Jelena Karleuša facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jelena Karleuša
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| Јелена Карлеуша | |
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Karleuša in 2024
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| Born | 17 August 1978 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Zoran Davidović (1999–2000) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
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Jelena Karleuša (Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Карлеуша; born 17 August 1978) is a famous Serbian singer and a well-known public figure. She was born and grew up in Belgrade. Jelena started her music journey when she was 16 years old. Her first album, Ogledalce, came out in 1995.
Over the years, Karleuša has released twelve studio albums. She has also performed in two big concerts in Belgrade: the All About Diva Show in 2010 and the Viva La Diva Show in 2013. From 2015 to 2021, she was a judge on the TV singing show Zvezde Granda. Some media outlets have even called her the "Lady Gaga of Serbia" or the "Madonna of the Balkans" because of her unique style and influence.
Jelena Karleuša is also known for her strong opinions and her unique artistic style. She often shares her thoughts on social and political topics. She has also had public discussions with other famous people.
Contents
Early life and education
Jelena Karleuša was born on 17 August 1978 in Belgrade, which was then part of Yugoslavia. Her mother, Divna (who passed away in 2019), was a journalist and radio host from Slovenia. Her father, Dragan Karleuša, was a police captain from Serbia.
Jelena grew up in the Fontana neighborhood of New Belgrade. She lived with her mother after her parents divorced. She went to Zemun Gymnasium and later graduated from the New Belgrade High School of Tourism. Jelena has also shared that she attended music school as a child and learned to play the flute.
Music career highlights
1995–2003: Starting out and first hits
Jelena Karleuša began her music career at 16. Her first album, Ogledalce, was released on 24 April 1995. Another famous singer, Dragana Mirković, helped her pay for the recording of this album. The next year, she released her second album, Ženite se, momci.
She continued to release albums like Veštice, vile (1997) and Jelena (1998). During this time, she started working with lyricist Marina Tucaković, who wrote many of her popular songs. In 1999, she released Gili, gili.
Her sixth album, Za svoje godine, came out in 2001. In 2002, she released Samo za tvoje oči. This album was produced with a Greek music label, and Jelena even signed a contract to release an English-language extended play, though it didn't happen.
2004–2013: Big albums and concerts
In February 2004, Jelena Karleuša took part in Beovizija, which is the Serbian competition to choose a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. She performed the song "Moli me" but did not make it to the final. After this, she reportedly had a disagreement with the director of Radio Television of Serbia and did not appear on the channel for many years. She finally returned to the channel in 2017 as a guest on a fashion talk show.
On 22 February 2005, Karleuša released her album Magija. Her next album, JK Revolution, came out on 7 February 2008 and sold many copies.
In March 2009, she was a guest on the TV show Big Brother VIP. Later that year, she released a collection of her greatest hits called The Diamond Collection. In December, her song "Insomnia" became one of the first Serbian music videos to become very popular online, going "viral" on YouTube.
Jelena Karleuša held her first major solo concert, the All About Diva Show, on 15 May 2010 at the Belgrade Arena. About 10,000 people attended. A live album and DVD of the concert were released later that year. In 2010, she also started writing a regular column in the newspaper Kurir. She became known for sharing her modern views, including her support for the LGBT community.
Her tenth studio album, Diva, was released on 11 June 2012. This album was promoted with her second big concert, the Viva La Diva Show, on 15 June 2013 at Ušće, Belgrade. The concert started late due to some technical problems with the sound and video, but she still performed all her songs. After this concert, she ended her working relationship with RTV Pink and City Records due to a disagreement.
2014–2022: TV judge and new music
In September 2015, Karleuša became a judge on the popular singing competition show Zvezde Granda. Around this time, she gained international attention when she suggested that famous celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé were inspired by her fashion style. She was even featured on The Wendy Williams Show. In 2016, Kim Kardashian praised Jelena's style in her "Woman Crush Wednesday" column.
In 2016, Jelena Karleuša also pointed out that the movie Amy, which won an Oscar, used parts of her Viva La Diva concert footage by mistake, thinking it was from Amy Winehouse's last performance in Belgrade. Jelena decided not to sue the filmmakers out of respect for the late singer. In 2017, she released her first new songs since 2013: duets with Aca Lukas and Azis, called "Bankina" and "Ostavljam te".
In 2019, Karleuša performed "LaJK" with rapper Gazda Paja at the 2019 Music Awards Ceremony. In May 2020, she held an online concert that was watched by over 200,000 people. She was joined by the girl group Hurricane and singer Milica Pavlović. In September 2021, she decided to leave Zvezde Granda after five seasons. For New Year's Eve, she performed in front of the House of the National Assembly in Belgrade for a large crowd. In October 2022, she made her first appearance on a fashion runway for Steve Madden in Belgrade.
2023–present: Alpha and Omega
In August 2023, Jelena Karleuša released two new studio albums, Alpha and Omega. These albums were released after a disagreement about song rights led to her YouTube channel being temporarily closed. On 18 September, she promoted the albums with a free concert at the Belgrade Waterfront. Other artists who worked with her on the albums, like Milica Pavlović and Devito, also performed. While her previous albums sold very well, Alpha and Omega had mixed reviews and did not achieve the same level of sales.
On 1 March 2024, Karleuša walked the runway for the fashion brand Vetements during Paris Fashion Week. In October 2024, she started her Alpha and Omega Tour in Skopje, North Macedonia. In November, she launched her own fragrance and body mists, named JA, at an event in Galerija Belgrade.
Towards the end of 2024, her planned New Year's Eve concert in Kragujevac caused some public discussion due to her political views. Despite this, she performed in Kragujevac and later in Bor. On 7 January 2025, a TV special called Gala veče s Jelenom Karleušom aired, showing her performing with a symphony orchestra. In May 2025, she released a cover of the song "Jedno đubre obično" as part of a project celebrating the career of composer Damir Handanović.
Personal life
Jelena Karleuša was married to footballer Duško Tošić on 28 June 2008. They have two daughters together. In September 2024, both Jelena and Duško confirmed that they were getting a divorce after being separated for some time. Before this marriage, she was briefly married to Bojan Karić from 2004 to 2005.
Jelena also holds a Slovenian passport because her mother was born in Slovenia. She identifies as an atheist, meaning she does not believe in a god, even though she was baptized in an Orthodox church before her first wedding.
Helping others
Jelena Karleuša is a strong supporter of LGBT rights in Serbia. Because of her efforts, she was named the Serbian female gay icon in 2010. In September 2017, she officially opened the annual Belgrade Pride event.
As a vegetarian, Jelena also speaks out for animal rights. In July 2018, she worked with PETA on their campaign against using animal fur in fashion.
Throughout her career, Karleuša has supported many other good causes. After the 2014 Southeast Europe floods, she helped provide supplies to shelters in Serbia. In the same year, she and Duško Tošić donated money for ALS research after taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge. In 2015, she performed at a charity concert in Sarajevo to help people affected by cancer. In December 2018, she donated money to a water polo club to help them heat their pool during winter.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Ogledalce (1995)
- Ženite se momci (1996)
- Veštice, vile (1997)
- Jelena (1998)
- Gili, gili (1999)
- Za svoje godine (2001)
- Samo za tvoje oči (2002)
- Magija (2005)
- JK Revolution (2008)
- Diva (2012)
- Alpha (2023)
- Omega (2023)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee/work | Result | Ref. |
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| Oskar Popularnosti | 1999 | Album of the Year | Gili, gili | Won | |
| 2001 | Performer of the year | Herself | Won | ||
| 2004 | Female Performer of the Year | Won | |||
| 2005 | Album of the Year | Magija | Won | ||
| 2008 | JK Revolution | Won | |||
| 2011 | Female Folk Singer of the Year | Herself | Nominated | ||
| Music Awards Ceremony | 2019 | Collaboration of the Year | "Bankina" | Won | |
| 2020 | Trap Collaboration of the Year | "LaJK" | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Jelena Karleuša para niños
