Stojanka Novaković[note 1] (Serbian Cyrillic: Стојанка Новаковић pronounced ; born 4 June 1972), known by her stage name Stoja (Стоја), is a Bosnian Serbian pop-folk singer.

She released her first album, Kako je meni sada, through Lazarević Productions in 1998. Later, she chose to release her albums through the record label Grand Production, owned by Saša Popović and Lepa Brena, and within a short time Stoja became one of the most popular and respected singers in the Balkans. She is currently signed to BN Music.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Discography 5 Videography 6 Notes 7 References 7.1 Sources 8 External links Early life

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. Although some media outlets have wrongly cited Bosnia and Herzegovina as her birthplace, she clarified her origin on the talk show "Ništa lično" (Nothing Personal) in November 2012. She was raised in Perlez, where she lived until the age of 25.[1]

She is said to have received her uncommon and strong voice from her father, Milan.[2] 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

Novaković began singing as an amateur in kafanas and discothèques in 1987.[3] 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.[4] That first album became a big success.[5] Later that year, she signed with the label Grand Production, owned by Lepa Brena, and released her second album, Ćiki, ćiki in 1999.[6] The album featured multiple hit songs, the biggest being "Ćiki, ćiki".

She has worked with her longtime friend and songwriter Stevan Simeunović on almost all of her songs since the beginning of her career. Stoja released the EP Osveta with two songs in 2006 with the band Južni Vetar.[7]

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 bathing in a bathtub full of peppers.[8][9][10][11]

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.[12]

Following the release of Nije da nije, Stoja began releasing non-album singles including "Bela ciganka",[13] "Ola ola",[14] "Takvog dečka hoću ja",[15] "Lila lila", and "Ti brate imaš sve".

Personal life

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.[16] 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."[17] She became a grandmother at age 33 when her son Milan's first child was born.[18]

Since 2007, she has lived in Belgrade,[2] more specifically the Bežanijska kosa neighborhood in New Belgrade.[3][19] 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.[20] 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.[21][22]

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.[23][24][25]

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.[26][27][28][29]

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.[30]

Discography Kako je meni sada (1998) Ćiki, ćiki (1999) Samo (2000) Evropa (2001) Zakletva (2003) Starija (2004) Metak (2006) Do gole kože (2008) Naj, naj (2009) Nije da nije (2013) Videography 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) Notes ^ Stoja has changed her birth name Stojanka in previous nickname and stage name Stoja in 2008.[31][32] References ^ Stoja - Ništa lično intervju, 02.30 - 03.10 ^ a b "STOJA NOVAKOVIĆ". BalkanMedia. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ 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. ^ "Kako je meni sada". Discogs. 1998. Retrieved 10 September 2012. ^ "Official Website of Stoja". Stoja. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "Ćiki, ćiki". Discogs. 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2012. ^ "Stoja - Osveta". iTunes. 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2015. ^ "Kupka u ljutim papričicama! (video)". BalkanMedia. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Revolucionarno kupanje! (spot)". BalkanMedia. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Šta radi kupačica u paprikama ljutim?". BalkanMedia. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Revolucija". Amazon. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Stoja smršala 12 kilograma pred promociju novog albuma!". Kurir-info. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Stoja snimila novu pjesmu 'Bela ciganka'". Ekskluziva. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2015. ^ "Premijerno: Stoja predstavlja novu pesmu u Bravo showu". Svet. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015. ^ "FOLKERKA HOĆE DEČKA KOJI VOZI CRNI MERCEDES I DA IMA MILIONE, AVIONE I KAMIONE". Opera 17. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015. ^ "Stoja Novaković: Sve glasnija svadbena zvona". Story. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Stoja Novaković u tužnoj ispovesti: Jako mi nedostaju roditelji". Svet Plus. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Baka Neda đuska k'o devojka". Vesti. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Stoja Novaković preživela pakao! Prijavila otmicu svojih unuka policiji!". Svet Plus. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Opet problemi u braku: Stoja oterala muža!". Svet. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Stoja Novaković pokušala da izvrši samoubistvo!". Svet. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Stoja htela da izvrši samoubistvo!". Blic. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Stoja teško podnosi majčinu smrt!". BalkanMedia. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Stoja u depresiji zbog majčine smrti". SvetPlus. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Stoja pevala dve nedelje posle majčine smrti". SvetPlus. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013. ^ "Stoja doživela saobraćajnu nesreću! Udario je šleper". SvetPlus. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "Stoju udario šleper!". Scandal. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "STOJA NOVAKOVIĆ - Stoju udario šleper!". BalkanMedia. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "Stoja: Dobro je da sam izvukla živu glavu". SvetPlus. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "Stoja i Šemsa Suljaković intervju". YouTube. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^ "Stojanka Novaković promenila ime". balkaniyum.tv (in Serbian). Svet. 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016. ^ "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 "Stoja - Ništa lično intervju". YouTube. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012. External links Official Site Official Facebook Profile Authority control MusicBrainz: 2e55bfac-89d5-42c9-8100-26ccb8d5ebf4