Sara Jo
Сара Јо
Jovanović performing at the 2021 Belgrade Pride
Jovanović performing at the 2021 Belgrade Pride
Background information
Birth nameSara Jovanović
Born (1993-10-29) 29 October 1993
Rome, Italy
OriginBelgrade, Serbia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • model
  • actress
Years active2011–present
Labels
  • IDJTunes
  • Bassivity Digital

Sara Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Сара Јовановић; pronounced [sǎːra joʋâːnoʋit͡ɕ]; born 29 October 1993), professionally known as Sara Jo, is a Serbian singer, songwriter, model and actress. Born in Rome, she came to prominence upon competing on Prvi glas Srbije in 2012, finishing in 3rd place. Subsequently, as a member of Moje 3, Jovanović represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden with "Ljubav je svuda". They placed 11th in the semi final, failing to reach the grand final.

Her official debut solo single, "Ko je ovde ko", was released in 2014. It was followed by a series of other standalone singles, including "Nemam vremena za to" (2017), "Mili mili" (2019) and "Muškarčina" (2022). Her debut album, Bez kontrole, was released in June 2023. It spawned two singles: "Divlja" (2021) and "Zar ne" (2022).

Additionally, Jovanović competed on the first season of Tvoje lice zvuči poznato and has also been involved as an actress in theater, television and voice acting. Moreover, she has modeled for fashion campaigns, including continuous collaboration with Adidas in Serbia since the beginnings of her career.[1][2]

Early life

Jovanović was born on 29 October 1993 in Rome and was raised bilingually in Serbian and Italian. She is the only child to kindergarten teacher, Jasna and Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, Saša Jovanović.[3][4] In 2009, the family permanently relocated to Belgrade, where Sara graduated from the Third Grammar School.[4] She subsequently studied Italian language at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology.[4] Jovanović displayed interest in music and performance from an early age, practicing ballet and hip-hop dance. She has cited late 90's and early 00's performers like Britney Spears, TLC, Jennifer Lopez and Destiny's Child as her biggest influences in music.[5]

Career

2011–2016: Career beginnings, Prvi glas Srbije and Eurovision with Moje 3

Moje 3, with Jovanović on the right, performing at a dress rehearsal of the 2013 Eurovision

After winning at an armature singing contest organized by the Serbian magazine Story with the covers she had been posting on YouTube, Jovanović received the opportunity to record her first song and music video, titled "Zauvek".[6] In October 2011, she performed "Zauvek" at the late-night talk show Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem.[7] The following year, Jovanović was also featured on four tracks by rapper MCN from his self-titled debut album.

In 2012, she auditioned for the second season of the singing competition Prvi glas Srbije. Mentored by Aleksandra Radović, Jovanović reached the show's grand final where she finished as the second runner-up. She was especially noted for her showmanship in the live show phase, being described as the "new energy on the music scene" by the Serbian Cosmopolitan.[8] The following year, the producers of Prvi glas Srbije formed a girl group, called Moje 3, consisted of Jovanović and her fellow-finalists Mirna Radulović and Nevena Božović, in order to compete in the national selection competition for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. On 2 March, Moje 3 were chosen as the Serbian representatives for the 2013 Eurovision hosted by Malmö, Sweden with their song "Ljubav je svuda", by receiving 42.5% of the public votes.[9] On May 14, they performed in the Eurovision's first semi final, placing 11th with 46 points and thus failed to qualify for the grand final.[10] Moreover, Moje 3 also received the Barbara Dex Award for the worst dressed act.[11]

After Eurovision she collaborated with singer Marko Mandić on the single "Ujutru", released in June 2013.[12] In September, Jovanović became a contestant on the first season of the reality competition Tvoje lice zvuči poznato, where she placed as the runner-up to singer Ana Kokić.[13] In June the following year, Jovanović released her first official single, titled "Ko je ovde ko", under IDJTunes.[14] She also covered "Provokacija" by Boban Rajović for the 2014 movie Little Buddho.[15] Jovanović subsequently released the singles "Mahovina" and "Probaj" in December 2014 and July 2016, respectively.[16][17] In 2016, she also reunited with Mandić to cover "Troje" by Moby Dick for the purposes of the film The Samurai in Autumn.[12] On 25 December 2016, in Sava Centar, Jovanović made her theatre debut, portraying Cinderella in a musical play, which subsequently toured around Serbia.[18]

2017–2022: Signing with Bassivity Digital and standalone singles

In May 2017, Sara Jo released the single "Nemam vremena za to", produced by Coby, under new label - Bassivity Digital.[19] It became her first music video to collect over ten million views on YouTube. The same year, she also collaborated with Tuborg GreenFest on the single "Samo ti", which samples samples Major Lazer's "Tuborg Beat". "Samo ti" was released through Universal Music Group. Subsequently, the single "Lava" was released in May 2018.

It was followed by "Bez sna" and "Mili, mili" in January and June 2019.[20][21] During her 2019 summer tour, Jovanović performed for the first time at the Exit music festival alongside other artists from Bassivity.[22] Same year she had a recurring role in the television series Sinđelići.[23] Jovanović also served as a mentor on a singing contest organized by Coca-Cola, called Discovered by Coke. Her contestant, Predrag Simić, with whom she also released a song, "Kao nikad pre", as a part of the competition, was eventually proclaimed the winner.[24]

On 27 January 2020, Jovanović performed a medley of her hits at the 2020 Music Awards Ceremony, held in the Belgrade Arena. In April, she released "Kaži mi".[25] The following July, Jovanović collaborated with Edita Aradinović on the single "Varalica".[26] She performed alongside Marija Šerifović and Jelena Karleuša at the 2022 New Year's Eve concert in front of the House of the National Assembly in Belgrade.[27] In February 2022, Sara Jo was announced as a contestant on the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, called Pesma za Evroviziju '22, with her entry "Muškarčina".[28] Based on the YouTube views, Jovanović was initially highlighted as the competition's front runner.[29] She placed first in the second semi final on 4 March.[30] In the final on 5 March, however, she finished as the runner-up to Konstrakta and "In corpore sano".[31] "Muškarčina" peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart.

2023-present: Bez kontrole and future projects

On June 21, 2023, Jovanović released her debut album, Bez kontrole, under Bassivity Digital, which was preceded by the singles "Divlja" (2022) and "Zar ne?" (2022).[32]

Activism

Recognized for continuously supporting LGBT rights in Serbia, Jovanović carried the title of the Belgrade Pride's "Godmother" in 2019.[33][34] In August 2021, she also performed at the closing ceremony of the WorldPride in Copenhagen.[35]

In November 2013, Jovanović alongside Tropico Band and Dženan Lončarević was featured on the charity single "Milio sam anđele" to raise funds for the treatment of a twenty-two-year-old woman suffering from bone cancer.[36] In October 2020, she was a speaker on the TEDxMasarikova conference in Zenica, where she reflected on personal struggles in regards to popularity.[37] In 2021, Jovanović also became an ambassador of the Council of Europe against hate speech.[38]

Personal life

Jovanović was in a year-long relationship with volleyball player Aleksandar Atanasijević, which was ended in May 2014.[39][40] In February 2015, she was reported to be dating Serbian actor Viktor Savić.[41] The couple broke up the following year. Between 2016 and 2018, she was then romantically involved with rapper and writer Marčelo.[42]

She is currently in a relationship with Slovene choreographer, Ziga Sotlar.[43]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Notes
Bez kontrole
Track listing
  • No.TitleLength
    1."Zlo"2:03
    2."Privatni manijak"3:01
    3."U glavi"2:30
    4."Želim"3:05
    5."Divlja"2:44
    6."Glas"2:50
    7."Sandra Meljničenko" (feat. Mimi Mercedez)2:28
    8."Zar ne?"2:59
    9."Tako hodam"2:20
    10."Sudar"3:08
    Total length:27:11

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CRO
Billb.
[44]
"Zauvek" 2011 — non-album
singles
"Ljubav je svuda"
(as part of Moje 3)		 2013 —
"Ko je ovde ko" 2014 —
"Mahovina" 2015 —
"Probaj" 2016 —
"Nemam vremena za to" 2017 —
"Samo ti" —
"Lava" 2018 —
"Bez sna" 2019 —
"Mili, mili" —
"Kao nikada pre"
(with Predrag Simić)		 2020 —
"Kaži mi" —
"Varalica"
(with Edita)		 2021 —
"Divlja" — Bez kontrole
"On"
(with Franka)		 — non-album
singles
"Muškarčina" 2022 12
"Zar ne" — Bez kontrole
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was released before the chart was launched.

Promotional singles

Title Year Album
"Molio sam anđele"
(with Tropico Band, Dženan Lončarević and Andrej Ilić)		 2013 non-album
singles
"Mahovina" (Live) 2016
"Ko je ovde ko" (Live)
"Neko te ima" 2020
"Stupid Love" (Cover) 2021
"Bez sna" (2021)

Other appearances

Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Ona" 2012 MCN Ćelija 44
"Momenat"
"Ti i ja"
"Neka ti lice prekrije smeh"
"Ujutru" 2015 Marko Mandić Ramdagadam
"Manje više" 2016 Kiki Lesendrić, Piloti Širom zatvorenih očiju
"Slatka mala" (Live) 2022 Jelena Karleuša Jelena Karleuša: Music Week (Live)

Filmography

Film

List of performances of Sara Jovanović in film
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Space Jam: A New Legacy Lola Bunny Serbian synchronization

Television

List of performances of Sara Jovanović on television
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Prvi glas Srbije Herself Contestant; 3rd place
2013 Beosong Contestant as a part of Moje 3; winner
Eurovision Song Contest Contestant as a part of Moje 3; 11th place in the first semi-finals
Tvoje lice zvuči poznato Contestant; runner-up
2019 Sinđelići Luna Recurring role (7 episodes)
2020 JoJo na točkovima Herself Reality show
2022 Pesma za Evroviziju '22 Contestant; runner-up

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations of Sara Jovanović
Year Award Category Nominee/work Result Ref.
2013 Barbara Dex Award Worst Dressed Act Moje 3 Won [11]
2017 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Adria Act Herself Nominated [45]
2018 MTS Vision Festival Best Choreography "Nemam vremena za to" Won
2019 Music Awards Ceremony Alternative/Electropop Song of the Year Nominated [46]
Music Video of the Year "Lava" Nominated
2020 Alternative Song of the Year "Mili, mili" Nominated
Music Video of the Year "Bez sna" Nominated
2020 Popularity Oscar in Banja Luka Best Alternative Singer Herself Won [47]
2023 Music Awards Ceremony Alternative Pop Song of the Year "Zar ne" Nominated [48]
Urban Pop Song of the Year "Muškarčina" Nominated
Music Video of the Year "Divlja" Won

References

  1. ↑ "Otvorena prva adidas Originals radnja u Srbiji: Sara Jo i Slaven Došlo vozili Vespu i skejt u izlogu". Wannabe Magazine (in Serbian). 13 April 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Mitrović, M. (November 18, 2020). "Sara Jo nam je pokazala kako pravi znalci mogu da iznesu dva potuno drugačija stila u istim patikama". Noizz.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Krutenjuk, O. (7 December 2012). ""Blic" sa porodicama takmičara "Prvog glasa": Zaplačemo dok ih gledamo". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Dedić, V. (October 6, 2019). "Balkanskom ulicom: Sara Jo". YouTube (in Serbian). RTS. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ "24 pitanja: Sara Jo odgovorila tko je njezin Mili, mili". YouTube (in Croatian). 24sata. October 3, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Pogledajte pobednički nastup Story Zvezde Sare Jovanović". Magazine Story (in Serbian). 18 April 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Story zvezda Sara Jovanović u gostima kod Ivana Ivanovića". Magazine Story (in Serbian). 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sara Jovanović: Nova energija na domaćoj sceni". Cosmopolitan (in Serbian). January 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "„Moje 3" idu na „Pesmu Evrovizije"!". RTS (in Serbian). 3 March 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "First Semi-Final of Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 Roxburgh, Gordon (8 June 2015). "Moje 3 wins the Barbara Dex Award". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 N. M. (16 November 2016). "Kako su se upoznali Sara Jo i Marko Mandić i šta je to što ih toliko veže?". Tracara.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "TLZP: Fenomenalna Ana Kokić kao Pink pobedila i osvojila 25.000 evra!". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 28 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  14. ↑ Yuma, F. (1 July 2014). "Sara: Ne kopiram Miley, nisam vulgarna!". Tracara.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  15. ↑ Živković, P. (26 September 2014). "Sara Jovanović prepevala Bobana Rajovića u R'N'B verziji". Tracara.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  16. ↑ N. M. (23 December 2014). "Stigao spot za emotivnu baladu 'Mahovina' Sare Jo". Tracara.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  17. ↑ N. M. (6 July 2016). "Evo kako izgleda spot koji je Sara Jo najavljivala pola godine". Tracara.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Prava bajka: Ovako Sara Jovanović izgleda kao pepeljuga!". RTV Pink (in Serbian). December 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Sara Jo – Nemam vremena za to". MTV Serbia. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  20. ↑ "Sara Jo otkriva kako je sniman spot "Bez sna"". RTS (in Serbian). March 9, 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "Potpuno novo izdanje Sare Jo: Stiže pesma "Mili, mili" i spot koji će te oboriti s nogu!". Wannabe Magazine (in Serbian). July 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "Hip-hop festival unutar Exita objavio Bassivity zvezde i najjače hip-hop face iz celog regiona!". Exitfest.org (in Serbian). 21 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  23. ↑ "Sara Jo zablistala u seriji "Sinđelići"". Prva Srpska Televizija (in Serbian). September 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Discovered by Coke - imamo pobednika!". Mondo.rs (in Serbian). 16 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  25. ↑ "Sara Jo potpuno drugačija: Mlada pevačica nikad senzualnija, a pored nje je zgodni Slovenac: "Poželela sam drugačiji vajb"". Blic.rs (in Serbian). 11 March 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  26. ↑ Jovović, P. (July 18, 2021). "Poslušajte magični duet Sare Jo i Edite Aradinović". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  27. ↑ "Na dočeku Nove godine u Beogradu Marija Šerifović, Karleuša i Sara Jo". Danas (in Serbian). November 11, 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  28. ↑ Jovović, P. (February 2, 2022). "Intervju Sara Jo: Želela sam mračnu i mističnu pesmu za Evroviziju". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  29. ↑ Marinović, M. (3 March 2022). "Sara Jo, Zorja, Ana i Tijana u trci za predstavnika Evrovizije". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  30. ↑ "Detaljni glasovi publike i žirija na festivalu „Pesma za Evroviziju '22"". RTS (in Serbian). 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  31. ↑ Simonović, A. (6 March 2022). "Čaršija je brujala o slobodnoj pesmi, ali umetnica mora biti zdrava – finale Pesme za Evroviziju". RTS (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  32. ↑ Šumanović, A. (21 June 2023). "Sara Jo objavila svoj prvi album "Bez kontrole"". Muzika.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  33. ↑ "Kuma Prajda za ovu godinu – pevačica Sara Jo". Danas (in Serbian). 6 September 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  34. ↑ Jovović, P. (May 2, 2021). "Oni ne ćute: Društveno angažovane javne ličnosti u Srbiji". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  35. ↑ Stoisavljević, L. "Nastup Sare Jo na World Prajdu u Kopenhagenu". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  36. ↑ "Dženan, Sara i Tropico Band snimili pesmu 'Molio sam anđele'". Tracara.com (in Serbian). 25 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  37. ↑ Jovović, P. (21 October 2020). "Moćni govor Sare Jo o popularnosti i njenim mračnim stranama". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  38. ↑ Jovović, P. (October 27, 2021). "Sara Jo nova ambasadorka Saveta Evrope za borbu protiv govora mržnje". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  39. ↑ Rakočević, D. (23 May 2014). "Sara raskinula sa Aleksandrom". blic.rs (in Serbian). Blic. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  40. ↑ Jovović, P. (November 9, 2021). "Ljubila je glumca, odbojkaša a zatim i producenta: Ko su bivši momci Sare Jo" (in Serbian). Nova.rs. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  41. ↑ "Sara Jovanović i Viktor Savić u vezi". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Večernje novosti. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  42. ↑ Rakočević, D. (8 March 2016). "KRIJU LJUBAV Sara Jo u vezi sa Marčelom". blic.rs (in Serbian). Blic. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  43. ↑ "Sara Jo and Ziga Sotlar on Instagram". 29 October 2022.
  44. ↑ Peak positions in Croatia:
  45. ↑ "Objavljene nominacije za nagradu MTV Best Adria Act". Danas (in Serbian). 4 October 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  46. ↑ "Ovo je lista dobitnika regionalnih MAC muzičkih nagrada" (in Serbian). Tracara.com. January 2019.
  47. ↑ "U Banjaluci održan 23. Oskar popularnosti". bi-portal.com (in Bosnian). March 4, 2020.
  48. ↑ Marinović, M. (27 January 2023). "Zvezde novog muzičkog talasa izdominirale drugog dana MAC-a!". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
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