Šerifović made her recording debut in 1998 and has released six studio albums as well as numerous standalone singles. Additionally, she served as a judge on the Serbian reality-TVsinging competitionZvezde Granda between 2015 and 2025. She has won the ArtisticMarcel Bezençon Award for "Molitva" and two regionalMAC Awards. Predominately recognized forballadic songs, Šerifović is often regarded as one of the best female pop vocalists in Serbia.[1][2]
Šerifović was born on 14 November 1984 inKragujevac. She is the only child to musiciansVerica and Rajko Šerifović. When Verica was nine months pregnant with Marija, Rajko left Verica for another woman with whom he had a son,Danijel Pavlović [sr], who is a singer and vocal coach. Marija described her father as a violent alcoholic who would regularly beat her mother.[3] According to the column byThe Guardian'sGermaine Greer, she is ofRomani descent and has beenout as alesbian since 2004.[4] Šerifović graduated from the First Grammar School in Kragujevac.[5]
In 1998, she made her recording debut with a television performance of the song "Moje bube", which she recorded with her mother.[6]
Her debut albumNaj, Najbolja was released underCity Records in 2003. The following year, Šerifović participated at thePjesma Mediterana music festival inBudva with the song "Bol do ludila", winning the first prize. In 2006, she released her second albumBez Ljubavi, which was a year later promoted with her first solo concert atSava Centar in Belgrade.
2007-2010: Eurovision Song Contest,Nisam anđeo andAnđeo
In March 2007, Šerifović competed at the Serbian national selection festival for the2007 Eurovision Song Contest inHelsinki, Finland, calledBeovizija, with the song "Molitva". On the final on 8 March, she was declared the winner by receiving most televotes and coming second on the jury's vote, and thus became the first Eurovision representative ofSerbia since the country restored its independence as a sovereign state in 2006.[7] At the Eurovision, Šerifović performed 15th during the semi-final on 10 May, placing first with 298 points.[8] Subsequently, at the grand final on 17 May, she sang 17th. Her performance of "Molitva" scored the maximum of 268 points and was declared the winner of the 52nd Eurovision.[9] Upon returning home, Šerifović was greeted by reportedly 70,000 people in front of the House of theCity Assembly of Belgrade.[10][11]
In 2008, she released her third studio albumNisam anđeo, which sold 120,000 copies.[12] A year later, it was followed byAnđeo, which sold 100,000 copies.[13] Same year, Šerifović announced a solo concert at theBelgrade Arena for 11 May 2009.[14] In 2010, she participated on the second season of thereality television showFarma, which she voluntarily left after 27 days.[15]
2011-2020:Hrabro, standalone singles andZvezde Granda
Šerifović was the subject of a documentary film, titledIspovest (Confession), in which she reflected on her sexual orientation as well as personal struggles, such asdomestic abuse from her father. The documentary premiered atSava Centar in November 2013.[16] The following year, she also released anautobiography of the same name.[17] In May 2014, Šerifović released her fifth albumHrabro. It sold 50,000 copies.[18]
In September 2015, she became a judge on thesinging competitionZvezde Granda.[19][20] As a mentor on the show, she had the winning contestant for two consecutive seasons withDžejla Ramović in 2019 and Mahir Mulalić in 2021.[21][22] In 2015 and 2016, she released a series of three songs: "Pametna i luda", "Sama i nervozna" and "Svoja i tvoja".[23] In March 2016, Šerifović held a concert atZetra Hall,Sarajevo.[24] Same month she also performed at theNational Theater in Belgrade, which saw polarizing reception from the general public and indignation from actors' union.[25][26] In December 2016, Šerifović released "Deo prošlosti" under IDJTunes.[27] A year later in November, she released the single "11".[28] Šerifović again performed to a sold-out Belgrade Arena on 25 May 2018.[29][30]
Between March and May 2019, she embarked on a tour calledDruga strana ploče, where she sang the covers of her favorite songs from other artists as well as her own hits.[31] It featured seven sold out shows, six of which were held at Belgrade'sSava Centar and one inSPC Vojvodina,Novi Sad.[32] The second rendition of the tour began a year later.[33] It was supposed to include four live shows in Sava Centar, however, the last one was eventually cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[34] Same year, she also released herThe Best of compilation underDallas Records.
During March 2022, Šerifović held five concerts inBanja Luka,Zagreb andBelgrade under the titleDruga strana ploče Vol.3.[34][35] The one in Zagreb was held to an audience of 10,000 people.[36] In late December 2022, she released the single "Dobar Vam dan", which scored over million views in the first 24 hours.[37] On 6 October 2023, Šerifović released her sixth studio album, titledDolazi ljubav, under IDJTunes.[38]
Šerifović made a guest appearance on the Serbian showKec na jedanaest on 15 October where she spoke about the album; she revealed how much love and emotions she put in while recording the songs. She also shared that two of the album's songs, "Pola sunca", featuringMatija Cvek which was also released as a single on 6 October 2023 and "Drugačija" were its highlights.[39] The song was commercially very successful, peaking at number three onBillboard'sCroatia Songs for the week ending 21 October 2023.[40]
In May 2007, Serbian magazineNedeljnik highlighted that Šerifović focused herEurovision performance on vocal delivery rather than on spectacle, which is often linked to Eurovision entries, citing her quote: "I like to hear music, not to watch it". Furthermore, the article compared her international success to those of tennis playersAna Ivanovic,Jelena Janković andNovak Djokovic.[41]
In 2010,The Eurovision Times declared "Molitva" as the third best Eurovision entry of all time.[42] Moreover, in 2016,Special Broadcasting Service ranked Šerifović among the top ten most deserving winners of the Eurovision.[43] In 2019, "Molitva" was also placed at number ten onThe Independent's listing of Eurovision winners.[44]
Šerifović has not openly declared as alesbian. In her 2014 documentaryIspovest, Šerifović admitted that she has had relationships with other women. SerbianLGBT magazineOptimist commented on it as "one of the clearest anti-identity[clarification needed] coming-outs on the Serbian public scene".[45] During her 2022New Year's Eve concert in front of theHouse of the National Assembly of Serbia, Šerifović included an image of therainbow flag with the quote "Ljubav je zakon" (Love is Law) in reference to the legalization of same-sexdomestic partnerships in Serbia.[46]
She became a mother to a son born via surrogacy in December 2023.[47]
In January 2008, Šerifović performed at a pre-election rally organized by theSerbian Radical Party. She has since voiced her regrets about this, stating that it was not a statement of political affiliation, but a paid engagement.[48][49] Because of the incident, her role as an ambassador for theEuropean Union during the 'Year of Intercultural Dialogue' was questioned by a spokesperson of theEuropean Commission.[50]
During an interview held at the showKec na jedanaest, Šerifović shared that she "feels most at home" in all the countries of former Yugoslavia.[39]
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