Maya Berović
Maya Berović Маја Беровић | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Maja Berović |
Born | Ilijaš, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia | 8 July 1987
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels |
Maja "Maya" Berović (Serbian Cyrillic: Маја Беровић; born 8 July 1987) is a Bosnian Serb singer. Born in Ilijaš, she made her recording debut in 2007. Berović gained more significant regional popularity upon the release of her sixth and seventh studio albums Viktorijina tajna (2017) and 7 (2018), on which she collaborated with Jala Brat and Buba Corelli. In 2018, she held her first major solo concert in the Belgrade Arena. As of 2023, Berović has released nine studio albums.
Early life
Maja Berović was born 8 July 1987 in the village of Malešići, part of the Ilijaš municipality near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Serb parents. Her birth name was often falsely reported as "Maida" and her ethnicity has been disputed in the media. She lost her father when she was three years old. Berović lived in Malešići alongside her mother and older brother until the end of the Bosnian War in 1995, when she relocated to Bratunac where her mother was originally from. In a 2016 interview, Berović described her childhood during the Bosnian War:
"I had the bad fortune to belong to the generation that grew up during the war in Bosnia. I carry many ugly, and beautiful memories from that period of my life. The ugly memories include my family's relocation in search of a peaceful life, even though, at the time, I was not fully aware of the horrors of the situation. I spent most of my days playing, like any child."
In Bratunac, she attended school and first began practising music. From the age of 12 she used to sing in local discothèques every weekend until she turned 18. Berović grew up listening to artists such as Dragana Mirković, Lepa Brena and Ceca and lists them as her musical influences.
Career
2006–2011: Career beginnings
Berović pursued a career in music as a teenager when she was signed to the Belgrade-based record label Grand Production through which she released her debut studio album Život uživo (Life Live) in August 2007. It included eight tracks written by Serbian lyricist Marina Tucaković and composer Aleksandar Milić Mili. Život uživo spawned her first stand-out hit "Džin i limunada" (Gin and Lemonade). Her sophomore album, Crno zlato (Black Gold), was released in December the following year under IN Music. Her third album, Maya, was released in February 2011 featuring popular ballad "Djevojačko prezime" (Maiden Surname), which was declared the Hit of the Year in Sarajevo.
2012–2015: Djevojka sa juga and Opasne vode
In October 2012, Berović released Djevojka sa juga (Girl from the South) under City Records. The following year, she held her first performance in Belgrade. In April 2014, Berović participated in Pink Music Festival with a club-oriented song called "Alkohol" (Alcohol). The song served as the lead single for her next album, Opasne vode (Dangerous Waters), which was released on 27 October 2014. In addition to an updated and slightly different sound, the new record was also accompanied by a new image. Both Djevojka sa juga and Opasne vode were sold in the circulation of 50,000 copies.
2016–2019: Viktorijina tajna and 7
In March 2016, Berović released her single "Pauza" (Break) singing in Ekavian dialect instead of Ijekavian, which is dominantly spoken in Bosnia. The transition saw criticism from the audience, which perceived that Maya was trying to appeal more to Serbian market. In her own defense, Berović stated that the choice was made due to the fact that the song was written by Serbian songwriters. However, she continued singing in Ekavian even when working with Bosnian songwriters.
On her 29th birthday, Berović released "To me radi" (That Makes Me) featuring Bosnian rappers and producers Jala Brat and Buba Corelli. She continued working with the duo on her commercially acclaimed album Viktorijina tajna (Victoria's Secret), which was released on 2 July 2017 through City Records. It was sold in 50,000 copies. All nine music videos from the album have collectively accumulated over 340 million views on YouTube, as of December 2022. To promote it, Berović embarked on a regional tour which also included dates in the United States.
The following July, she released her subsequent seventh studio album through XL Elit Invest. It included nine tracks, written by Jala Brat and Buba Corelli, which have collectively as of December 2022 amassed over 350 million views and over 18 million streams on Spotify. The album featured a duet titled "Pravo vreme" (Right Time) with Buba Corelli, which alone has collected over 130 million views and is recognized as one of the most viewed music videos by an Ex-Yu artist. In November 2018, as a part of her regional tour, also called Pravo Vreme, Berović performed a sold-out show in the Belgrade Arena. According to media reports, the concert was also one of the fastest selling events in the venue's history.
On 1 November 2019, she released a standalone double A-side, "Zmaj" (Dragon) and "Uloga" (Role), which would become her last collaborations with Jala and Buba.
2020–2023: Intime and Milion
In July 2020, Berović held an online concert via Serbian streaming service YouBox. It was viewed by 260,000 people. On 6 August the same year, Maya released her eight studio album Intime (Intimacies). The songs from the album were dominantly written by music duo Alex and Nikki Caneras. Intime is consisted of ten tracks accompanied by music videos, which have collectively accumulated over a hundred million views by the end of the year. In October, Berović released a makeup collection titled Maya Beauty Line.
Her song "Alkohol" was featured in the 2022 Netflix movie The Swimmers. In December 2022, Berović released a standalone single "Ale ale", which is a cover of a song by Albanian singer Xhensila Myrtezaj. In July 2023, Berović released her ninth studio album, entitled Milion (Million).
Personal life
On 31 July 2016, Berović married Alen Dragosav. On 21 February 2022, Berović welcomed her first son, named Lav.
She currently reside between Graz, Austria and Belgrade, Serbia. Berović is an Eastern Orthodox Christian.
Maya reached the milestone of one million followers on Instagram in October 2020.
Philanthropy
In July 2019, Berović showed her support for the LGBTQ+ community in Bosnia and Herzegovina by inviting people to the first ever Sarajevo Pride, held on 8 September 2019.
Discography
Maya Berović discography | |
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Studio albums | 9 |
Live albums | 1 |
Compilation albums | 1 |
Singles | 23 |
Albums
Studio albums
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
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AUT |
SUI | ||
Život uživo |
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— | — |
Crno zlato |
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— | — |
Maya |
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— | — |
Djevojka sa juga |
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— | — |
Opasne vode |
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— | — |
Viktorijina tajna |
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— | — |
7 |
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— | — |
Intime |
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12 | 30 |
Milion |
|
— | — |
Compilation albums
Title | Details |
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The Best of Collection (17 vanvremenskih hitova) |
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Live albums
Title | Details |
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Koncert (Live at Štark Arena 2018) |
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Singles
Title | Year | Album |
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"Džin i limunada" | 2007 | Život uživo |
"Kriva rijeka" | ||
"100 dinara" | ||
"Sedativ" | 2008 | Crno zlato |
"Crno zlato" | ||
"Uspomene" | ||
"Koliko te ludo volim ja" | 2009 | non-album single |
"Djevojačko prezime" | 2011 | Maya |
"Voljela sam s tobom sve" | ||
"Kaldrma" | ||
"Amajlija" | ||
"Leti ptico slobodno" | 2012 | Djevojka sa juga |
"Alkohol" | 2014 | Opasne vode |
"Čime me drogiraš" | ||
"Pauza" | 2016 | non-album single |
"To me radi" (featuring Jala Brat and Buba Corelli) |
Viktorijina tajna | |
"Izvini tata" | non-album singles | |
"Legalna" (with Leon) |
2017 | |
"Problem" (with Aca Lukas) |
2019 | Uspavanka za ozbiljne bebe |
"Zmaj" / "Uloga" | Intime | |
"Rampampam" (with Caneras) |
2021 | non-album singles |
"Ale ale" | 2022 | |
"Do kostiju" | 2023 |
- 1987 births
- Living people
- People from Ilijaš
- People from Bratunac
- 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers
- Bosnia and Herzegovina folk-pop singers
- Grand Production artists
- City Records artists
- BN Music artists
- Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriates in Serbia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriates in Austria