Nikolija (singer) facts for kids

Nikolija Jovanović (born October 19, 1989) is a popular singer from Serbia. She is the daughter of famous folk singer Vesna Zmijanac. Nikolija was born in Zagreb and grew up in Belgrade.

Nikolija started her music career in 2013 with the song "Ćao zdravo". Since then, she has released five studio albums. These albums are №1 (2016), Yin & Yang (2019), Aurora (2022), Lavina (2024), and Sila (2025). Her music videos have been watched over 700 million times on YouTube.

Early Life and Education

Nikolija Jovanović was born on October 19, 1989, in Zagreb. Her mother is the singer Vesna Zmijanac. Her father is Vlada Jovanović, an economist. Nikolija's parents divorced when she was young. She has two half-siblings from her father's second marriage.

Nikolija grew up in Belgrade. In 1995, she appeared in her mother's music video. It was for the song "Kad bih znala kako si". For her last year of high school, Nikolija moved to Athens, Greece. She then studied at the American Deree College. She graduated in 2013 with a degree in international business.

Music Career

2010-2016: Starting Out and First Album

Nikolija first appeared on TV in 2010. She was on the reality show Survivor Srbija VIP: Philippines with her mother. She was the first person voted off. Nikolija later left the show due to health reasons. While studying in Athens, she began performing in nightclubs. In 2011, she released her first song, "Crazy 2 Night". She used the stage name "Nicole" for this song.

After college, Nikolija moved back to Serbia. Singer Milan Stanković introduced her to important music producers. She became known in 2013 with her song "Ćao zdravo". This song was released with IDJTunes. The music video for the song got a lot of attention. In the summer of 2013, she also sang on the song "Milion dolara" with Ana Nikolić.

In 2014, Nikolija joined the Serbian version of Dancing with the Stars. She finished in 8th place. That same year, she was featured on "Alkohola litar" by Elitni Odredi. She also released her solo song "Kako posle mene". With these songs, Nikolija started singing more. She began to mix her style with more popular pop-folk sounds. Her song with Elitni Odredi has over 80 million views. It is still her most-watched music video.

In June 2015, she released "Opasna igra". This song was also very successful. Its music video was the most-watched Serbian video on YouTube in 2015. In October, she released her first slow song, "Ljubavni maneken". Nikolija also walked the runway for George Styler at Belgrade Fashion Week in November. On October 20, 2016, she released her first album, No1. It included her earlier songs and three new ones. The album sold 50,000 copies.

2017-2022: Yin & Yang and Aurora

Nikolija released "Promeni mi planove" in March 2017. In July, she released "Loš momak". The music video for this song has over 50 million views. In October 2017, she released "Moj tempo". The next year, she released three more songs: "Malo", "Nema limita", and "Slažem". The music video for "Nema limita" has over 45 million views.

Her second album, Yin & Yang, came out on April 24, 2019. It included the title song and "Nije lako biti ja" with rapper Fox. It also had "Loš momak", "Nema limita", and "Slažem" as bonus tracks. A month later, Nikolija and Relja Popović released a duet called "Meduza". This song is Nikolija's most successful on Spotify. In July, she promoted her album at the Ulaz music festival. In September, she released "Sija grad".

Nikolija released "Stav Milionera" in February 2020. This was her last song with IDJTunes. She then signed with Made In BLKN, a new record label. She released four songs in 2020: "Nakit", "No Plaky", "O bivšima", and "High Life". In December, Nikolija and her half-sister started a fashion brand called About Me. In 2021, she released "Sve bih" and "Divlja orhideja". In October 2021, Nikolija and Teya Dora released "Ulice". This song was part of the soundtrack for the Serbian movie Južni Vetar 2: Ubrzanje.

In June 2022, Nikolija was featured on Devito's song "Ljubav". She also released songs from her third album, Aurora, as singles. The full album Aurora was released on December 4, 2022. In January 2023, she performed songs from Aurora at the 2023 Music Awards Ceremony. She also won "Best Trap Song by a Female Artist" for her song "Pilot" from Aurora.

2023-Present: Lavina and Sila

In July 2023, Nikolija released the song "Ljubi jako". It came with a video made by Nikolija and her half-sister. Another video was made using fan TikToks. Her fourth album, Lavina, was released on March 15, 2024. This album appeared on music charts in Austria and Switzerland. Four songs from Lavina also appeared on the Billboard's Croatia Songs chart. "Nenormalan lik" with Devito reached number three.

On April 25, 2025, Nikolija's fifth album Sila was released. For the first time, she also helped write songs on this album. The main song from the album, "Drugovi budale", was released in March. Nikolija also announced her first big solo concert. It is called Sila je u nama (Force Is Within Us). The concert will be at the Tašmajdan Center in Belgrade on August 29, 2025.

Personal Life

Nikolija Jovanović has been in a relationship with actor and musician Relja Popović since 2014. They met while working on the song "Alkohola litar". They have two daughters, born on September 26, 2016, and July 17, 2021. The couple usually keeps their family life private.

Nikolija has spoken out about online bullying. She received a lot of negative comments when people thought her relationship with Popović caused his group, Elitni Odredi, to break up. In April 2023, Nikolija shared openly on TikTok about her past cosmetic procedures. She also talked about learning to accept her body. Many people praised her honesty.

Discography

Studio albums

• №1 (2016)
• Yin & Yang (2019)
• Aurora (2022)
• Lavina (2024)
• Sila (2025)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations