Marija Šerifović facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marija Šerifović
Šerifović in 2012
Background information
Native name	Марија Шерифовић
Born	(1984-11-14) 14 November 1984 (age 40) Kragujevac, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Genres	Pop adult contemporary
Occupation(s)	Singer producer TV personality YouTuber
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	City Records IDJTunes Dallas Records

Marija Šerifović (born November 14, 1984) is a famous singer from Serbia. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with her powerful song "Molitva". This made her the first and only winner for Serbia in the contest's history.

Marija started her music journey in 1998. Since then, she has released six studio albums and many popular songs. She is also a judge on the TV singing show Zvezde Granda. Many people see Marija as one of the best female pop singers in Serbia. She is especially known for her emotional ballad songs.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Marija Šerifović was born in Kragujevac, Serbia, on November 14, 1984. She is the only child of two musicians, Verica and Rajko Šerifović. Marija finished her schooling at the First Grammar School in Kragujevac.

She began her music career very early. In 1998, when she was just 14, she performed on TV. She sang a song called "Moje bube" with her mother. This was her first time recording and performing for a wider audience.

Marija's Music Career Highlights

Starting Out: First Albums (2003-2006)

Marija released her first album, Naj, Najbolja, in 2003. It was released by City Records. The next year, she won first prize at the Pjesma Mediterana music festival in Budva. She won with her song "Bol do ludila".

In 2006, Marija released her second album, Bez Ljubavi. A year later, she held her first big solo concert. This concert was at the Sava Centar in Belgrade.

Winning Eurovision (2007-2010)

In March 2007, Marija took part in Beovizija. This was Serbia's national contest to pick a song for Eurovision. She sang "Molitva" and won the competition. This meant she would represent Serbia at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, Finland.

At Eurovision, Marija performed in the semi-final on May 10. She came in first place with 298 points. Then, in the grand final on May 17, she performed again. Her song "Molitva" received 268 points, winning the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest! When she returned home, about 70,000 people cheered for her in front of the City Assembly of Belgrade.

After her big win, Marija released her third album, Nisam anđeo, in 2008. It sold 120,000 copies. Her fourth album, Anđeo, came out a year later and sold 100,000 copies. In 2009, she announced a big concert at the Belgrade Arena. In 2010, she was on a TV reality show called Farma, but she left after 27 days.

New Music and TV Role (2011-2020)

In November 2013, a documentary film about Marija called Ispovest (Confession) was shown. It talked about her personal challenges. The next year, she also released a book with the same name. In May 2014, Marija released her fifth album, Hrabro, which sold 50,000 copies.

In September 2015, Marija became a judge on the popular singing show Zvezde Granda. She has been a very successful mentor on the show. Her contestants, Džejla Ramović in 2019 and Mahir Mulalić in 2021, both won the competition.

Between 2015 and 2016, she released three popular songs: "Pametna i luda", "Sama i nervozna", and "Svoja i tvoja". Marija held a concert at Zetra Hall in Sarajevo in March 2016. She also performed at the National Theater in Belgrade that same month. In December 2016, she released "Deo prošlosti". A year later, in November, she released the single "11". Marija performed again to a sold-out Belgrade Arena on May 25, 2018.

From March to May 2019, she went on a tour called Druga strana ploče. On this tour, she sang her own hits and covers of her favorite songs by other artists. She had seven sold-out shows, mostly in Belgrade. A second part of the tour started in 2020 but was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also released a "Best of" album that year.

Recent Work: Dolazi ljubav (2021-Present)

In March 2022, Marija held five concerts in different cities, including Banja Luka, Zagreb, and Belgrade. These concerts were part of her Druga strana ploče Vol.3 series. The concert in Zagreb had 10,000 people watching.

In late December 2022, she released the song "Dobar Vam dan". It quickly gained over a million views in just 24 hours. On October 6, 2023, Marija released her sixth studio album, called Dolazi ljubav.

She talked about her new album on the show Kec na jedanaest on October 15. She shared how much love and emotion she put into making the songs. She also said that "Pola sunca" (which features Matija Cvek) and "Drugačija" were special highlights from the album. "Pola sunca" was very popular, reaching number three on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart in October 2023.

The Impact of "Molitva"

Marija Šerifović's winning song "Molitva" is very special. In May 2007, a Serbian magazine called Nedeljnik noted that Marija focused on her amazing singing voice at Eurovision. She didn't rely on a big show, which is common at Eurovision. She once said, "I like to hear music, not to watch it."

In 2010, The Eurovision Times called "Molitva" the third best Eurovision song ever. In 2016, Special Broadcasting Service said Marija was one of the top ten most deserving Eurovision winners. Also, in 2019, "Molitva" was listed at number ten on The Independent's list of Eurovision winners.

Marija's Life Outside Music

Marija became a mother to a son in December 2023. Her son was born through surrogacy.

In January 2008, Marija performed at a political event. She later said she regretted this, explaining it was just a paid job and not about her political beliefs.

Marija shared in an interview that she feels most at home in all the countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia.

Discography

• Naj, Najbolja (2003)
• Bez Ljubavi (2006)
• Nisam Anđeo (2008)
• Anđeo (2009)
• Hrabro (2014)
• Dolazi ljubav (2023)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Tours

• A sad malo ja Tour (2018–2020)
• Dolazi ljubav Tour (2024–ongoing)

See also

In Spanish: Marija Šerifović para niños

• Music of Serbia
• List of singers from Serbia
• Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest