Ceca

Svetlana (Ceca) Ražnatović was born June 14, 1973 in Žitorađa, Serbia. Hailed by many as the most popular Serbian singer, she is very popular in the Balkan region. Her early work followed the style of traditional Serbian folk music but her musical range evolved into a blend of folk-dance-pop that is very distinctive which many call Turbo Folk. While she has a very loyal base of largely female fans, Ceca's career has been steeped in controversy for years. In 1995 she married Željko Ražnatović Arkan, leader of the paramilitary forces involved in war between the former Yugoslavia and Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and again in 1999 during the war in Kosovo. Arkan's group was linked to many military atrocities during this time period. However, for many people in Serbia, Arkan was a war hero, and his marriage to Ceca was celebrated on television and in newspapers. Arkan was assassinated on January 15, 2000 in Belgrade's congressional center Sava, leaving Ceca and their two children, Veljko and Anastasija behind. Since then Ceca has been arrested, attacked by the media and even been called a war criminal herself for her mere association with Arkan. Many call her a bad memory from the Slobodan Milošević period in Serbian history, but she continues to be Serbia's reigning pop queen. Ceca's most recent album "Idealno Loša" was released in 2006. Her latest single is "Vreme Za Ljubav Istiće" (Time For Love Is Passing), a duet with Oliver Mandić. Ceca has recently been on the run from the police somewhere outside Serbia. She has been charged for stealing money from selling football players mostly to Russian football clubs from the FC Orlić which is her property, as well as other criminal acts. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison. It is believed that she will never face justice. Tabloid speculation as of late has been that at the beginning of this year, Ceca fled to Cyprus. Despite the controversy surrounding her, she remains very popular and a role-model to other Turbo-folk artists, from her music to her fashion style (e.g. Tanja Savić, Azis, Indira Radić...)