Stoja Novaković[note 1] (Serbian Cyrillic: Стоја Новаковић; born 4 June 1972), known mononymously as Stoja (Serbian Cyrillic: Стоја), is a Serbian hardcore-folk singer. Recognised as one of the most popular turbo-folk performers, Stoja is noted for her strong voice and often eccentric appearances.

Stoja
Стоја
Birth nameStojanka Novaković
Born (1972-06-04) 4 June 1972 (age 52)
Perlez, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
GenresFolk, pop-folk, turbo-folk
Years active1997–present
Labels
Signature

She released her first album, Kako je meni sada, in Lazarević Production in 1998. Later, she released her albums in the record label Grand Production. Within a short time, Stoja became one of the most popular singers in the Balkans. She is currently signed to BN Music,[1] and has recently released songs with IDJ and Balkan Star too.

Early life

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Novaković was born in the village of Perlez, in the Zrenjanin municipality in northern Serbia. Her father was born in Pukiš, a village in the Lopare municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was raised in Perlez, where she lived until the age of 25.[2]

She is said to have received her uncommon and strong voice from her father, Milan.[3] Her father was not supportive of her singing career and they didn't speak for years because she decided to pursue that career path. It was only after her mother intervened that they reconciled.

Career

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Novaković began singing as an amateur in kafanas and discothèques in 1987.[4] In 1997 she began recording an album for the record label Lazarević Produktion. Kako je meni sada, her debut studio album, was released in 1998.[5] That first album became a big success.[6] Later that year, she signed with the label Grand Production, owned by Lepa Brena, and released her second album, Ćiki, ćiki in 1999.[7] The album featured multiple hit songs, the biggest being "Ćiki, ćiki".

One of Stoja's greatest hits, song Evropa, can be heard in episode 19 of Bosnian TV series Viza za budućnost;[8] that is when many people in BiH got known and started to listen Stoja, and since then she has been notably popular in this country of former Yugoslavia; Stoja herself uploaded the mentioned insert from the series on her official YouTube channel.[9]

Stoja released the EP Osveta with two songs in 2006 with the band Južni Vetar.[10]

The song "Revolucija" (Revolution) and its music video were both released in October 2010. The video caused some stir in the media because it featured Stoja crapping in a bathtub full of peppers.[11][12][13][14]

Her tenth studio album entitled Nije da nije (It's Not That It's Not) was released on 6 May 2013 by the Bosnia-based label BN Music, marking the first time in 15 years that Stoja has released an album with a production company other than Grand Production.[15]

Following the release of Nije da nije, Stoja began releasing non-album singles including "Bela ciganka",[16][unreliable source] "Ola ola",[17][unreliable source] "Takvog dečka hoću ja",[18][unreliable source] "Lila lila", and "Ti brate imaš sve".

Album Bela ciganka was released in 2015; it includes old hits, as well as new such as "Kao ovde nigde nije" (first song, displayed on cover).[19] Two singles were released the next year: "Ponovo"[20] and "Ko preživi neka priča".[21]

In the following period, singles with music videos are released by Stoja: "Bomba" (2017),[22] "Samo jako" (ft Relja and Coby, 2017),[23] "Ne treba mi život" (2017),[24] "Čista hemija" (music video in which she is dressed like Gaddafi; ft Coby, 2018),[25] "Ko bi rekao" (ft Kija, 2018),[26] "Idi mami pa se žali" (2019),[27] "Žena sa Balkana" (ft Mimi Mercedez, 2019),[28] "Svet se vrti oko nas" (ft Mimi Mercedez, 2019),[29] "Taki taki" (2019),[30] "Neka pati" (ft Milan, 2019)[31] and "Aj, chiki, chiki" (ft Ludi Srbi, 2019).[32] Geto Gerila made a remix of her song "Džek" (Naj, naj album, 2009) entitled "Ostani tu" and published on 27 October 2019.[33] The last release in 2019 was Geto Gerila remix of Stoja's hit "Ćiki, ćiki" (same-named album, 1999) entitled "Aj, chiki, chiki" and published on 20 December.[32] Stoja had announced release of song "Lice" which was not published then because of 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic; the song was published in June 2020.[34] In June 2021 she released song "Hera" with Balkan Star label.[35]

Stoja has been working with her long-time friend and lyricist Stevan Simeunović who is author of almost all her songs since her career has started.

Personal life

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Novaković was first married at age 16, became a mother at 17 and was widowed at 19 when her first husband lost his life in a 1991 car crash, ending their three-year marriage.[36][unreliable source] The period after his death was financially difficult for her. She was quoted as saying "I was very poor. I did not have anything to eat."[37][unreliable source] She became a grandmother at age 33 when her son Milan's first child was born.[38][unreliable source]

Since 2007, she has lived in Belgrade,[3] more specifically the Bežanijska kosa neighborhood in New Belgrade.[4][39][unreliable source] Novaković married architect Igor Jovanović 1 November 2009, after being in a relationship for five years. Their relationship has been on-again-off-again, with the couple constantly breaking up and getting back together.[40][unreliable source] In a March 2014 interview, Novaković revealed that she once attempted suicide by driving her car into a wall to keep their marriage from dissipating.[41][unreliable source][42]

On 4 October 2011, Stoja found her mother Katica, who had heart problems and diabetes, dead in bed after being suspicious when Katica did not emerge from her bedroom that morning.[43][44][unreliable source][45][unreliable source]

Stoja survived a car accident on 28 May 2012 when her car was totaled after being hit by a truck. She escaped with a minor injury to the forehead.[46][unreliable source][47][unreliable source][48][49][unreliable source]

Stoja has said that her favorite singer is Šemsa Suljaković and she has frequently covered Suljaković's songs at concerts and television appearances, and was even interviewed with her in June 2012.[50]

Discography

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Videography

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  • Starija (2004)
  • Metak (2006)
  • Ja te Mićo ne volim (2008)
  • Do gole kože (2008)
  • Kučka (2008)
  • Pogrešna (2009)
  • Da li si za sex? (2009)
  • Kakva sam, takva sam (2010)
  • Živi i uživaj (2010)
  • Revolucija (2010)
  • Pare, pare (2012)
  • Ti brate imas sve (2015)
  • Samo Jako (2017)
  • Ne treba mi zivot (2018)
  • Cista Hemija (2018)
  • Ko bi rekao (2018)
  • Zena sa Balkana (2019)
  • Taki, Taki (2019)
  • Neka pati (2019)
  • Ostani tu (2019)
  • Aj, chiki, chiki (2019)
  • Lice (2020)
  • Hera (2021)

Notes

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  1. ^ Stoja has changed her birth name Stojanka in previous nickname and stage name Stoja in 2008.[51][unreliable source][52][unreliable source]

References

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  1. ^ bnmusicdoo.com
  2. ^ Stoja - Ništa lično intervju, 02.30 - 03.10
  3. ^ a b "STOJA NOVAKOVIĆ". BalkanMedia. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b Živković, Jelena (17 November 2011). "Stojanka Jovanović Stoja: Brak opstaje jer se retko viđamo". pulsonline.rs (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Kako je meni sada". Discogs. 1998. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Official Website of Stoja". Stoja. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Ćiki, ćiki". Discogs. 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  8. ^ Viza za buducnost 20 21 epizoda. dailymotion.com. 5 September 2015. Event occurs at 1:04. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  9. ^ Stoja - Evropa - (insert iz serije). youtube.com. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Stoja - Osveta". iTunes. 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Kupka u ljutim papričicama! (video)". BalkanMedia. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  12. ^ "Revolucionarno kupanje! (spot)". BalkanMedia. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Šta radi kupačica u paprikama ljutim?". BalkanMedia. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Revolucija". Amazon. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  15. ^ "Stoja smršala 12 kilograma pred promociju novog albuma!". Kurir-info. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Stoja snimila novu pjesmu 'Bela ciganka'". Ekskluziva. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Premijerno: Stoja predstavlja novu pesmu u Bravo showu". Svet. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  18. ^ "FOLKERKA HOĆE DEČKA KOJI VOZI CRNI MERCEDES I DA IMA MILIONE, AVIONE I KAMIONE". Opera 17. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  19. ^ Stoja Kao ovde nigde nije BN Music 2015 Audio. youtube.com. 23 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  20. ^ Stoja - PONOVO (Audio 2016). youtube.com. 1 May 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  21. ^ Stoja - Ko prezivi neka prica - (Audio 2016). youtube.com. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  22. ^ Stoja - Bomba - (Official Video). youtube.com. 18 February 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  23. ^ RELJA X COBY X STOJA - SAMO JAKO (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 4K. youtube.com. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  24. ^ STOJA - NE TREBA MI ZIVOT (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 29 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  25. ^ STOJA X COBY - CISTA HEMIJA (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 8 May 2018. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  26. ^ KIJA FEAT STOJA - KO BI REKAO (OFFICIAL VIDEO 2018). youtube.com. 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  27. ^ STOJA - IDI MAMI PA SE ZALI (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  28. ^ STOJA FEAT. MIMI MERCEDEZ - ZENA SA BALKANA (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  29. ^ Mimi Mercedez Feat. Stoja - Svet Se Vrti Oko Nas (Prod. By Zartical). youtube.com. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  30. ^ STOJA - TAKI TAKI (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  31. ^ MILAN FEAT. STOJA - NEKA PATI (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  32. ^ a b STOJA FEAT. LUDI SRBI - AJ CHIKI CHIKI (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  33. ^ STOJA - OSTANI TU (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 27 October 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  34. ^ STOJA - LICE (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  35. ^ STOJA - HERA (OFFICIAL VIDEO). youtube.com. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Stoja Novaković: Sve glasnija svadbena zvona". Story. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  37. ^ "Stoja Novaković u tužnoj ispovesti: Jako mi nedostaju roditelji". Svet Plus. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  38. ^ "Baka Neda đuska k'o devojka". Vesti. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  39. ^ "Stoja Novaković preživela pakao! Prijavila otmicu svojih unuka policiji!". Svet Plus. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  40. ^ "Opet problemi u braku: Stoja oterala muža!". Svet. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  41. ^ "Stoja Novaković pokušala da izvrši samoubistvo!". Svet. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  42. ^ "Stoja htela da izvrši samoubistvo!". Blic. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  43. ^ "Stoja teško podnosi majčinu smrt!". BalkanMedia. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  44. ^ "Stoja u depresiji zbog majčine smrti". SvetPlus. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  45. ^ "Stoja pevala dve nedelje posle majčine smrti". SvetPlus. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  46. ^ "Stoja doživela saobraćajnu nesreću! Udario je šleper". SvetPlus. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  47. ^ "Stoju udario šleper!". Scandal. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  48. ^ "STOJA NOVAKOVIĆ - Stoju udario šleper!". BalkanMedia. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  49. ^ "Stoja: Dobro je da sam izvukla živu glavu". SvetPlus. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  50. ^ "Stoja i Šemsa Suljaković intervju". YouTube. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  51. ^ "Stojanka Novaković promenila ime". balkaniyum.tv (in Serbian). Svet. 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  52. ^ "EX Stojanka Novaković: Sada sam zvanično Stoja!". svetestrade.com (in Serbian). Balkanmedia. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.

Sources

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