Severina (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Severina
Severina performing in 2024
Born	Severina Vučković (1972-04-21) 21 April 1972 (age 53) Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Other names	Severina Kojić
Occupation	Singer-songwriter actress
Years active	1989–present
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse(s)	Igor Kojić ​ ​ (m. 2015; div. 2021)​
Partner(s)	Milan Popović (2010–2012)
Children	1
Relatives	Aljoša Vučković (uncle)
Musical career
Genres	Pop turbo-folk rock electropop disco cabaret ethno
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Croatia Records Dallas Records City Records IDJTunes FM Play Production
Associated acts	Miligram Saša Matić Jala Brat Petar Grašo Učiteljice Azis

Severina Vučković (born April 21, 1972), known simply as Severina, is a famous Croatian singer and actress. In 2006, a Croatian magazine called her one of the most important Croats. They even called her the "Queen of Croatian music."

She sang for Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Greece. Her song was "Moja štikla" and she finished in 12th place.

Severina won an award for being the best-selling artist in Croatia for a whole decade. In 2015, she was the most searched person on Google in Croatia and Slovenia. Many people see her as one of the most popular stars in Croatia. She is also very popular in the Balkan region. She has worked with many other artists like Jala Brat, Ministarke, and Petar Grašo.

She has written many of her own songs. Some of these include Ostavljena, Da si moj, and Djevojka sa sela.

Severina is the only person in Croatia to get over 1 billion views on her YouTube channel.

Severina's Early Life and Music Beginnings

Severina was born in Split, SFR Yugoslavia, on April 21, 1972. She was the youngest child of Ana and Sever Vučković. Her uncle is Aljoša Vučković. She also has two older sisters, Zdenka and Marijana.

Severina loved music and performing from a very young age. When asked about her name, she said her father wanted her to be Nataša. But her mother loved her father, whose name was Sever (which means North). Her grandfather liked to name his children after Cardinal directions.

From a young age, she was interested in music, dance, acting, and playing the piano. She started singing in a group called KUD Mozaik. The leader, Lepa Smoje, quickly saw that Severina was a future star. Lepa Smoje gave her a role in the musical "Frane Štrapalo." Lepa Smoje once said that Severina was a "born star" when she saw her on stage.

Later, Severina sang in the group Treća smena. She won first prizes in competitions. One prize was from the Student summer event, where she was named the best singer. After elementary school, Severina went to the Josip Hatze High School of Music in Split. However, she stopped her studies to focus on her music career.

Severina's Music Journey

Starting Her Career (1982-1993)

Severina's music career began in the late 1980s. She started performing at local festivals and competitions. In 1982, in Split, she won the Dječji prvi pljesak (Children's First Applause) competition. She sang the song Moja Milena.

In 1987, Severina won a Croatian amateur singer competition in Daruvar. She sang Josipa Lisac's song O jednoj mladosti. One of her first big performances was in 1989. She was 17 and performed in her hometown of Split. She sang "Tata čuješ li muziku" ("Dad, can you hear the music").

She performed at different festivals. In 1990, she moved to Zagreb. There, she won the "Demo X" radio competition at Radio Zagreb. This helped her record her first album. Severina started singing professionally in 1990. In July 1991, she performed "Vodi me na ples" ("Take me to dance") at the Split Festival.

Her first album, also called "Severina", came out in 1990. In 1992, she met hr:Zrinko Tutić. She then released her second album, "Severina", with Croatia Records. This album had popular songs like "Vodi me na ples" and "Kad si sam" ("When you’re alone").

She also worked with Tutić on albums like "Dalmatinka" and "Trava zelena". She signed a six-year contract with Tutić's company, Tutico. Tutić introduced her to Croatian singer Gibonni. Severina also worked with Dino Dvornik.

Severina (in the middle) with Band Škorpioni, in Pula Arena in 1993

That same year, she won first prize at the Zagreb Festival. She sang "Sklopi oči muzika dok svira" (Close Your Eyes While the Music Is Playing). Soon, she became the host of the show Top Cup on Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT). She hosted it for a year. At the end of the year, she went on her first tour in Australia.

In 1993, Severina and Zrinko Tutić released the album "Dalmatinka" (Dalmatian girl). This album made her very popular. The song "Dalmatinka" became one of her most famous hits. In the song, Severina sang about her love for her home, Dalmatia. The album had 10 songs, including "Paloma nera" (Black Dove). Both "Paloma nera" and the title song became number one hits. A very successful tour of Croatia and Slovenia followed.

Growing Success (1993-1998)

In 1995, Severina released the album "Trava zelena" (Green Grass). She wrote the lyrics for three of the songs. This album was also very successful. It included songs like "Trava zelena" and "Vatra i led" (Fire and ice). The title song was the most popular song of the year. This helped Severina become even more famous in Croatia.

Her next album, Moja stvar (My Thing), came out on November 5, 1996. This album had a rock sound. Severina wrote and composed the title song herself. To promote the album, Severina held a sold-out concert on November 14, 1996, in Dom Sportova in Zagreb. She started the concert with "Moja stvar." She continued to perform on her tour.

Her biggest success came in 1998 with the album Djevojka sa sela (Girl from village). Tutić and Severina both worked on the songs. Severina wrote six of them. The title song is one of her biggest hits. The Croatia national football team used it as their unofficial song during the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Djevojka sa sela was her last album with Tutić's company. They stopped working together after this album.

Continued Popularity (1999-2003)

In early 1999, Severina went on her second tour of Australia. In July, she performed at the Melodies of Croatian Jadran (MHJ) festival. She sang 'Da si moj'. She also released a new album, Ja samo pjevam (I'm just singing). This album quickly topped all the music charts. The song 'Ante' was a standout hit.

Ja samo pjevam was Severina's seventh studio album. It continued the pop sound from her earlier albums. It was released in 1999 by Croatia Records and had 10 songs. Đorđe Novković was the composer for this album. Ja samo pjevam is still Severina's best-selling album, with over 55,000 copies sold. The album also included a cover of "Dodirni mi kolena" (Touch my knees) by the group Zana. Four songs from the album became singles: "Da si moj", "Ante", "Ja samo pjevam", and "Dodirni mi koljena". On July 6, 2000, she held a concert at the Stadion Stari plac in Split. More than 20,000 people attended.

After the success of her 2001 album Pogled ispod obrva (The Look Underneath the Eyebrows), Severina went on a concert tour in 2002. Her live album Virujen u te (I Believe in You) won an award for best-selling live album. It was also nominated for hit song of the year. Virujen u Te was her first big tour where she performed in many large cities in the Balkans. This showed she was one of the most popular Croatian music artists.

In 2001, she performed again at the MHJ festival with the song ‘Ajde, ajde, zlato moje’. Later that year, she went on her third tour of Australia. She was the main writer for the album, along with Dorđe Novković. She won the MHJ that same year with the song ‘Virujen u te’. The album ‘Pogled ispod obrva’ became her best-selling album, selling 30,000 copies.

In 2002, she released the live album "Virujen u te (najbolje uživo!)". This album later won an award for being the best-selling live album. ‘Pogled ispod obrva’ was nominated for album of the year at the Porin music awards. The song ‘Virujen u te’ was nominated for hit of the year.

Eurovision and New Sounds (2004-2010)

After a two-year break, Severina released her ninth studio album, Severgreen, in 2004. This album had a jazz music influence. Severina also worked with Lana Jurčević on their song "Rođena da budem prva" (Born to be first).

In 2006, she won the Dora festival with "Moja štikla" (My high-heel). She then represented Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece. She finished in 13th place. Some people thought the song sounded like Serbian music. However, Croatian ethno musicians disagreed. Both the song's composer and Severina said the song had Croatian folk music influences. In 2007, she sang "Gardelin" for the film "Rooster's Breakfast."

Severina performing in 2008

After Eurovision, she started working on her tenth album with Goran Bregović. He is a very successful music composer from the Balkans. Severina's album Zdravo Marijo (Hail Mary) was released in May 2008. Goran Bregović was the author and producer. The album sold very well in Croatia and Slovenia. Severina received a gold plaque for its sales.

She started her tour in Zagreb and performed for 20,000 people in the Belgrade Arena. The album was popular. Severina released music videos for the songs "Tridesete" (Thirties), "Haljinica boje lila" (Little Lilac Dress), and the title song. After the album, Severina went on her second big tour in the region. In 2009, Severina was featured on Miligram's song "Lola." In 2010, Severina started dating businessman Milan Popović. In 2012, she gave birth to their son, Aleksandar. She gave birth in Split and her son was baptized in Rijeka.

International Success (2010–2014)

Her album Dobrodošao u klub (Welcome to the Club) kept her at the top of Croatian pop music in 2012 and 2013. It made her the most popular pop singer in former Yugoslav countries. The album had 12 songs, with seven singles. The first two singles were "Brad Pitt" (named after the actor) and "Grad bez ljudi" (City without people). "Brad Pitt" became a huge hit in 2011.

In 2011, she announced her new album by singing "Brad Pitt" on the "Big Brother" reality show. The audience loved it. A few months later, she released "Grad bez ljudi". It got a record number of views on YouTube. In just 24 hours, 'Grad bez ljudi' was listened to over 180,000 times. This was a record for a local artist.

The songs were composed by Filip Miletić and Miloš Roganović. "Italiana," released in summer 2012, was viewed over half a million times in its first 24 hours. Today, that song has 95 million views on YouTube. Later, she released "Uzbuna" (Alert), the title track, and "Tarapana" (Agitation).

To support the album, she went on her second big tour, the Dobrodošao u Klub Tour. She performed in every large city in the region. The tour started in Rijeka in March 2013. It continued in Belgrade (20,000 people), Zagreb (19,000 people), Sarajevo (15,000 people), Ljubljana (11,000 people), and her hometown Split (12,000 people). The whole tour sold over 250,000 tickets.

In 2013, Severina released the song "Hurem," named after Hürrem Sultan. In March 2014, she released "Alcatraz," named after the famous prison. Soon after, she released "Brazil" to support the Croatia national football team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In July 2014, she released "Uno momento" (One Moment). This was a duet with the Serbian band Ministarke. The song was viewed over 728,000 times on YouTube in just 24 hours. This broke the regional record held by 'Italiana'. "Uno momento" became very popular across the Balkans. It was a summer hit in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has over 130 million views on YouTube.

In October 2014, she released "More tuge" (Sea of Sorrow) with Serbian singer Saša Matić. At the end of 2014, she released "Generale" (Hey, General) with the Croatian band Učiteljice. This song has over 71 million views on YouTube.

Halo Album (2019)

In early 2017, she released "Kao" (Like). This was the first song from her twelfth studio album, Halo (Hello). On March 27, 2017, she released the second song, "Otrove" (You Poison). It featured Bosnian rapper Jala Brat. Its music video was viewed around 15 million times in less than a month. It reached 29 million views after two months, and has over 105 million views in total. The third song, "Mrtav bez mene" (Dead Without Me), was released on June 5.

In June 2018, she released two music videos. One was for "Unaprijed gotovo" (Over in Advance) with Croatian singer Petar Grašo. The other was for "Tutorial" with Serbian child singer Ljuba Stanković. In July 2018, she released the music video for "Magija" (Magic), again featuring Jala Brat.

Sorry EP and Superstar Hrvatska (2023)

On July 4, 2023, she released an EP called "Sorry." It had 5 new songs: Sorry, Metak (Bullet) with Serbian Rapper Nucci, Nebo (Sky) with Sandi Cenov & KIMMV, Pravda za ljubav (Justice for Love), and 100 Stepeni (100 Degrees) with L'Amiral.

On March 31, 2022, she released a music video with Bulgarian superstar Azis. The song was "Fališ mi" (Missing you). The music video has over 78 million views.

In June 2023, Severina became one of the four judges on RTL's singing reality TV show Superstar. She judged alongside Nika Turković, Tonči Huljić, and Filip Miletić. The first season of Superstar aired from September to December 2023. Severina returned as a judge for the show's second season, which started in September 2024.

Superstar Hrvatska Season 2 and New Songs (2024)

Severina continued as a judge on Superstar Hrvatska. In the show's finals, she performed her new song, "Tako ti je sine moj" ("That's how it is my son"). She wrote this song herself. On December 15, she released it on her YouTube channel. The performance was well-received. She said the song is a lesson a mother tells her child. She started writing it to deal with sadness after a court decision about her child.

For New Year's Eve 2025, Severina performed a concert in Sarajevo. A record 55,000 people attended. She said, "My heart beats for this city!"

Theatre and Film Roles

In 2003, Severina got her first theatre role. She played the main part in the rock opera Karolina Riječka (Caroline of Rijeka) at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka. Two years later, she produced and acted in the play Čekajući svog čovika (Waiting for My Man) in Zagreb.

In 2007, she was cast in a main role in the musical Gospoda Glembajevi (The Glembays). Some people questioned her acting skills, but the musical was very successful when it premiered in March 2007. Severina also starred with Davor Janjić and Enis Bešlagić in a 2007 Bosnian film called Duhovi Sarajeva (Ghosts of Sarajevo). In 2007, she had a small role playing herself in the Slovenian film Petelinji zajtrk (Rooster's Breakfast).

Severina's Personal Life

Relationships and Family

Severina had relationships with other artists and a businessman before. In December 2010, Severina met businessman Milan Popović. In August 2011, she announced she was expecting her first child. On February 21, 2012, she gave birth to a boy named Aleksandar in Split. They separated in October 2012, and she moved back to Zagreb. Her son was baptized in a Catholic church in Rijeka. They reunited for a few months but separated for good in August 2013.

On November 22, 2015, Severina married Igor Kojić, a Serbian footballer. He is 15 years younger than her. Their wedding was in Bale, Istria. It was a big celebration with 600 guests. The first dance song was "Zlato moje," sung by Petar Grašo. Many famous people from the entertainment industry attended. After 6 years, they divorced in Zagreb on August 19, 2021.

In 2013, she publicly supported the LGBT community in Croatia.

Public Discussions

On August 25, 2024, Severina was stopped from entering Serbia at the border. She was scheduled to perform at a birthday party in Belgrade. Media reported that she was denied entry because of comments she made about a past event. She claimed that Serbian police asked her about certain historical events. She said she would not enter Serbia while a specific political leader was in power. Later, a Serbian minister said she would be removed from a list of "verbal offenders."

Severina's Music Albums

Studio Albums

• Severina (1990)
• Severina (1992)
• Dalmatinka (1993)
• Trava zelena (1995)
• Moja stvar (1996)
• Djevojka sa sela (1998)
• Ja samo pjevam (1999)
• Pogled ispod obrva (2001)
• Severgreen (2004)
• Zdravo Marijo (2008)
• Dobrodošao u klub (2012)
• Halo (2019)

EPs (Extended Plays)

• Bojate Bane Buski (2004)
• Moja štikla (2006)
• Moja štikla / Moj sokole (2006)
• Sorry (2023)

Live Albums

• Paloma nera – uživo (1993)
• Virujen u te (najbolje uživo!) (2002)
• Tridesete – uživo (2010)
• Dobrodošao u klub live (2014)

Singles (Popular Songs)

Other Charted Songs

Severina's Film and TV Appearances

Severina's Concert Tours

Main Tours

• Zdravo Marijo Tour (2008–12)
• Dobrodošao u Klub Tour (2013)
• The Magic Tour (2019)

See also

In Spanish: Severina Vučković para niños