Lepa Brena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lepa Brena
Лепа Брена
Brena performing in the Belgrade Arena, 20 October 2011
Born	Fahreta Jahić (1960-10-20) 20 October 1960 (age 64) Tuzla, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
Other names	Fahreta Živojinović
Occupation	Singer actress talent manager businesswoman director
Years active	1980–present
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Spouse(s)	Slobodan Živojinović ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	2
Relatives	Aleksandra Prijović (step daughter-in-law)
Musical career
Genres	Pop folk turbo-folk
Instruments	vocals
Labels	PGP-RTB Diskoton Grand Production

Fahreta Živojinović (born 20 October 1960), known by her stage name Lepa Brena, is a famous singer, actress, and businesswoman from the former Yugoslavia. She has sold around 40 million records, making her the most successful music artist from that region. Many people also believe Brena helped create the "turbo-folk" music style with her first two albums, Čačak, Čačak (1982) and Mile voli disko (1982).

Lepa Brena grew up in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1980, she has lived in Belgrade, Serbia, where her amazing career began. She is often seen as a symbol of the former Yugoslavia because she became very popular just before the country broke apart. Brena has even said she feels "Yugo-nostalgic", meaning she has fond memories of the united Yugoslavia. Along with her husband, Slobodan Živojinović, and friend, Saša Popović, Brena helped start and own Grand Production. This company became the biggest record label and production company in the Balkans. In 2019, they sold Grand Production.

Early Life and Beginnings

Fahreta Jahić was born into a Muslim family near Tuzla, in what was then Bosnia and Herzegovina. She grew up in Brčko with her older sister Faketa and brother Faruk. Her parents were Abid Jahić and Ifeta Smajlović. When the Bosnian War started in 1992, her sister moved to Canada, but Brena stayed in Belgrade, where she had lived since 1980.

Brena's first time singing for an audience was in fifth grade at a local festival. She sang a song by Kemal Monteno. She later said it was the only time she ever felt nervous on stage! After that, she started singing regularly at dance parties in Brčko.

In 2014, when asked if she was ever ashamed of her Muslim background, she proudly said, "Why would I be ashamed? I was and stay what I am. Today I am Fahreta. I am proud of my parents and roots." Her stage name, Brena, was given to her by her basketball coach, Vlado. The word Lepa, which means "beautiful" or "pretty", was added by a famous showman named Minimaks.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Slatki Greh (1980–1983)

In early 1980, when she was 19, Fahreta began singing with a band called Lira Show. The band's leader, Saša Popović, wasn't sure about her at first, but he soon changed his mind. She then moved to Novi Sad and later to Belgrade. Her first performance with Lira Show was on 6 April 1980. In 1981, the band changed its name to Slatki Greh (meaning "Sweet Sin").

Lepa Brena and Slatki Greh released their first album, Čačak, Čačak, on 3 February 1982. This album helped launch her career. Since then, she has become one of the most popular singers from the former Yugoslavia, selling over 40 million records.

In the same year, Lepa Brena and Slatki Greh appeared in the comedy film A Tight Spot. This made them even more famous. They then released their second album, Mile voli disko (Mile Loves Disco), on 18 November 1982. It included popular songs like "Duge noge" ("Long Legs").

In 1983, Lepa Brena and Slatki Greh took part in Jugovizija, which was the Yugoslav competition to choose a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song was "Sitnije, Cile, sitnije". Even though they didn't win, their appearance made them even more popular.

Rising to Stardom (1984–1990)

In 1984, Brena and her band started working with a new manager, Raka Đokić. They released their third album, Bato, Bato (Brother, Brother). Later that year, they held a huge concert in Timișoara, Romania, with 65,000 people attending. It was one of the biggest concerts by a Yugoslav musician outside their home country at the time.

Lepa Brena also worked with Serbian folk singer Miroslav Ilić on an album called Jedan dan života (One Day of Life, 1985). This album included a romantic duet and a song called "Živela Jugoslavija" (Long Live Yugoslavia). This song showed Brena's strong support for a united Yugoslavia.

Her next three albums—Pile moje (My Little One, 1984), Voli me, voli (Love Me, Love, 1986), and Uske pantalone (Tight Trousers, 1986)—made her the top music star in Yugoslavia. By the end of 1986, Lepa Brena was the most popular public figure in the country.

Brena's manager, Raka Đokić, had a great idea: to make a film where Brena would be the main star, along with her seventh album. This led to the movie Hajde da se volimo (Let's Love Each Other) in 1987, which had the same name as the album. Many famous Yugoslav actors appeared in the film.

Because the first movie was so successful, two more films were made: Hajde da se volimo: Još jednom (Let's Love Each Other: Again) in 1989, and Hajde da se volimo: Udaje se Lepa Brena (Let's Love Each Other: Lepa Brena Is Getting Married) in 1990, completing a trilogy. The second film was followed by the album Četiri godine (Four Years), released on 1 October 1989. It included the song "Jugoslovenka" (Yugoslav Woman), featuring singers from different parts of Yugoslavia. The third film was followed by the album Boli me uvo za sve (I Don't Care About Anything), which also had many hit songs.

Lepa Brena and Slatki Greh performed over 350 concerts each year, sometimes even two in one day! They set a record by holding 31 concerts in a row at Dom Sindikata in Belgrade. On 24 July 1990, Brena famously landed by helicopter at a stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria, and performed for 122,000 people.

Solo Career and Grand Production (1991–1999)

Brena in 2007

In 1991, Brena and Slatki Greh released their second-to-last album together, Zaljubiška.

After a two-year break, Brena released her first solo album, Ja nemam drugi dom (I Have No Other Home), in December 1993. She held a famous "concert in the rain" on 13 June 1994 at Belgrade's Tašmajdan Sports Centre, with 35,000 fans attending. She then recorded two more solo albums: Kazna Božija (God's Punishment, 1994) and Luda za tobom (Crazy Over You, 1996). Many of her songs from the mid-90s became very popular, such as "Luda za tobom" and "Ja nemam drugi dom".

In December 1998, Brena became a co-founder of the Serbian record label Grand Production.

Breaks and Comebacks (2000–2016)

After her marriage in 1991, Brena stopped working with Slatki Greh for a while. However, in 2000, they recorded one more album together, Pomračenje sunca (Solar Eclipse). After an eight-year break from music, Lepa Brena returned with two successful albums: Uđi slobodno... (Feel Free to Enter..., 2008) and Začarani krug (Vicious Circle, 2011).

In 2012, Brena started working on two new albums. The first, Izvorne i novokomponovane narodne pesme (Original and Newly Composed Folk Songs), was released in December 2013. She dedicated this album to her mother, Ifeta, who used to sing folk songs to her when she was a child. Her mother passed away the following year.

In December 2013, Brena was a special guest at a charity concert in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to help the Roma people. She said in an interview, "Sarajevo has suffered and survived so much, I'm really glad to see positive people and happiness in this city."

Lepa Brena and actor Steven Seagal were the main stars of Belgrade's 2016 New Year's Eve party, which was attended by 60,000 people.

World Tours and New Ventures (2017–Present)

In December 2017, Brena released two new songs, "Zar je važno da l' se peva ili pjeva" and "Boliš i ne prolaziš", as a preview for her new album.

To support her new music, she started a world tour called Zar je važno da l' se peva ili pjeva... World Tour. It began on 11 November 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Her album Zar je važno dal se peva ili pjeva was released on 1 March 2018 and became a big hit in the Balkans.

After several parts of her World Tour, she took a break to be in Serbia when her stepson Filip Živojinović and his wife Aleksandra Prijović had a baby. She later continued the tour, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour finally ended on 28 October 2022 in Cleveland.

A month later, she introduced her new socks brand, Lady B, describing it as "a brand for a woman from the 21st century."

In 2023, Brena performed with singer Senidah at the Red Bull SoundClash in Belgrade. She was also a special guest at her stepdaughter-in-law Aleksandra Prijović's concerts in Štark Arena and Arena Zagreb. Brena announced her own concert in Arena Zagreb for December the next year, and tickets sold out in less than 24 hours! She now has four concerts planned there.

In 2024, she announced her Bosnia and Herzegovina tour, Imam pesmu da vam pevam (I Have a Song to Sing to You), saying she was excited to travel her home country. In the same year, Lepa Brena was featured on the cover of Vogue Adria, becoming the first musician to do so.

Personal Life

Lepa Brena married Serbian tennis star Slobodan Živojinović on 7 December 1991. Their wedding was a huge media event across Yugoslavia, held at the InterContinental Hotel in Belgrade. Brena's manager even released a video of the wedding because so many people were interested!

When she married Slobodan, Brena became the stepmother to his son Filip. Brena and Slobodan then had two sons together: Stefan, born in New York City in 1992, and Viktor, born in 1998. In 2019, Brena became a step-grandmother when Filip's wife Aleksandra Prijović had a son named Aleksandar.

In November 1992, Brena broke her leg in a skiing accident, which took six months to heal. Sadly, her manager and producer Raka Đokić passed away suddenly in October 1993.

In November 2000, Brena and Slobodan faced a very difficult family event when their elder son Stefan was taken. He was released after five days. This was a very traumatic time for the family, and Brena later said she was still healing from the experience.

After this challenging period, Brena took another break from music for eight years. During this time, she lived between Belgrade and Miami, Florida, with her family. She and her husband own homes in different places, including Belgrade, Miami, and Monte Carlo.

In October 2010, Brena's father, Abid Jahić, was in an accident and passed away at age 82. He was buried in a Muslim funeral. Brena said the months after her father's death were the most emotionally difficult time of her life. Her mother, Ifeta, passed away in November 2014 at age 80 and was buried next to her husband.

Brena has also faced some health challenges. In July 2012, she was hospitalized for a blood clot. She had a similar issue in 2004. In August 2012, she had to cancel concerts to recover. In July 2014, she fell and broke both arms while on holiday. She recovered for a month. In January 2015, she fell again and hurt her wrist, which also led to rescheduling performances.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

• Sitnije, Cile, sitnije (1983)
• Jedan dan života (with Miroslav Ilić, 1985)

Compilations

• Lepa Brena & Slatki Greh (1990)
• Lepa Brena (The Best of – Dupli CD) (2003)
• Lepa Brena (HITOVI – 6 CD-a) (2016)

Filmography

Film

• Tesna koža (1982)
• Nema problema (1984)
• Kamiondžije ponovo voze (1984)
• Hajde da se volimo (1987)
• Hajde da se volimo 2: Još jednom (1989)
• Hajde da se volimo 3: Udaje se Lepa Brena (1990)

Documentary

• Lepa Brena: Godine Slatkog greha (2017)

Television

• Në orët e vona (1982)
• Jugovizija (1983)
• Kamiondžije 2 (1983)
• Jugovizija (1986)
• Obraz uz obraz: Novogodišnji special (1991)
• Novogodišnji show program sa Lepom Brenom (2002)
• Kursadžije (2007)
• Mahalaši (2009)
• Damin Gambit (2014)
• Veče sa Lepom Brenom (2014)
• Exkluziv (2014)
• Paparazzi (2017)

Tours and Concerts

Tours

• Great Yugoslav Tour (1983)
• Great Yugoslav Tour '84 (1984)
• Uđi slobodno Tour (2008–11)
• Začarani krug Tour (2011–17)
• Zar je važno da l' se peva ili pjeva... World Tour (2017–22)
• Imam pesmu da vam pevam Tour (2024)

Residency concerts

• Lepa Brena Live at Dom sindikata (1987)
• Lepa Brena Live at Sava centar (2015)

Images for kids

• 

  Brena performing in the Belgrade Arena, 20 October 2011

• 

  Brena in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Lepa Brena para niños