Zejna (singer)
Zejna | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Zejna Murkić |
| Born | 28 December 1986 Loznica, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Genres | |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2009—present |
Zejna Murkić (Serbian Cyrillic: Зејна Муркић; born 28 December 1986), known mononymously as Zejna, is a Serbian singer. She was a member of the pop band Luna from 2009 to 2010, after which she went solo.
Early life
[edit]Of Romani origin,[1][2] Zejna Murkić was born on 28 December 1986, in Loznica. She has been singing and dancing since early childhood, and she had her first performances when she was only 10 years old. At the age of 16, she began singing professionally and performing throughout the country and abroad.[3]
Career
[edit]Zejna began her career in the competition Operacija trijumf, from which she quickly dropped out, but immediately after this TV program she received an invitation from Čeda Čvorak, the founder of the group Luna.[1] From 2009 to 2010, she was a member of Luna, with whom she recorded two albums, Da san ne prestaje and Sex on the Beach. As the lead vocalist in the group, she sang some of the most notable tracks on these albums, such as "Panika", "Vrištim u sebi", "Klela bih" and "Alo, alo".
At the end of 2010, Zejna left the group and decided to devote herself to a solo career. In June 2011, she released her first single in English entitled "Tonight" in collaboration with Dee Monk. In the same year, she also released her first solo single in the Serbian language, called "Najbolja", which she composed and penned by herself. In 2012, she released the single "Drama", which she sang together with Slađa Delibašić and rapper Sha. In the same year, she participated in the Vrnjačka Banja festival, where she won the prize of the newspaper jury. In the meantime, she began writing songs for other artists and also sings backing vocals. In 2013, she released the single "Absinthe".
Zejna sings the song "Ruška" in the scene of the film Toma (2021) as well as the Romani song "Jag".[4][5]
Pesma za Evroviziju
[edit]Zejna participated in the Pesma za Evroviziju '22 with the song "Nema te" and entered the final of this competition.[6] The melody was written by Vladimir Maraš and the lyrics by Sanja Perić.[4] Aca Sofronijević played the accordion.[7] In 2023, she participated in Pesma za Evroviziju '23 with the song "Rumba", which finished seventh place in the final, and was originally made for a musical.[1]
On 21 December 2023, Zejna was announced among the participants of Pesma za Evroviziju '24, the Serbian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with the song "Najbolja".[8] The song qualified for the final.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c ""U KRVI NOSIM SRPSKU ENERGIJU!" Zejna multikulturalnom porukom krči put za Liverpul - Nisam za trend, već za brend". www.sd.rs (in Serbian). February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "Zejna Murkić". Discogs. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "Zejna". Facebook.
- ^ a b "НА „ПЕСМИ ЗА ЕВРОВИЗИЈУ 22" – Зејна задовољна уласком у финале – Lozničke novosti". Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Učesnica na "Pesmi za Evroviziju" pevala je u najemotivnijoj sceni filma "Toma"". NOVA portal (in Serbian). March 21, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Шаботић, Анела (March 1, 2022). "ДАН - (ВИДЕО) Зејна Муркић пјесму "Н��ма те" отпјевала срцем". www.dan.co.me. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Najvažnije je da imamo dobru pjesmu". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Serbia: 'Pesma za Evroviziju' details announced!". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Marín, Marc (March 1, 2024). "Pesma za Evroviziju '24: seleccionados los 8 finalistas de la preselección serbia" [Pesma za Evroviziju '24: the eight finalists of the Serbian preselection have been selected]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved March 1, 2024.