Željko Samardžić | |
|---|---|
 Samardžić performing in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1955-10-03)3 October 1955 (age 70) |
| Genres | Folk,folk rock,adult contemporary |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Željko Samardžić (Cyrillic: Жељко Самарџић; born 3 October 1955) is a Bosnian and Serbianfolk singer who is popular throughout theformer Yugoslav republics.[1] Born inMostar, he achieved fame after having to move toBelgrade as a result of theBosnian War.
Samardžić was born inMostar, at the time part ofPR Bosnia and Herzegovina, inFPR Yugoslavia. His father Milivoje was fromMontenegro, and his mother Nada was aCroat from theIlići suburb of Mostar. Samardžić's father was aYugoslav People's Army officer, which meant that the family had to move around a lot. After spending the first seven years of his life in Mostar, young Željko lived and attended school inNikšić,Igalo andZadar before eventually returning to Mostar during his teenage years.[2][3][4]
He first started singing during high school, and soon became known around Mostar as a goodKemal Monteno impersonator. Samardžić's musical activity during this period was essentially little more than a hobby as he did not put out any official releases and mostly sang inkafanas and restaurants in addition to competing in the occasional obscure festival. The closest he came to wide mainstream success was a schlager "Moja Marija je drugačija" that became a hit in Bosnia during the 1970s after he performed it atPrvi aplauz festival inBanja Luka, but he mostly earned his living running a café in Mostar, located in proximity of the famousOld Bridge.
When theBosnian War broke out in 1992, Željko was wounded sitting in his apartment while chaotic fighting was raging outside. A stray bullet entered his leg and exited his hip. After much trouble, along with his wife and their daughter, he managed to flee the city through the Croat-controlled western part ofHerzegovina and eventually reachSerbia after going throughCroatia,Slovenia andHungary. Once in Serbia, they lived in theBelgrade suburb ofBorča and Samardžić soon started getting low-paying gigs in variousdiscothèques and cafés, building up a fairly devotedniche audience. Almost 40 years old at this point, his big break came unexpectedly when some businessmen who enjoyed his nightclub performances brought him to the elite club Ambassador and also financed him withDM30,000 to record an album withMarina Tucaković and Aleksandar "Futa" Radulović. In 1995, he also appeared at thePjesma Mediterana festival inBudva, where he left a great impression singing "Sipajte mi još jedan viski", which further opened the doors to show business.
Samardžić is married to Maja Džaferović, with whom he has three daughters, Sanja, Danijela and Minja, and has three grandchildren Luka, Aleksa and Nina.[5][4][2]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Pjesma Mediterana winner 1995 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
