Neda Ukraden

Neda Ukraden was born on August 16, 1950, in Imotski, Yugoslavia (Croatia). She is a famous singer across all of the former Yugoslavia, whose professional career stretches back over 30 years.

Her surname Ukraden, roughly translated in Serbian and Croatian means Stolen (masculine adjective), but her ancestors were originally from Montenegro and the original surname was Pavlović. According to an interview she gave to Glas javnosti in 2005, her surname was changed as a result of her male ancestors who had spent time in the army serving in Herzegovina, defending ancient homelands.

Early life

She grew up in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but she also lived in a few other Bosnian cities, mainly because of her father's professional commitments. Respecting the wishes of her father, she attended university where successfully acquired degrees in Law and Philosophy. It was only at the age of 18 that she started studying music.

Moving to Belgrade

At the beginning of civil war in Bosnia in 1992, Neda moved to Belgrade, Serbia (still Yugoslavia), where she remains today. Unlike other artists who moved into parts of Serbia, Neda has never altered her Ijekavian accent when singing.

Other activities include the daily running of her restaurant, Star.

Current status

Spanning her entire career, she has recorded over 25 albums to date, yet still considers that raising daughter Jelena is her biggest success. She was married to Milan Bilbija, father to Jelena.

Her latest album Oduži mi se poljupcima (rough translation: I want the kisses to carry on) was released in 2006.