Jana (singer)
| Jana (singer) | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dragana Stanojević |
| Born |
15 March 1974 Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Genres | Turbo-folk, Pop folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1988–92; 1997–present |
| Labels | Grand Production (formerly ZaM/Zabava miliona), VIP Production (later renamed BN Music) |
| Associated acts | Sejo Kalač, Asim Bajrić, MC Stojan, Jasmin Jusić |
Dragana Todorović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгана Тодоровић; née Stanojević (Станојевић); born 15 March 1974), known by her stage name Jana (Јана), is a Serbian turbo-folk and pop folk singer.
Jana was born in the village of Babin Most, near the town of Obilić, SFR Yugoslavia in 1974. She has two siblings: a brother Dejan and a sister Danijela.
Her career started at the age of fourteen, in 1988, when she visited a well-known kafana in the town of Obilić one night with her parents and brother (who played the accordion). She had worn a white overcoat and pink hat. During dinner, she took the microphone, got a chair, and, being shy, turned her back against the audience and started singing "Što me pitaš" (Why Are You Asking Me) by Šemsa Suljaković to roaring applause.
After finishing the Stevan Mokranjac music academy in her hometown, she recorded an album in 1992 that sold very few copies and flopped. She went back to performing in kafanas throughout Kosovo, then took a short break from singing due to the disappointment of her last album, working as a music educator.
In 1997, she met singer Marina Živković in Kosovska Mitrovica, a meeting which kick-started her career. As Živković was preparing for her concert, she overheard Todorović singing and was left 'breathless'. She asked for Jana to come to her table and talk and after the conversation, she recommended Jana to friend, Ivan Todorović (Jana's future husband) who owned a discothèque and was in need of a live band. Not long after, Ivan traveled to Priština to meet with Jana. That day, Jana and her cousin met up with him near the Grand Hotel and struck up a record deal. In October 1997, with great sadness, she left her home country and moved to Germany, four months prior to the outbreak of war in Kosovo. She became extremely homesick in Germany, but was unable to travel home because of the insecurity. She was signed to the now-defunct record label Zabava miliona (ZAM). As there already was a famous singer called Dragana Mirković, Saša Popović, the label's director, recommended her to adopt Jana as her stage name. During the recording of her second album, Sokolica (Falcon, 1998), she fell in love with Ivan Todorović and they later married. Her first album was a huge success and she went on tour with famous singer Lepa Brena.
...
Wikipedia