Ceca
Encyclopedia
Svetlana Ražnatović (Serbian Cyrillic
: Светлана Ражнатовић, sv̞ě̞tlana raʒnǎːtɔ̝v̞iʨ), better known her stage name
Ceca (Serbian Cyrillic
: Цеца, ʦě̞ːʦa) (born June 14, 1973, in Prokuplje
, SFRY
, now Serbia
) is a Serbian pop folk singer. She started her career as a folk and pop-folk
singer. Being one of the highest paid artists in the Serbian music industry, she pursues Serbian
modern folk-pop-dance music: performing to various types of music, mainly Balkan/Eastern European folk or plain pop with ethnographical elements.
Music Festival in Sarajevo
. Her song Cvetak zanovetak (Nagging flower) was well received. Ceca was mentored by Dobrivoje Doca Ivanković, a composer and producer of folk music, who launched many careers in the 1970s and 1980s (most notably that of Šaban Šaulić
).
Ceca's first two albums (Cvetak zanovetak 1988, Ludo srce 1989) were made in Serbian folk music style with some songs having a more modern production (Lepotan, Volim te).
To Miki to, her third album, was a major hit in the former Yugoslavia
, with 350,000 copies sold. Ceca became the best-selling artist of the Belgrade TV's
record label PGP-RTB and third best-selling female folk artist in Yugoslavia, after Lepa Brena
and Dragana Mirković
. She continued in the same direction with her next album, Babaroga (1991) which included a music video composed of footage from her 18th birthday gala event (Hej vršnjaci).
and later with Tucaković's young protégé Aleksandar Milić Mili, with whom she continues to work today. Her next three albums, Sta je to u tvojim venama/Kukavica (What is flowing in your veins/Coward, 1993), Ja još spavam u tvojoj majici (I still sleep in your shirt, 1994) and Fatalna ljubav (Fatal love, 1995), broadened her popularity. With a more modern production of music, music videos, and an evolving style, her popularity has grown, as demonstrated by her 1996 album Emotivna luda (Emotional fool) and 1997's Maskarada (Masquerade). The song "Nevaljala" ("Bad girl") from that album became the number one hit in Serbia for 17 consecutive weeks. Her recording schedule has since become erratic because of the birth of her two children, Anastasija and Veljko, and having to deal with family tragedy (see Controversies below). Maskarada (1997), Ceca 2000 (1999), Decenija (Decade, 2001), Gore od ljubavi (Worse than love, 2004), Idealno loša (Ideally bad, 2006) and Ljubav živi (Love is living, 2011)
Ceca has refused many contracts offered by various European musical companies, citing lack of time. She has sold over 10 million copies, mainly in Balkan countries.
Four books were written about her life, popularity, imprisonment etc.: Ceca - Idealno naša (Ceca: Ideally ours), Ceca - Između ljubavi i mržnje (Ceca: between love and hate), Ceca - 121 dan (Ceca - 121 days [in prison]), Ceca - Ikona srpskog folka (Ceca, the icon of Serbian folk).
(Notable as her first big triumph. She sang her major hit at the time Kukavica 7 times)
(One of the biggest concerts till date in Serbia)
(Free concert in as a part of the Serbian Orthodox New Year's celebration. People also came from Macedonia, Bulgaria
, Montenegro
)
(Serbian Orthodox New Year's
celebration. A day-long event organized by Democratic Party of Serbia
- New Serbia
coalition, with performers such as Riblja čorba
, Negative
, Eyesburn
, Rambo Amadeus
, and Ceca as the marquee star, performing from 10:40pm until 12.05am. Among many other public figures, present in the audience were the Serbian Prime Minister
Vojislav Koštunica
, Capital Investment Minister Velimir Ilić
, poet Matija Bećković
, and Sanda Rašković-Ivić)
(20 years of Ceca)
forces Arkan's Tigers and one of the most influential individuals in Belgrade in the 90s. She met Arkan, who was then married to another woman, in Erdut while performing for the Serb Volunteer Guard
, when the Party of Serbian Unity
was formed, she was asked by Arkan to perform. His marriage to Ceca was broadcast on TV, made headlines in newspapers, and was portrayed by Serbian media as a "Serbian fairytale." Arkan was killed on January 15, 2000 in Belgrade, leaving Ceca an arrested widow with two children. Despite having been shot in the head, he remained alive for a brief period of time but died in her arms in the back of the car that was taking them to the ER. After 18 months of mourning, she made her first public appearance in a TV interview. "One part of me died that day...I will always love him, and only him, I'm sure of that...," she said in the interview.
In 2008, newspapers announced that Ceca was dating Filip Živojinović, son of retired tennis player Slobodan Živojinović
who is husband of popular singer in former Yugoslavia Lepa Brena
. Immediately after this, Ceca denied this in the press and said that they are just good friends.
In 2011 Svetlana Raznatovic was accused of misappropriation of money from football player transfers and for illegal possession of weapons. Having pleaded guilty, she was sentenced to one year in home prison and EUR 1.5 million fine. The punishment began serving in June 2011.
, a beautiful gypsy singer and dancer, in Stojan Stojčić's directorial effort of Nečista krv
( Impure blood ), a movie based on the works of Serbian playwright and novelist Borisav Stanković
. Even though she had acted alongside actors such as Rade Šerbedžija
, Ljuba Tadić
, she felt that her role was unimportant and therefore asked for her scenes to be removed because of "low quality." The troubled production took years to complete and received poor critical reception upon its release in 1996.
from her deceased husband and became its president. She often appeared at matches in fur coats and imposed strict monetary punishments on players who performed poorly as Obilić, former champion of Yugoslavia, was sinking on the rankings table. Unfortunately, just as it has quickly arisen from the lower ranks the club has fallen just as fast and lower, currently competing in the amateur local league.
When Miljan Miljanić
stepped down from his presidential post at the Football Association of Yugoslavia
in September 2001, the press openly cheered Ceca's election for the post campaigning that they would have the most beautiful president. One of the notable supporters to the idea of offering the post to Ceca was Velibor Vasović. The former Ajax captain stated that one of the pros of appointing her as the new president is the fact that at the time she was one of the few people who were investing money in Serbian football.
Instead the former Crvena Zvezda player Dragan Stojković Piksi
was elected to the post.
In March 2011, Ceca was charged with embezzlement
and was also accused of illegal possession of 11 weapons. Ceca has sold 15 players of FK Obilić to several international football clubs (like to Fenerbahçe). Serbian state prosecutors accuse Ceca of taking for personal use an illegal share in the sale of 15 players. Ceca denied having been involved in any kind of illegal activities, saying that her late husband was responsible for FK Obilić and that the 11 illegally possessed weapons found in her home also belonged to him.
(SSJ) formed by her late husband, Željko Ražnatović
(Arkan). She has not been politically active and claims to have only accepted the position in honor of her deceased husband. After clashing with the president of the party, Borislav Pelević
, on many issues, Ceca withdrew herself from politics completely.
On the night of 17 March 2004, Ceca and Kristijan Golubović
(close associate of Arkan) gathered demonstrators in front of the government building in Belgrade to speak about the situation in Kosovo and the burning of more than 300 Serbian Orthodox churches
in Kosovo
.
, after the 2004 unrest in Kosovo
in March, 2004.
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script for the Serbian language, developed in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two standard modern alphabets used to write the Serbian language, the other being Latin...
: Светлана Ражнатовић, sv̞ě̞tlana raʒnǎːtɔ̝v̞iʨ), better known her stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Ceca (Serbian Cyrillic
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script for the Serbian language, developed in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two standard modern alphabets used to write the Serbian language, the other being Latin...
: Цеца, ʦě̞ːʦa) (born June 14, 1973, in Prokuplje
Prokuplje
Prokuplje is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 43.24° North, 21.59° East. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 27,163 inhabitants, while population of municipality is 43,631. It is the administrative center of the Toplica District of Serbia. It is one of the...
, SFRY
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, now Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) is a Serbian pop folk singer. She started her career as a folk and pop-folk
Pop-folk
Pop-folk is the umbrella term for the popular musical genres originating in the Balkans and Eastern Europe that are characteristic by the fusion of commercial folk music and "nightclub" music. The term is used alternatively for Turbo-folk and Chalga and is mostly used in Bulgaria...
singer. Being one of the highest paid artists in the Serbian music industry, she pursues Serbian
Music of Serbia
Serbs and Serbia has a variety of traditional music, which is part of the wider Balkan tradition, with its own distinctive sound and characteristics.-History:...
modern folk-pop-dance music: performing to various types of music, mainly Balkan/Eastern European folk or plain pop with ethnographical elements.
Early career
Ceca began singing at the age of nine in her hometown of Žitorađa, Serbia, and entered showbusiness in 1988, at the age of 15, when she performed at the IlidžaIlidža
Ilidža is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a metro population of 157,654, making it the 7th largest city in the country. Ilidža is the chief suburb of Sarajevo. It is famous for the natural beauty of its surroundings and historical tradition dating back to...
Music Festival in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. Her song Cvetak zanovetak (Nagging flower) was well received. Ceca was mentored by Dobrivoje Doca Ivanković, a composer and producer of folk music, who launched many careers in the 1970s and 1980s (most notably that of Šaban Šaulić
Šaban Šaulic
Šaban Šaulić is a Serbian singer He released his debut EP Dajte mi utjehu in 1969 when he was 18 years old. In 1970, he served the mandatory Yugoslav army service in Bitola, now in the Republic of Macedonia...
).
Ceca's first two albums (Cvetak zanovetak 1988, Ludo srce 1989) were made in Serbian folk music style with some songs having a more modern production (Lepotan, Volim te).
To Miki to, her third album, was a major hit in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, with 350,000 copies sold. Ceca became the best-selling artist of the Belgrade TV's
Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia or Serbian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster in Serbia. It broadcasts and produces a variety of news, drama, and sports programming through radio, television and the Internet. RTS is, since July 2001, a member of the European Broadcasting Union. RTS is...
record label PGP-RTB and third best-selling female folk artist in Yugoslavia, after Lepa Brena
Lepa Brena
Fahreta Jahić Živojinović is Yugoslavian pop-folk singer, better known as Lepa Brena , . Born in Tuzla and raised in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina , she moved to Novi Sad in 1980 to pursue her career in singing. In 1982...
and Dragana Mirković
Dragana Mirkovic
Dragana Mirković is a Serbian pop-folk singer.She is very popular in Ex-Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Turkey...
. She continued in the same direction with her next album, Babaroga (1991) which included a music video composed of footage from her 18th birthday gala event (Hej vršnjaci).
Success
Ceca continued to work with Marina TucakovićMarina Tucaković
Marina Tucaković is a Serbian songwriter who has composed several hit albums in former Yugoslavia. She is a known collaborator with Ceca, Lepa Brena, Jelena Karleusa among others...
and later with Tucaković's young protégé Aleksandar Milić Mili, with whom she continues to work today. Her next three albums, Sta je to u tvojim venama/Kukavica (What is flowing in your veins/Coward, 1993), Ja još spavam u tvojoj majici (I still sleep in your shirt, 1994) and Fatalna ljubav (Fatal love, 1995), broadened her popularity. With a more modern production of music, music videos, and an evolving style, her popularity has grown, as demonstrated by her 1996 album Emotivna luda (Emotional fool) and 1997's Maskarada (Masquerade). The song "Nevaljala" ("Bad girl") from that album became the number one hit in Serbia for 17 consecutive weeks. Her recording schedule has since become erratic because of the birth of her two children, Anastasija and Veljko, and having to deal with family tragedy (see Controversies below). Maskarada (1997), Ceca 2000 (1999), Decenija (Decade, 2001), Gore od ljubavi (Worse than love, 2004), Idealno loša (Ideally bad, 2006) and Ljubav živi (Love is living, 2011)
Ceca has refused many contracts offered by various European musical companies, citing lack of time. She has sold over 10 million copies, mainly in Balkan countries.
Four books were written about her life, popularity, imprisonment etc.: Ceca - Idealno naša (Ceca: Ideally ours), Ceca - Između ljubavi i mržnje (Ceca: between love and hate), Ceca - 121 dan (Ceca - 121 days [in prison]), Ceca - Ikona srpskog folka (Ceca, the icon of Serbian folk).
Concerts
Ceca prefers concerts to tours presumably to avoid fatigue. Some of the more important ones were:- 1993 - Tašmajdan Sports CentreTašmajdan Sports CentreTašmajdan Sports and Recreation Center is a sporting and recreational complex situated in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, which was founded by the Assembly of the City of Belgrade in 1958. In recent years, the stadium has shown very visible signs of aging. This led to many public personalities in...
- BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
--- 12,000 attendees
(Notable as her first big triumph. She sang her major hit at the time Kukavica 7 times)
- 1994 - Pionir HallPionir HallPionir Hall, or Pionir Arena is a sports arena in Belgrade, Serbia, located in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula...
- Belgrade, Serbia --- 9,000 attendants - 1995 - Pionir HallPionir HallPionir Hall, or Pionir Arena is a sports arena in Belgrade, Serbia, located in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula...
- Belgrade, Serbia --- 9,000 attendants - June 2002 - Stadion Crvene Zvezde "Marakana" - Belgrade, Serbia --- 80,000 attendants
(One of the biggest concerts till date in Serbia)
- 2002 - Borac Banja LukaBorac Banja LukaBorac is a sports society with several teams, from the city of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Borac means "Fighter" and the clubs supporters are called Lešinari/Лешинари which means Vultures....
- Banja LukaBanja Luka-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
--- 30,000 attendants - 2005 - Hala TivoliHala TivoliThe Tivoli Hall is a complex of two multi-purpose indoor sport arenas in the Tivoli Park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The complex was opened in 1965. The larger, ice hockey arena has a seating capacity of 7,000 people. When configured to host basketball games, the capacity is adjusted to...
- LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
--- 10,000 attendants - 2005 - Skopje City StadiumSkopje City StadiumPhilip II of Macedonia Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, but sometimes also for music concerts or other events...
- SkopjeSkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Macedonia --- 20,000 attendants - January 13, 2006 - NišNišNiš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, Serbia --- 80,000 attendants
(Free concert in as a part of the Serbian Orthodox New Year's celebration. People also came from Macedonia, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
)
- June 17, 2006 - Ušće -- Belgrade --- over 110,000 attendants
- September 14, 2006 - Vasil Levski National StadiumVasil Levski National StadiumVasil Levski National Stadium , named after Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski, is one of Bulgaria's largest sports venues and the country's second largest stadium...
- SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
--- 15,000 attendants - October 4, 2006 - JagodinaJagodinaJagodina is a city and municipality located in central Serbia, 136 km south of Belgrade, on the banks of Belica River. Its name stems from the word for strawberry in Serbian. It is the administrative centre of the Pomoravlje District of Serbia...
, Serbia --- 30,000 attendants
(Serbian Orthodox New Year's
Old New Year
The Old New Year Нова година) or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional Slavic Orthodox holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar...
celebration. A day-long event organized by Democratic Party of Serbia
Democratic Party of Serbia
The Democratic Party of Serbia is a political party in Serbia.-Foundation:The Democratic Party of Serbia was founded when a faction of the Democratic Party that supported its involvement in the Democratic Movement of Serbia split from the party and formed their own in 1992.Soon after the March...
- New Serbia
New Serbia
New Serbia is a political party in Serbia. It was created in 1997 by a number of dissidents from the Serbian Renewal Movement....
coalition, with performers such as Riblja čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, Negative
Negative (pop-rock band)
-History:Negative was formed in 1999 by a former Tap 011 vocalist Ivana Pavlović, guitarists Nikola Radaković and Vladimir "Grle" Đurđević, bass guitarist Milen Zlatanović and drummer Miloš Bilanović. They released their debut self-titled album Negative in 1999. The album was mostly power...
, Eyesburn
Eyesburn
Eyesburn is a Serbian hardcore punk/crossover thrash band with influences of reggae music.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1994, and the original line-up featured former Dead Ideas guitarist Nemanja "Kojot" Kojić , who simultaneously worked as trombonist in Del Arno Band and bass guitarist in...
, Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus is the stage name of the Belgrade-based Montenegrin singer-songwriter Antonije Pušić, popular all over the former Yugoslavia...
, and Ceca as the marquee star, performing from 10:40pm until 12.05am. Among many other public figures, present in the audience were the Serbian Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
, Capital Investment Minister Velimir Ilić
Velimir Ilic
Velimir "Velja" Ilić is Serbian politician and a former Minister of Capital Investments in the Serbian government in the cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica.- Biography :...
, poet Matija Bećković
Matija Beckovic
Matija Bećković OSS is a Serbian writer and poet. He is one of the most prominent Serbian poets of the 20th century and a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.-Life:...
, and Sanda Rašković-Ivić)
- July 8, 2007 - Herceg NoviHerceg NoviHerceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
, Montenegro --- 33,000 attendants - July 13, 2007 - Vrnjačka BanjaVrnjacka BanjaVrnjačka Banja is a town, municipality, and a resort, mineral spa located in Raška District of Serbia. It contains the world's only hot spring with a temperature measuring exactly that of the human body ....
, Serbia --- 80,000 attendants - June 28, 2008 - Borac Banja Luka - Banja LukaBanja Luka-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
- 30,000 attendants
(20 years of Ceca)
- November 28, 2009 - Gospodarsko razstavišče - LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
- 10,000 attendants - December 31, 2009 - Belgrade FairBelgrade FairThe Belgrade Fair or Beogradski Sajam is a large complex of three large domes and dozens of smaller halls which are the location of the major trade fair, the capital city of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Savski Venac, on the bank of the Sava river...
- Belgrade, Serbia - July 18, 2010 - PrilepPrilepPrilep is the fourth largest city in the Republic of Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 citizens. Prilep is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.-Name:...
, MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
- 130,000 attendants - October 1, 2010 - Trg Krajine - Banja LukaBanja Luka-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
- 50,000 attendants - November 26 & 27, 2010 - Boris Trajkovski Sports Center - SkopjeSkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
- 20,000 attendants - December 3, 2010 - Metro City Centre, PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- 3,000 attendants. - December 4, 2010 - State Sports CentreState Sports CentreThe State Sports Centre is a multi-use indoor arena in Sydney, Australia. It hosted the table tennis and taekwondo events for the 2000 Summer Olympics....
, SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- 12,000 attendants.
Personal life
In 1995 Ceca married Željko Ražnatović Arkan, a career criminal who was at the time the leader of the paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
forces Arkan's Tigers and one of the most influential individuals in Belgrade in the 90s. She met Arkan, who was then married to another woman, in Erdut while performing for the Serb Volunteer Guard
Serb Volunteer Guard
The Serb Volunteer Guard also known as Arkan's Tigers was a Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit, founded and led by Željko Ražnatović, that fought in Croatia ; Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Kosovo War ....
, when the Party of Serbian Unity
Party of Serbian Unity
The Party of Serbian Unity was a nationalist political party in the Serbia.The goals of the party included:*Unity of Serbian people*Keeping integrity of territory of Serbia...
was formed, she was asked by Arkan to perform. His marriage to Ceca was broadcast on TV, made headlines in newspapers, and was portrayed by Serbian media as a "Serbian fairytale." Arkan was killed on January 15, 2000 in Belgrade, leaving Ceca an arrested widow with two children. Despite having been shot in the head, he remained alive for a brief period of time but died in her arms in the back of the car that was taking them to the ER. After 18 months of mourning, she made her first public appearance in a TV interview. "One part of me died that day...I will always love him, and only him, I'm sure of that...," she said in the interview.
In 2008, newspapers announced that Ceca was dating Filip Živojinović, son of retired tennis player Slobodan Živojinović
Slobodan Živojinovic
Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton....
who is husband of popular singer in former Yugoslavia Lepa Brena
Lepa Brena
Fahreta Jahić Živojinović is Yugoslavian pop-folk singer, better known as Lepa Brena , . Born in Tuzla and raised in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina , she moved to Novi Sad in 1980 to pursue her career in singing. In 1982...
. Immediately after this, Ceca denied this in the press and said that they are just good friends.
In 2011 Svetlana Raznatovic was accused of misappropriation of money from football player transfers and for illegal possession of weapons. Having pleaded guilty, she was sentenced to one year in home prison and EUR 1.5 million fine. The punishment began serving in June 2011.
Acting
At the age of 17, Ceca was cast in the role of KoštanaKoštana
Koštana is a popular play, written by Borisav Stanković. It is set in Stanković's native Vranje, a town in southern Serbia. It features a many themes of Serbian folklore and patriarchal customs which were still present in the late nineteenth century...
, a beautiful gypsy singer and dancer, in Stojan Stojčić's directorial effort of Nečista krv
Necista krv
Impure Blood is a novel written by Borisav Stanković. It is concerned with themes of Serbian south, in the reforming in late 19th century....
( Impure blood ), a movie based on the works of Serbian playwright and novelist Borisav Stanković
Borisav Stankovic
Borisav "Bora" Stanković was a Serbian writer belonging to the school of realism. His novels and short stories depict the life of people from South Serbia...
. Even though she had acted alongside actors such as Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija , occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician of Serb origin. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in...
, Ljuba Tadić
Ljuba Tadic
Ljubomir "Ljuba" Tadić was a Serbian actor who enjoyed a reputation as one of the greatest names in the history of former Yugoslav cinema....
, she felt that her role was unimportant and therefore asked for her scenes to be removed because of "low quality." The troubled production took years to complete and received poor critical reception upon its release in 1996.
Football
She inherited the football club ObilićFK Obilic
Fudbalski klub Obilić is a football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Named after legendary Serbian medieval hero Miloš Obilić, the club currently competes in the Druga beogradska liga - grupa Dunav .The club's stadium is also named accordingly; to venerate the Serbian knight it is called the...
from her deceased husband and became its president. She often appeared at matches in fur coats and imposed strict monetary punishments on players who performed poorly as Obilić, former champion of Yugoslavia, was sinking on the rankings table. Unfortunately, just as it has quickly arisen from the lower ranks the club has fallen just as fast and lower, currently competing in the amateur local league.
When Miljan Miljanić
Miljan Miljanic
Miljan Miljanić is a retired Yugoslav football player, coach and administrator....
stepped down from his presidential post at the Football Association of Yugoslavia
Football Association of Yugoslavia
The Football Association of Yugoslavia was the governing body of football in Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, with a major administrative branch in Zagreb....
in September 2001, the press openly cheered Ceca's election for the post campaigning that they would have the most beautiful president. One of the notable supporters to the idea of offering the post to Ceca was Velibor Vasović. The former Ajax captain stated that one of the pros of appointing her as the new president is the fact that at the time she was one of the few people who were investing money in Serbian football.
Instead the former Crvena Zvezda player Dragan Stojković Piksi
Dragan Stojkovic
Dragan Stojković , also known under the nickname Piksi is a Serbian former footballer and current manager of J...
was elected to the post.
In March 2011, Ceca was charged with embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
and was also accused of illegal possession of 11 weapons. Ceca has sold 15 players of FK Obilić to several international football clubs (like to Fenerbahçe). Serbian state prosecutors accuse Ceca of taking for personal use an illegal share in the sale of 15 players. Ceca denied having been involved in any kind of illegal activities, saying that her late husband was responsible for FK Obilić and that the 11 illegally possessed weapons found in her home also belonged to him.
Politics
Ceca was appointed the honorary president of the Party of Serbian UnityParty of Serbian Unity
The Party of Serbian Unity was a nationalist political party in the Serbia.The goals of the party included:*Unity of Serbian people*Keeping integrity of territory of Serbia...
(SSJ) formed by her late husband, Željko Ražnatović
Željko Ražnatovic
Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...
(Arkan). She has not been politically active and claims to have only accepted the position in honor of her deceased husband. After clashing with the president of the party, Borislav Pelević
Borislav Pelevic
Borislav Pelević is a Serbian politician. He had been the president of the nationalist Party of Serbian Unity, before it merged into the Serbian Radical Party in December 2007. His old party had a marginal importance in Serbian politics. Pelević was one of the Arkan's Tigers during the war in...
, on many issues, Ceca withdrew herself from politics completely.
On the night of 17 March 2004, Ceca and Kristijan Golubović
Kristijan Golubovic
Aleksandar "Kristijan" Golubović is a Serbian gangster and Mixed martial artist....
(close associate of Arkan) gathered demonstrators in front of the government building in Belgrade to speak about the situation in Kosovo and the burning of more than 300 Serbian Orthodox churches
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
Charity
Ceca is the president of the "Third Child" humanitarian fund. Her organizations prime goal is to increase the birthrate in Serbia and to help families who already have three or more children. She has held several humanitarian concerts raising money for food, clothing, and sundries to benefit the Serbs in KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, after the 2004 unrest in Kosovo
2004 unrest in Kosovo
Violent unrest in Kosovo, which at the time was under United Nations administration, broke out on 17 March 2004. Kosovo Albanians, numbering over 50,000, took part in widescale attacks on the Serbian people, compared by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to ethnic cleansing but not...
in March, 2004.
Studio Albums
| Year | Title | Certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Cvetak zanovetak Cvetak Zanovetak Cvetak zanovetak is Ceca's first album. It contains the following songs:# Cvetak zanovetak # Želim te u mladosti # Đački spomenari # Veliko srce # Kuda žuriš... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1989 | Ludo srce Ludo srce Ludo srce is Ceca's second album. It contains the following songs:# Ludo srce # Lepotan # Budi dečko moj # Greška # Zabraniću srcu da te voli... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1990 | Pustite me da ga vidim Pustite me da ga vidim , also known as , is Ceca's third album.-Track listing:# "" # "" # "" # "" # "" # ""... |
8x Platinum | |
| 1991 | Babaroga Babaroga (album) Babaroga is Ceca's fourth album. The name can be translated roughly into "witch". It contains the following songs:# Babaroga # Volim te # Izbriši vetre njegov trag # Hej, vršnjaci... |
4x Platinum | |
| 1993 | Šta je to u tvojim venama Šta je to u tvojim venama Šta je to u tvojim venama is Serbian folk singer Ceca's fifth album. It contains the following songs:#Šta je to u tvojim venama #Popij me kao lek #Oprosti mi suze... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1994 | Ja još spavam u tvojoj majici Ja još spavam u tvojoj majici Ja još spavam u tvojoj majici is Ceca's sixth album. This is the second time she has worked with Futa a rock/metal oriented composer, which results in rock/folk songs full of guitar riffs.-Track listing:... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1995 | Fatalna ljubav Fatalna ljubav Fatalna ljubav is Ceca's seventh album. The album became the best-selling album of the year in Serbia.-Track listing:# Nije monotonija # Zlato srećan put # Znam... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1996 | Emotivna luda Emotivna luda -Track listing:# Kad bi bio ranjen # Rođen sa greškom # Zabranjeno pušenje # Mrtvo more # Neodoljiv-neumoljiv # Ličiš na moga oca... |
2x Platinum | |
| 1997 | Maskarada Maskarada Maskarada is Ceca's ninth album.-Track listing:# "Maskarada" # "Nevaljala" # "Pogrešan broj" # "Kažem da te volim" # "Nagovori" # "Vreteno"... |
2x Platinum | |
| 2000 | Ceca 2000 Ceca 2000 -Track listing:# Dokaz # Oproštajna večera # Crni sneg # Ja ću prva # Sviće dan # Već viđeno # Crveno # Brat i sestra... |
2x Platinum | |
| 2001 | Decenija Decenija Decenija is Ceca's 11th album.-Track listing:... |
20x Platinum | |
| 2004 | Gore od ljubavi Gore od ljubavi -Personnel:*Art Direction - Orange Studio*Art Director - Dejan Milićević*Photographer - Nebojša Babić*Stylist - Boško Jakovljević*Make up Artist - Dragan Vurdelja*Hair Stylist - Svetlana Bubanja - Bucka*Brand Direction - Raka Marić at Music Star Production... |
22x Platinum | |
| 2006 | Idealno loša Idealno loša -Concert:The promotion of the album was scheduled for June 17, 2006, in Ušće, Belgrade, Serbia, where a concert took place in front of estimated 110,000 people. It lasted for 3 and a half hours.... |
49x Platinum | |
| 2011 | Ljubav živi Ljubav živi Ljubav živi is the 14th album by a Serbian pop-folk singer Ceca released on June 17, 2011.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Programmer - Ivan Milosavljević-Milke*Guitars - Ivan Milosavljević-Milke*Bass guitars - Ivan Milosavljević-Milke... |
1x Platinum |
Live Albums
| Year | Title | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "To Miki, To" | — |
| 1991 | "Babaroga" | |
| 1993 | "Kukavica + Tašmajdan" | — |
| 1995 | "Hala Pionir" | — |
| 2002 | "Marakana" | — |
| 2006 | "Live Ušće" | — |
Remix albums
| Year | Title | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | London MIX London MIX London MIX is an album by Ceca consisting of remixed songs from her previous albums. It's sold in 100.000 copies.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Remixes and album concept - Zoran Vracevic*Programming - Ognjen Bogdanović and Zoran Vracevic... |
16x Platinum |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sve O Ceci... | |
| 1995 | Svadba Decenije | 10x Platinum |
| 1996 | Impure blood... | |
| 2004 | Making Of "Gore Od Ljubavi" |
External links
- Ceca-Online - Ceca Ražnatović - Fan site + forum
- Ceca.rs - Ceca Ražnatović - Largest Ceca fan site in Serbia
- CECA-NEWS - Fan site
- facebook page facebook page +300.000 fans
- Observer interview by Adam Higginbotham
- Ceca Ražnatović - Lyrics (Tekstovi.net)