Maya Berović

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Maya Berović
Маја Беровић
Berović performing in 2016
Berović performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameMaja Berović
Born (1987-07-08) 8 July 1987 (age 34)
Ilijaš, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
GenresPop-folk, pop, turbo-folk
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2006–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.maya.co.rs

Maja "Maya" Berović (Serbian Cyrillic: Маја Беровић; born 8 July 1987) is a Bosnian singer. Debuted in 2007, she has acquired enormous popularity since of 2014, becoming one of the leading regional performers, mainly due to her collaboration with Bosnian rappers Jala Brat and Buba Corelli.

Early life[]

Maja Berović was born 8 July 1987 in the village of Malešići, part of the Ilijaš municipality near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Serb parents. Her birth name was often falsely reported as "Maida" and her ethnicity was disputed.[1][2][3] She lost her father when she was three years old.[4] Berović lived in Malešići until the end of the Bosnian War in 1995, alongside her mother and older brother; she relocated to Bratunac where her mother is originally from. In a 2016 interview, Berović described her childhood during the Bosnian War:

"I had the bad fortune to belong to the generation that grew up during the war in Bosnia. I carry many ugly, and beautiful memories from that period of my life. The ugly memories include my family's relocation in search of a peaceful life, even though, at the time, I was not fully aware of the horrors of the situation. I spent most of my days playing, like any child."[5][6]

In Bratunac, she attended school and first began practising music. From age 12 she used to sing in local discothèques every weekend until she turned 18. Berović grew up listening to artists such as Dragana Mirković, Lepa Brena and Ceca and lists them as her musical influences.

Career[]

Still a teenager, Maya was signed to the Belgrade-based record label Grand Production and released her debut studio album Život uživo (Life, Live) in August 2007,[7] achieving initial success with the song "Džin i limunada" (Gin and Lemonade). She soon parted ways with Grand Production and over a year later, in December 2008, she released her second studio album Crno zlato (Black Gold) under the short-lived label IN Music.[8] Two months after the release of Crno zlato, Maya debuted a self-released non-album single "Koliko te ludo volim ja" (How Madly I'm in Love with You) in February 2009.[9]

Her big breakthrough came in February 2011 upon the release of her third and eponymous album, Maya,[10] and the success of the feminist ballad "Djevojačko prezime" (Maiden Surname), which was the recipient of the "Hit of the Year" award in Sarajevo.[11] She signed a recording contract with the record label City Records and released the single "Leti ptico slobodno" (Fly, Bird, Freely) in June 2012.[12][13] Her fourth studio album, titled Djevojka sa juga (Girl from the South), was first released 17 October in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and 20 October in neighboring countries.[14] She has said that she was "extremely satisfied" with her new labels support of her music.[15] Following the release, Maya held her first concert in Belgrade in 2013.[16]

In April 2014, Berović participated in Pink Music Festival with a club-oriented song called "Alkohol" (Alcohol), which was the most-listened to of the 26 entries.[17] The music video was done by the video production company IDJVideos and premiered on 9 May 2014.[18] Opasne vode (Dangerous Waters), her fifth album and second consecutive project with City Records, was released 27 October 2014, and[19] "Alkohol" served as the lead single. In addition to an updated and slightly different sound, a new fashion style also accompanied the new record.[20][21]

In March 2016, Berović released "Pauza" (Pause), a non-album single. The single sparked controversy as it featured Berović singing in Ekavian dialect, spoken in Serbia, instead of Ijekavian dialect, spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that she sang in until that point. Maya claimed she had done that because her Serbian songwriters wrote in their dialect and the lyrics didn't always sound well and often couldn't rhyme in Ijekavian.[22] However, she proceeded to sing in Ekavian even when working with Bosnian songwriters. On 8 July 2016, Berović's 29th birthday, she released "To me radi" (That Makes Me) featuring Bosnian rappers Jala Brat and Buba Corelli.[23] It was the first collaborative song in her career and would eventually become one of her greatest hits.

Maya continued collaborating with Jala and Buba on her sixth studio album Viktorijina tajna (Victoria's Secret). It was released on 2 July 2017 through City Records, produced by the Sarajevo-based Imperia production. This album has more urban sound than her previous pop-folk releases. Viktorijina tajna has reached enormous success, reaching more than 100 million views on YouTube and dominating charts on streaming service Deezer. All songs from the album became instant hits and, thanks to its success, Maya had all the venues that she had performed in sold out; she even went on a U.S. tour with Jala and Buba which also went very successfully. This album is arguably the most successful in Maya's ten-year-long career. On 9 July 2018, she released her seventh album 7, again with Jala and Buba.

On 1 November 2019, she released two new songs, "Zmaj" (Dragon) and "Uloga" (Role).

On 6 August 2020, Maya released her eight studio album Intime (Intimacies). The songs are available on YouTube alongside the accompanying music videos.

Personal life[]

Berović married Alen Dragosav on 31 July 2016.[24] They currently reside in Graz, Austria, and Belgrade, Serbia.[25] Berović is an Eastern Orthodox Christian.[26]

In July 2019, Berović invited the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend the first ever Sarajevo Pride, held on 8 September 2019.[27]

Discography[]

Studio albums
  • Život uživo (2007)
  • Crno zlato (2008)
  • Maya (2011)
  • Djevojka sa juga (2012)
  • Opasne vode (2014)
  • Viktorijina tajna (2017)
  • 7 (2018)
  • Intime (2020)

Tours[]

References[]

  1. ^ ""Ja sam Srpkinja i ponosim se time": Maja Berović otkrila koje je njeno pravo ime". www.telegraf.rs. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  2. ^ "Maya Berović o porijeklu: Ja sam Srpkinja i ponosim se time". nezavisne.com (in Serbian). 15 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  3. ^ "Ne znam zašto misle da se stvarno zovem Maida". mondo.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  4. ^ "Njene pesme znaju svi, ali ne i životnu priču: Maya Berović prvi put o ODRASTANJU BEZ OCA, POČETKU KARIJERE I POROCIMA!".
  5. ^ "Maja Berović o odrastanju: Nisam bila ni svesna užasa kakav je rat". Svet. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  6. ^ "POTRESNA SEĆANJA". Srbija Danas. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Maya-Život uživo". Discogs. 2007.
  8. ^ "Maya-Crno zlato". Discogs. 2008.
  9. ^ "Maya-Koliko te ludo volim ja". Discogs. 28 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Maya - 2011". Discogs. 2011.
  11. ^ "Maya Berović dobila nagradu za hit godine!". Svet. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  12. ^ ""Vruće" fotke i letnji hit: Maya Berović "dirnuće" vas u srce". S Media. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Maya-Leti ptico slobodno". Discogs. 25 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Djevojka sa juga". Discogs. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  15. ^ "Maya izabrala put kojim se ređe ide: Danas je najlakše skinuti se!". Svet. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  16. ^ "POPULARNA SARAJKA Maya napravila lom na svom prvom nastupu u Beogradu". Doznajemo. 21 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Pesma Maye Berović najslušanija: Ko je vaš favorit na Pink festivalu?". Svet. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  18. ^ "Maya Berović uradila spot za pjesmu Alkohol!". Ekskluziva. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  19. ^ "Opasne vode". Discogs. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  20. ^ "Znate li ko je ovo? Pevačica uz nove pesme promoviše i novi stajling!". Svet. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  21. ^ "Poslušajte novi album Maye Berović!". Folk estrada. 18 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  22. ^ "ODGOVORILA // Pevačica je POLUDELA zbog negativnih komentara: Rešila je svima da ODGOVORI i da im ZAPUŠI USTA!". Opera17. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Pogledajte šta najbolje radi plavušu Maju Berović". Puls. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  24. ^ "Da joj nije bilo verenika, njena karijera ne bi bila ovakva: On me bezuslovno podržava, veliki mi je oslonac u životu!". Alo!. 21 December 2014. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  25. ^ "Maja Berović: Zbog ljubavi sam napustila Bosnu". Story. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  26. ^ "LJUDI, JA SAM PRAVOSLAVKA! ŠTO JE TO ČUDNO? Maja Berović udala se u crkvi u Grčkoj, a ovako će proslaviti VASKRS!". Kurir (in Serbian). 17 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  27. ^ Pandurević, Dragana (23 July 2019). "Naklon do poda za Mayu Berović i video kojim je podržala Paradu ponosa". Noizz.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 26 July 2021.
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