Lepa Brena

Lepa Brena
Brena performing in the Belgrade Arena, October 2011
Born	Fahreta Jahić (1960-10-20) 20 October 1960 (age 56) Tuzla, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Residence	Brčko (until 1980) Belgrade (since 1980)
Other names	Fahreta Jahić Živojinović
Occupation	Singer actress talent manager businesswoman director
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Slobodan Živojinović (m. 1991)
Children	Stefan (born 1992) Viktor (born 1998)
Parent(s)	Abid (1928–2010) Ifeta (1934–2014)
Musical career
Genres	pop-folk
Instruments	vocals
Labels	PGP-RTB Diskoton Grand Production (formerly Zabava miliona/ZaM)
Associated acts	Slatki Greh Hari Varešanović Miroslav Ilić Alisa Alen Islamović Vesna Zmijanac Mira Škorić Halid Bešlić Kemal Monteno Esad Samardžić
Website	http://www.jednajebrena.com/

Fahreta Živojinović (née Jahić; born 20 October 1960), known by her stage name Lepa Brena, is a pop-folk singer, actress, and talent manager, arguably the most popular singer of former Yugoslavia and the top-selling female recording artist from Yugoslavia with more than 40 million records sold.

Brena grew up in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has lived in Belgrade, Serbia since 1980, where she started her career. She identifies as Yugoslav and has called herself Yugonostalgic.

Born into a Bosniak family near Tuzla, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, she grew up in Brčko, the youngest child of Abid Jahić (c. 1928 – 22 October 2010) and Ifeta (née Smajlović; 15 April 1934 – 21 November 2014). Both of her parents are originally from villages near Srebrenik; her father was born in Ježinac and her maternal family hailed from Ćehaje. Fahreta grew up in a Muslim home with sister Faketa and brother Faruk. At the start of the Bosnian War in 1992, her sister Faketa escaped to Canada, where she lives today.

Her first performance before an audience was in the fifth grade at a local festival, singing a Kemal Monteno song called "Sviraj mi o njoj". She later reflected, "It was the only time in my life that I've ever experienced stage fright." After that she would regularly perform at dance parties in Brčko.

While a guest on a Croatian television show in March 2014, she was asked if she was ashamed of having a Muslim name, to which she replied: "Why would I be ashamed? I was and stay what I am. Today I am Fahreta. I am proud of my parents and roots". She said, of her stage name, that "Brena" was given by her basketball trainer Vlado, while the epithet "Lepa" (beautiful) was given by showman Minimax.