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Nikolija (singer)

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Nikolija Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Николија Јовановић; born 19 October 1989) is a Serbian singer and rapper. Daughter of folk singer Vesna Zmijanac, Jovanović was born in Zagreb and raised in Belgrade. Nikolija debuted in 2013 with the single "Ćao zdravo" and has since released four studio albums: №1 (2016), Yin & Yang (2019), Aurora (2022) and Lavina (2024), as well as numerous other standalone singles. Her music videos have collectively accumulated over 700 million views on YouTube.

Nikolija
Николија
Birth nameNikolija Jovanović
Born (1989-10-19) 19 October 1989 (age 35)
Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
OriginBelgrade, Serbia
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2013–present
Labels
Partner(s)Thanasis Antetokounmpo (2011–2014)
Relja Popović (2014–present)

Early life

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Jovanović was born on October 19, 1989 in Zagreb. She is the only child of singer Vesna Zmijanac and economist Vlada Jovanović, who operated as the chief of marketing at PGP RTS.[1][2] Her parents divorced shortly after she had been born and Jovanović has two half-siblings from her father's second marriage.[3] Nikolija spent her childhood in Belgrade. In 1995, she appeared in her mother's music video for the song "Kad bih znala kako si". For her senior year of high school Nikolija relocated to Athens, Greece. There, she subsequently started attending The School of Business & Economics at the American Deree College, from which she graduated in 2013 with a degree in international business.[4][5]

Career

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2010-2016: Career beginnings and No1

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Jovanović made her first public appearance in 2010 by competing alongside her mother on the reality TV series Survivor Srbija VIP: Philippines, where she was the first contestant to be voted out.[6] Nikolija subsequently voluntarily left the show on medical grounds.[7] Her music career began during her studies in Athens where she started performing in local nightclubs, claiming to have worked next to acts such as Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk and Swedish House Mafia.[8] At the beginning of 2011, she released her first song "Crazy 2 Night" featuring DJ Kas under the stage name "Nicole", but failed to make a significant success.[9]

After graduating from college, Nikolija relocated back to Serbia where singer Milan Stanković introduced her to the prominent songwriters and producers Nebojša Arežina and Marko Perunučić, who would become her frequent collaborators.[10] She came on to the Serbian music scene with the house-influenced single "Ćao zdravo" featuring MC Techa, released in April 2013 under IDJTunes. The single received polarizing public reception due to its provocative lyrics and S&M-inspired music video.[11] During the summer of 2013, she rose to further prominence after she had been featured on the song "Milion dolara" by Ana Nikolić, which also served as the title track for her fourth album.[12]

In March 2014, Nikolija was announced as a contestant of the Serbian spin-off of Dancing with the Stars,[13] where she finished in 8th place after six weeks of competing.[14] Also that year, she was featured on "Alkohola litar" by Elitni Odredi and also released her solo song "Kako posle mene". With these singles Nikolija embraced singing rather than just rapping and began crossing over to more commercial pop-folk sound.[15] With over 75 million views, Nikolija's collaboration with Elitni Odredi remains her highest performing music video.[16] "Opasna igra" was subsequently released in June the following year to commercial success as well.[17] Its music video was declared the most viewed Serbian video on YouTube in 2015.[18] In October, she released her first balladic single, called "Ljubavni maneken".[19] Nikolija made her runway debut for George Styler at the Belgrade Fashion Week in November the same year.[20] On 20 October 2016, she released her debut album, No1, under City Records. It features previously released singles and three new songs: "101 Propušteni poziv", "Plavo more" and "Pucaj zbog nas".[21] The album was sold in 50,000 copies.[22]

2017-2019: Yin & Yang

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Nikolija released "Promeni mi planove" in March 2017.[23] In July, it was followed by the single "Loš momak", produced by Coby.[24] The single's music video has collected over 48 million views. Same month, it was revealed that Nikolija would star in the dystopian action film Volja sinovljeva, directed by Nemanja Ćeranić.[25][26] Nikolija's role, however, did not make the final cut of the movie, which was eventually released in 2024 after facing setbacks. In October 2017, she released "Moj tempo".[27] During the following year, Jovanović released three singles in succession: "Malo", "Nema limita" and "Slažem". The music video for "Nema limita", which was directed by Ćeranić and inspired by Volja Sinovljeva, has amassed over 45 million views.

Her second studio album, Yin & Yang, was released under IDJTunes on 24 April 2019.[28] It was preceded by two official singles: the title track and "Nije lako biti ja" featuring rapper Fox, and it also included three standalone releases: "Loš momak", "Nema limita" and "Slažem" as bonus tracks on the physical edition.[29] A month after the album's release, it was announced that Nikolija and Relja Popović would release a duet, entitled "Meduza".[30] Their collaboration is currently Nikolija's most successful release on Spotify. In July, she promoted her album at the Ulaz music festival in Belgrade.[31] In September, Jovanović released "Sija grad".[32]

2020-present: Aurora and Lavina

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Nikolija released "Stav Milionera" in February 2020, which would become her last official single under IDJTunes.[33] She was subsequently signed to the newly established record label, Made In BLKN, founded by Relja Popović in distribution deal with IDJTunes. Under the new label she released a series of four singles during 2020: "Nakit", "No Plaky", "O bivšima" and "High Life". In December that year, Jovanović and her half-sister launched a fashion brand, called About Me, with streetwear designed by her.[34] In the following year, she had two solo releases: "Sve bih" and "Divlja orhideja", while in October 2021, Nikolija and Teya Dora released "Ulice" from the soundtrack for the Serbian thriller Južni Vetar 2: Ubrzanje.

In June 2022, Nikolija appeared on Devito's single "Ljubav".[35] In August, she held a concert during the Music Week Festival in Belgrade.[36][37] On 2 December 2023, Nikolija released her third studio album, Aurora. Its lead single, "Gringo", was released in April, whilst the title track featuring the winner of the first season of IDJ Show, Amna Alajbegović, was released in July.[10] The latter became Nikolija's first single on the Billboard's Croatia Songs chart.[38] On 26 January 2023, Nikolija performed the songs from Aurora at the Music Awards Ceremony in the Belgrade Arena. The performance also included the chorus from her forthcoming single "Prezime", created by Rasta.[39]

During the spring and summer of 2023, she released two drill-influenced singles - "Nicky" and "Avlije avlije". They were succeeded by the more melodic "Ljubi jako" in July, which was accompanied by the official vertical video, recorded by Nikolija and her half-sister in Athens, and another video made out of fan TikToks.[40] On 15 March 2024, Nikolija released her fourth studio album, Lavina, to digital services through Made In BLKN Records.[41] The album debuted on the official charts in Austria and Switzerland. Four tracks from Lavina also simultaneously debuted on the Billboard's chart in Croatia, whilst "Nenormalan lik" with Devito took the highest position, peaking at number three.[42]

Personal life

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In 2011, Nikolija began dating Greek NBA player Thanasis Antetokounmpo.[43] In September 2014, it was reported that the two were no longer together.[44]

Jovanović has been in a relationship with actor, musician and former member of Elitni Odredi, Relja Popović, since they collaborated on the single "Alkohola litar" in 2014.[45] Together they have two daughters, born on 26 September 2016 and 17 July 2021.[46][47] The couple tends not to publicly discuss details from their private life and children.[48] Nikolija and her family reside in Vračar, Belgrade, but she also has a residency in Athens, Greece.[49]

Public image

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Nikolija has been noted for versatility in music and for blending different genres, mainly hip hop, trap, reggaeton and dancehall with Serbian pop-folk music.[50] Furthermore, she has been recognized for pioneering mainstream popular rap music in Serbia as a female artists.[51][52] While receiving the 2023 MAC Award for the Female Trap Song of the Year, Jovanović reflected on her influence on other female artists on the regional music scene by stating:

"When I started, I was alone in this genre, and now I'm glad that there are so many of us. That's why I dedicate this award to all brave women. We can do everything!"[53]

On the topic of cyberbullying, Nikolija has been vocal about online harassment she has received when her relationship with Popović was alleged to be the reason behind the breakup of Elitni Odredi in early 2015.[54] In April 2023, Jovanović received overwhelming praise for her honesty and transparency after she had opened up on TikTok about her much speculated past plastic surgeries and her developing relationship with her own body acceptance.[55] Nikolija has also expressed her public support to social equality in general, especially in the sense of gender equality and LGBT rights.[51][56]

Discography

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Main article: Nikolija discography
Studio albums

Filmography

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See also: Nikolija discography § Videography
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Survivor Srbija Herself (contestant) VIP Season 1; 16th place (Quit)
2014 Ples sa zvezdama Season 1; Eliminated 6th
List of music videos with cameo appearances, showing year released and artists
Year Title Artist(s) Ref.
1995 "Kad bih znala kako si" Vesna Zmijanac
[57]
2020 "Poziv" Cvija
[58]

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations of Nikolija
Year Award Category Nominee/work Result Ref.
2013 OGAE Video Contest Music Video of the Year "Milion dolara"
(Ana Nikolić ft. Nikolija) 		Nominated [59]
2019 Music Awards Ceremony Modern Dance Song of the Year "Nema limita" Nominated [60]
2020 Trap Collaboration of the Year "Meduza" (Relja feat. Nikolija) Nominated [61]
2023 Female Trap Song of the Year "Pilot" Won [62]
Balkan Trap Song of the Year "Dodole" Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "NIKAD VIĐENA PORODIČNA FOTOGRAFIJA: Pogledajte kako je izgledala Nikolija Jovanović kao beba". Magazine Story (in Serbian). 28 August 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ A. Kolarević (6 January 2020). "Dali ste znali - Nikolijin otac je doktor nauka". Nova.ra (in Serbian). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Mnogi nisu znali da Nikolija ima sestru, evo kako ona izgleda". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 16 June 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  4. ^ Nikolić, I. (31 July 2013). "Nikolija Jovanović: Suze tokom svečane ceremonije dodele diploma". Magazine Hello! (in Serbian). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ Marinović, M. (23 April 2022). "Najškolovaniji među poznatima: Pravnici, ekonomisti i diplomirani muzičari". Nova.rs (in Serbian).
  6. ^ Mijatović, M. (3 November 2010). "Vesna i Nikolija dobile još jednu šansu". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  7. ^ Radojković, M. (10 November 2010). "Nikolija Jovanović: Depresija je bila jača od mene". Blic (in Serbian).
  8. ^ "Nikolija - Intervju - Dvogled - (TV Pink BIH 2013)". Pink BH (in Serbian). 16 June 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Sa njim je harala po grčkim klubovima: Pre Relje Nikolija se zabavljala sa ovim tamnoputim lepotanom". Story.rs (in Serbian). 3 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b Jovanović, D. (27 August 2022). "Nikolija otkrila sve o novom albumu, pa se osvrnula na početak karijere: Vrlo sam samostalna". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian).
  11. ^ "SADO-MAZO: Pogledajte seksi spot Vesnine ćerke". Kurir (in Serbian). 10 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Ana i Nikolija snimaju spot za 'Milion dolara'". Tracara.rs (in Serbian). 6 July 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  13. ^ M, MV. (13 March 2014). "Nikolija Jovanović i Ivan Mihailović u šouu "Ples sa zvezdama"". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  14. ^ "IZNENAĐENJE! Nikolija napustila takmičenje i pored sjajnih ocena!". Blic (in Serbian). 12 May 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Spot; Nikolija - Kako posle mene". Music Never Sleeps (in Croatian). 3 October 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  16. ^ "DJ MLADJA & ELITNI ODREDI FEAT. NIKOLIJA - ALKOHOLA LITAR (OFFICIAL VIDEO)". YouTube.com (in Serbian). 31 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Prošlo je pet godina! Ova Nikolijina numera je bila himna leta". idjtv.rs (in Serbian). 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  18. ^ "Nećete verovati! Ovo su najgledaniji Jutjub video snimci u Srbiji 2015. godine". blic.rs (in Serbian). Blic. 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  19. ^ J. P. (20 October 2015). "Premijera: Pogledajte novi spot Nikolije Jovanović". Tracara.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Drugo veče Perwoll Fashion Week-a: Nikolija prošetala pistom". Blic.rs (in Serbian). 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Nikolija sutra izdaje debi album "No1"!". Music Never Sleeps (in Serbo-Croatian). 13 October 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  22. ^ "No1, Nikolija Jovanović". Cobiss. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Premijera: Nikolija - 'Promeni mi planove'". Tracara.rs (in Serbian). 9 March 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  24. ^ N. J. (21 July 2017). "Premijera: Nikolija - 'Loš momak'". Tracara.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  25. ^ "ĆERKA VESNE ZMIJANAC PRVI PUT NA FILMU: Nikolija Jovanović rame uz rame sa čuvenim srpskim glumcima!". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Zavirite na set filma na kojem glume Žarko Laušević, Igor Benčina i Nikolija". Blic (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Moj Tempo - Single by Nikolija", Apple Music, retrieved 10 November 2022
  28. ^ "PREMIJERA: Konačno stigao ostatak Nikolijinog albuma "Yin & Yang"". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 24 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Nikolija with a New Album". Balkanika TV. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  30. ^ Božić Talijan, E. (17 May 2019). "Nikolija Jovanović: Meduza će biti moj prvi duet sa mužem". Novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Relja i Nikolija po prvi put nastupili zajedno i napravili žurku za pamćenje". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 13 July 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  32. ^ "SIJA GRAD: Nikolija objavila novu pesmu i spot". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 26 September 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Stav milionera - Nikolija objavila novu pesmu i spot". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 10 February 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  34. ^ "Nisam očekivala ovoliki odziv: Nikolija lansirala svoj brend About me". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  35. ^ "LETNJA BOMBA: Devito i Nikolija predstavili publici duetsku pesmu "Ljubav"". IDJ TV (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  36. ^ Jovović, P. (17 August 2022). "INTERVJU Nikolija: Mi se sa malim budžetom "igramo sveta" i to nam uspeva". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  37. ^ "Veliko finale Music Week Festivala - u prethodna tri dana više od 250.000 posetilaca na Ušću". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Croatia Songs (Week of July 30, 2022)". Billboard. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  39. ^ Savić, M. (16 January 2023). "Još jedna muzička premijera na Music Awards Ceremony (MAC): Nikolija najavila remek – delo". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  40. ^ ""Obeležiće leto": Nikolija oduševila novom pesmom, a posebnu pažnju privukao je neobičan spot". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 2 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  41. ^ "„Ubola je 11 hitova, to samo ona može!" Nikolija objavila dugoočekivani album „Lavina", komentari pljušte sa svih strana!". IDJ TV (in Serbian). 15 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  42. ^ "Croatia Songs, Week of March 30, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Nikolija Jovanović zaljubljena u košarkaša". Hello Magazine (in Serbian). 9 June 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  44. ^ "Sve se seušilo posle dve godine, bivši dečko Nikolije Jovanović je bio ovaj poznati košarkaš". Blic.rs (in Serbian). 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  45. ^ "Nikolija i Relja iz Elitnih Odreda u vezi već mesecima". Tracara.com (in Serbian). 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  46. ^ "Nikolija Jovanović i Relja Popović, ćerka stiže na jesen". Story Magazine (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  47. ^ "Nikolija i Relja drugu ćerku dobili su pre četiri meseca, njeno ime privuklo veliku pažnju". Hello Magazine (in Serbian). 22 November 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  48. ^ "Žao mi je što javnost zna imena mojih ćerki: Nikolija progovorila o naslednicama - "Moj život su deca, a to ne delim"". Mondo.rs (in Serbian). 4 June 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  49. ^ V. J. (26 July 2022). "Stan Nikolije Jovanović u Atini je čist luksuz!". Blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  50. ^ Ćunković, M. (30 December 2018). "Džala, Buba, Maja i Rasta tinejdžerska božanstva". Večernje Novosti (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  51. ^ a b Jovović, P. (14 June 2023). "Nikolija u novom PopToku otvoreno o korekcijama i tome zašto niti može niti želi da bude Vesna Zmijanac". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  52. ^ Jovanović, V. (7 April 2023). "„Sama sa sobom vodim borbe": Nikolija održala spektakularan nastup, pa progovorila o planovima i porodici". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  53. ^ @nikolijaofficia (27 January 2023). "Kada sam počinjala bila sam sama u ovom žanru a sada se radujem sto nas ima ovoliko ❤️🏆 Zato ovu nagradu posvećujem svim hrabrim ženama. Možemo sve! Voli vas Niki" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  54. ^ Manojlović, J. (21 June 2023). "Nikolija prvi put o raspadu Elitnih odreda: „Zaljubila sam se, a govorili su da me treba ubiti"". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  55. ^ Dimitrijević, N. (20 April 2023). "Nikolija otkrila istinu o svojim plastičnim operacijama i morate da je čujete". Zadovoljna.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  56. ^ Jovanović, D. (7 September 2023). ""Nećemo biti slobodni dok svi ne budemo imali podjednaka prava": Nikolija pozvala fanove na Paradu ponosa". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  57. ^ PSD (25 January 2015). "FOTOGALERIJA: NIKOLIJA U HITCH BARU Kćer Vesne Zmijanac oduševila mladu zadarsku publiku!". Zadarski.hr (in Croatian). Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  58. ^ "NIKOLIJA, RELJA, TEODORA... Cvija okupio naše najpoznatije javne ličnosti u novom spotu, evo kako to izgleda (VIDEO)". IDJTV (in Serbian). Nova.rs. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  59. ^ "Ana Nikolić i Nikolija Jovanović na OGAE takmičenju" (in Serbian). Prelistavanje.rs. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  60. ^ "Ovo je lista dobitnika regionalnih MAC muzičkih nagrada". Tracara.com (in Serbian). January 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  61. ^ "GLASANJE". Music Awards Ceremony (in Serbian). December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  62. ^ Vasiljević, N. (26 January 2023). "Music Awards Ceremony dodeljuje nagrade: Ovi muzičari su večeras dobili prestižna priznanja". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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