Regards).[15] She appeared as a character in theCroatian TV seriesBlack & White World, portrayed by actressJelena Gavrilović, Milošević herself also making a cameo appearance in the series.[5]
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Pjesma Mediterana winner (withDado Topić) 2010 | Succeeded by TBD |
[[Category:Yugoslav new wave musicians]]
