Marija Šerifović

Early life

Šerifović was born in Kragujevac in central Serbia, the daughter of Rajko Šerifović, a drummer, and Verica Šerifović, a popular singer. Her father was born in Kragujevac, the son of a Muslim father from Vranje and an Orthodox mother, while her mother was born in Kragujevac, into an Orthodox family. Her mother had four miscarriages before having Marija, and her father left her mother for another woman when she was nine months pregnant with Marija and had a son, Marija's half-brother Danijel, with the other woman in 1985. Marija has described her father as an abusive alcoholic that would regularly beat her mother. Marija also had an older half-brother, Dušan Šerifović, from her father's previous marriage. Dušan died in September 2013, aged 42, following a long illness.

In 2013, Šerifović came out as lesbian.

Albums

Marija Šerifović's debut album Naj, Najbolja (English: The Very, Very Best) was released in 2003 and was well received. The biggest hit from the album was the lead single "Znaj da znam" (English: Know That I Know) composed by Darko Dimitrov. In the summer of 2005, she released the single Agonija, which was a cover version of Greek superstar Despina Vandi's "You're Not Here" (Greek: Olo leipeis).

Her second studio album Bez Ljubavi (English: Without Love) was released in 2006, and was as successful as her debut album. In early 2006, she released first single from the album, the title track. On 28 June 2007 she released an album called: Marija Šerifović: Molitva - The Best Of.

Marija's third studio album Nisam Anđeo (English: I Am Not An Angel) was released in spring 2008, and it contained 9 new songs.

Festivals

In 2003, she participated in the Budva Festival with the song Gorka čokolada ("Bitter Chocolate") again by Darko Dimitrov. In 2004, she took part in the same festival again with a song called Bol do ludila ("pain until madness") and won first prize. The song was a regional chart topper. For the 2005's Beovizija, then the Serbian semifinal of former Serbia and Montenegro's national pre-selection of the Eurovision Song Contest, Evropesma, the song was called Ponuda ("Offer"), and it came 18th. That same year, she entered as a favourite and won the Serbian Radio Festival with a song U nedelju ("on Sunday"), written by Leontina Vukomanović. She also received the award for the best vocal performance.

Concerts

On 21 February 2007 Šerifović held her first solo concert at Belgrade's Sava Centar, considered to be a major break in the Serbian music scene. A 4,000-strong audience attended.

During the Croatian parliamentary election, 2007, Marija Serifovic sang in Zagreb for the Independent Democratic Serb Party.

On 11 May 2014 Marija held a very successful concert on the roof of the Stadium Shopping Centre in Belgrade, in front of more than 9.000 people she sang for two hours. The audience greeted Marija by a standing ovations and big applause. Special guests at the concert were legendary family of Gipsy Kings and Daniel Kajmakoski who are together with Marija who made a phenomenal atmosphere.

Beovizija and the Eurovision Song Contest 2007

Šerifović won the Beovizija 2007 with the song "Molitva" (meaning "prayer" in English) on 8 March, winning the combined votes of the jury and televoting and thus qualified to be the first representative of newly independent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. The song was also recorded in English as "Destiny", Spanish as "Mirame" and in Finnish as "Rukoilen". There is also a Russian version of the song called Molitva (Молитва).

As a part of her Eurovision Song Contest promotional tour, Šerifović visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, Switzerland and Greece. Although a promotional video was originally planned, a documentary film was made which included both the music video and the preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest.

On 12 March, the draw of the running order for the semi-final and the final was held. Serbia was the 15th country to participate in the semi-final, and qualified for the final, where they presented their song in the 17th position, following Germany and preceding Ukraine. Her song "Molitva" (Prayer, Serbian Cyrillic: Молитва) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in a choreography described as "a daringly lesbian chic-tinged act"

At the press after Eurovision Marija said: "Tonight I am very proud being a Serb!"

When she landed at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, 70,000–100,000 people prepared a mass rally for her in front of the Civic Assembly of Belgrade.

She held a concert in her birth town Kragujevac on 25 May in front of the town hall. She performed in front of about 60,000 people who came to celebrate the triumph at Eurovision. She explained that the concert was very different in Kragujevac, because in that town, she sang before her friends, colleagues, teachers, neighbours and those whom she generally recognised from her daily life.

A Year later, Serbia hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade where she sang the remix of her winning song. 3 hours later, she handed over the title of Eurovision Song Contest winner to Dima Bilan of the Russian Federation. On 11 May 2010 Marija held a successful solo concert in “Belgrade Arena”, with more than ten thousand people who have enjoyed the songs of Marija. Guests at the concert were Danijel Pavlovic, Dženan Loncarevic, Milan Stankovic (Serbia representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, Oslo) and a young contestant of "European Stars," who sang along with Marija part of the song "Pain until insanity". Marija is one of the best female vocalists in the Serbian music scene and her interpretation is characterized by strong emotion, specific color and strength of voice that wins not only the attention but also the hearts of listeners. Marija always points out that music is a sense of her life and that there is nothing in the whole world that could make it and replace that amount of love and happiness that she feels every time she goes out on stage. That is certainly the key to her success. In October 2013, there was a premiere of the documentary “Confessions” which is talking about Marija and reveals her life, her secrets, successes and failures. Later, the film was broadcast in eight episodes on “Prva”television. In February there was promotion of a book “Confession”, and in the next period is expected a promotion of new music album with the same title – “Confession”.

Politics

On 24 December 2007 in Kragujevac, and on 15 January 2008 in Belgrade, Marija sang her Eurovision winning hit song "Molitva" (Prayer) at the election rally of Serbian Radical Party and endorsed Tomislav Nikolić in the presidential candidacy, adding that her song was "a prayer for a new, different and more honest Serbia".

Šerifović participated in an RTS broadcast "Avalski toranj", where each of the four guests were asked, in their opinion, to name the three most important Serbs ever. Marija named Dr Zoran Đinđić, ex Serbian Premier and leader of the Democratic Party. In late 2007 Šerifović went to Zagreb to support Milorad Pupovac, leader of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party, in the Croatian parliamentary election, 2007.

2005

2007