Dragana Mirković facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dragana Mirković
Mirković in 2015
Background information
Native name	Драгана Мирковић
Birth name	Dragana Mirković
Born	(1968-01-18) 18 January 1968 (age 57) Kasidol, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia
Genres	Folk turbo-folk
Occupation(s)	Singer businesswoman
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Diskos PGP-RTB Južni Vetar Grand City Komuna Vujin Zmex
Associated acts	Južni Vetar
Spouse(s)	Toni Bijelić ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2024)​
Children	2

Dragana Mirković (born 18 January 1968) is a famous Serbian folk and pop-folk singer. She is also a successful businesswoman. Dragana became well-known in the 1980s as part of the popular music group Južni Vetar. She is considered one of the most successful artists from the former country of Yugoslavia, having sold over 10 million records. With her husband, she also started a music TV channel called DM SAT.

Life and Music Journey

Growing Up and Early Music

Dragana Mirković was born on January 18, 1968, in a village called Kasidol in Serbia. She was the youngest of two children. Dragana grew up with her parents, grandparents, and sister. She remembers her childhood as peaceful, with people of different backgrounds living together.

Her grandfather, Dragutin, played the accordion and inspired her love for music. When she was just five years old, Dragana learned to sing a traditional Bosnian folk song. She even cried because the song's story was so sad! As a child, she often sang in school shows and local events. Her singing talent soon caught the attention of people in the music industry.

First Steps to Stardom (1984–1991)

When Dragana was 14, a record company called Diskos asked her parents if she could record a song. This led to her first album, Imam dečka nemirnog, released in 1984. Her second album, Umiljato oko moje, came out in 1985 and sold an amazing 250,000 copies!

In the mid-1980s, Dragana started working with the music group Južni Vetar. This group included Miodrag Ilić on bass guitar, Sava Bojić on lead guitar, and Perica Zdravković on keyboard. Her first album with them, Spasi me samoće (1986), sold over 400,000 copies. Južni Vetar was very popular across Yugoslavia, and folk music was the top-selling style back then. Dragana recorded four more successful albums with Južni Vetar, including Simpatija (1989), which had a huge hit song called "Simpatija" (Crush).

Solo Success in the 1990s

In 1991, Dragana released her eighth album, Dobra devojka, which was her third solo project. It featured big hits like "Umreću zbog tebe." The next year, Dolaze nam bolji dani (1992) came out with many popular songs such as "Umirem majko" and "Da, da, da."

Her tenth album, Do poslednjeg daha (1993), also had several hit singles. In 1994, she released Nije tebi do mene, which included songs like "Nisam ni metar od tebe." That same year, Dragana starred in a movie called Slatko od snova. She played a girl who worked in a fast-food restaurant and dreamed of becoming a famous singer.

Dragana released four more albums in the 1990s, including Plači, zemljo (1995) and Kojom gorom (1997). Her last album of the 1990s was U godini (1999), made with Zlaja Band. After her seventeenth album, Sama, she took a break from music for four years. In 2001, she performed in Vienna, Austria, for an art show, where many Yugoslav people living there came to see her.

Return to Music (2004–2017)

Dragana Mirković returned to music in 2004 with her album Trag u vremenu. This comeback album had many popular songs, including "Tamo gde je milo moje." In 2006, she released Luče moje, followed by Eksplozija in 2008.

In 2011, she released three new songs and a new version of her old hit "Umreću zbog tebe." These songs were very popular. All four songs, plus sixteen new ones, were part of her twentieth album, 20, released in 2012. In 2014, Dragana sang a duet with the famous singer José Feliciano called "Please Don't Go Away." The same year, she held a huge concert in Štark Arena for 20,000 fans to celebrate 30 years of her music career. Her twenty-first album, Od milion jedan, came out in 2017.

On March 22, 2024, Dragana performed a "spectacle" concert in Podgorica, where the audience gave her a standing ovation.

Other Projects

Mirković (middle) with her husband and friend, January 29, 2015.

In 2005, Dragana Mirković and her husband, Toni Bijelić, started their own satellite music video channel called DM SAT. This channel plays music videos for many artists.

Dragana is also known for her charity work. On November 7, 2012, she held a special concert in Zenica, Bosnia, called "Dragana and Friends for Zenica." Other famous singers like Hanka Paldum and Halid Muslimović joined her. The concert raised about €26,500 (around $36,500 US dollars) for the People's Kitchen, which helps feed those in need. During this concert, Dragana and Hanka Paldum sang their duet "Kad nas vide zagrljene" for the first time in public.

On December 19, 2013, Dragana was a special guest at another charity concert in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This concert, organized by Goran Bregović, helped the Roma people in Bosnia.

Personal Life

In the 1990s, Dragana Mirković had a secret wedding in Las Vegas with Serbian politician Zoran Bašanović. This wedding was not officially recognized, and they later separated. After this, Dragana moved to Vienna, Austria.

In 1999, Dragana married Toni Bijelić, an Austrian-Croatian businessman. They have two children, a son named Marko and a daughter named Manuela. In 2023, Dragana and Toni were greeted by the famous actor Jean-Claude Van Damme in Hollywood, California, before her US music tour. On March 27, 2024, Dragana announced that she and Toni Bijelić were no longer together.

Music Style

Dragana Mirković is known for her unique style of turbo folk music. Her songs often tell emotional stories, especially about feelings in romantic relationships. She is celebrated for her powerful voice and heartfelt performances.

Legacy and Impact

Dragana Mirković is one of the most beloved and successful Serbian folk singers, especially in the turbo-folk music style. She is also one of the most successful recording artists from the former Yugoslavia. People have even called her "The Madonna or Lady Gaga of Serbia" because of her huge popularity and influence.

Discography

Studio albums

Tours and Concerts

Tours

• Yugoslav Tour (1980)
• Dobra devojka Tour (1992)
• Dragana Tour (1993–2000)
• Od milion jedna Tour (2017–2018)
• USA Tour (2023)
• Do poslednjeg daha Tour (2024)

Special Concerts

• Dragana Mirković Live at Sava Centar (1995)
• Dragana Mirković Live at Hala Pionir (1998)

Images for kids

• Slatko Od Snova.jpg

  Movie poster for Slatko Od Snova