Having previously competed as part of Ygoslavia
and then as part of the federation of Serbia & Montenegro,
Serbia is going it alone for the first time in 2007 in Helsinki.
Serbian broadcaster RTS had a two night select process selection on
March 7th and 8th. On the first evening 20 songs were reduced to a
top ten, chosen by the public and a jury, and on the second night,
the winner was chosen from these ten, again with a mixture of a
public televote and a jury making the selection. The overal winner
was the song "Molitva" (Prayer) sung by Marija Serifovic,
which came second with the jury, but won the public vote by a clear
margin.
Marija Serifovic was born on November 14th
1984, in Kragujevac. Her family has been devoted to music for
generations. Marija's mother Verica was a famous traditional singer
and her grandparents have performed the songs of the old city all
their lives. Marija dreamed of entering the world of music as a
child. She knew that music would be her only occupation. She
finished high school and music schools and studied management. She
made her first public performance at the age of 12 and attracted
great attention due to her equisite voice and a song unusual for a
girl of that age.
In 2003, her first solo
album "Naj, Najbolja" (Simply The Best) was released and
that was the beginning of her music career. in that same year she
participated in the Budva Festival with the song "Gorka
Cokolada" (Bitter Chocolate), and in 2004 with the song "Bol
Do Ludila" (Unbearable Pain) which brought her the first
prize. She is considered to be one of the most talented singers in
the Balkans.
In 2005, she won the first prize at
the Radio Festival with the song "U Nedelju" (On Sunday).
She has received several awards from juries, journalists and
colleagues, the best interpretation awards and numerous special
prizes in the neighbouring countries. After these great
accomplishments, Marija released the second album "Bez Ljubavi"
(Without Love) and her first solo concert held at the Sava Centre
in Belgrade showed that she had become a real music star. Marija
not only interpreted her songs, but also the ones of Nina Badric
and other famous artists.
Despite her undoubted
talent and success, several eyebrows were raised in Serbia when
Marija decided to enter the Sebian Eurovision selection. Eurovision
is considered a glamour contest in the Balkans and it was believed
that Marija's appearance might hinder her chances. Despite this she
won a strong endorsement from the public.
The
composer of Serbia's entry is Vladimir Graic who was born in
Belgrade, on February 19th 1968. He finished Elementary and High
School, at the Josif Marinkovic and Mokranjac Music Schools (piano
class). He graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering in
Belgrade, Department of Electronic and Energetic Systems, and
became an expert in the field of electroacoustics. Since 1996, he
has worked for the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation RTS. He was the
editor of the Entertainment Programme. Since 2000, he has held the
position of the editor of the RTS Record Company.
His
songs have won prizes at numerous pop festivals throughout Serbia
(first place in 12 events, second in five events and third place in
three events). Many of them won the award for the Song of the Year.
Vladimir won the best composer award at the Mesam Festival in 1994.
He has worked with big music stars as an author and music producer.
Since 1986, he has been the member of the Association of Jazz, Pop
and Rock Musicians and was in the Steering Committeee from 1996 to
2000. He was the author and editor of TV shows "Hit
2000", "Music Hot Report" , "Impulse",
etc., which were broadcast on RTS television.
Lyricist
Sasa Milosevic was born in Belgrade, on August 7th, 1968. He played
with many pop and rock bands. In 1992, he started his career as a
songwriter. His songs are performed by top singers at prestigious
music festivals in Serbia. He is the author of many pop and folk
hits. He plays the guitar, keyboards and percussion.
Since
being chosen, the Serbian entry has been in the top positions in
most internet polls, and is also in the Top 3 in the bookmakers
betting. Marija has toured several of Serbia's neighbours and
Switzerland promoting her entry and many believe that it is the
best chance a non-English song has had of winning the contest, in
many years.
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SERBIA @ EUROVISION