Ceca (singer)

Ceca
Цеца
Ceca performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameSvetlana Veličković
Born (1973-06-14) June 14, 1973 (age 51)
Prokuplje, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
GenresPop-folk
Occupations
  • Singer
  • TV personality
  • businesswoman
InstrumentVocals
Years active1988–present
Labels
Spouse
​
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(m. 1995; died 2000)​

Svetlana Ražnatović (née Veličković; Serbian Cyrillic: Светлана Ражнатовић, née Величковић; pronounced [sʋětlana raʒnǎːtoʋit͡ɕ]; born 14 June 1973), better known as Ceca (Serbian Cyrillic: Цеца, pronounced [t͡sěːt͡sa]), is a Serbian singer. Born in Prokuplje and raised in Žitorađa, she made her recording debut in 1988 and has collectively released sixteen studio albums.

Dubbed the "Serbian Mother" (Srpska majka), she is recognized as one of the commercially most successful Serbian artists of all time with collective sales of seven million records.[1][2][3] Furthermore, with 150,000 attendees, her 2013 concert in Ušće, Belgrade was one of the highest-attended concerts in the world.[4] In 2023, Ražnatović also became the youngest recipient of the Life Achievement Award at the Serbian Folk Music Assembly.[5]

Between 1995 and 2000, Ceca was married to Serbian mobster and war criminal[6] Željko Ražnatović 'Arkan', with whom she has two children. In 2011, Ceca was convicted of embezzlement and illegal firearm possession.

  1. ^ "Beauty and the beast". The Guardian. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2004.
  2. ^ "Uklonjen video "Junaci doba zlog: Svetlana Ražnatović – srpska majka"". N1 (in Serbian). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Oni su bili najtiražniji izvođači: Brena, Šaban, Zorica, Miroslav i Halid prodali najviše ploča!". Mondo.me (in Montenegrin). 23 January 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Ceca surpassed Lady Gaga and Madonna: Usca's concert was the third most visited in the world" (in Macedonian). Sloboden Pečat. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  5. ^ Vasiljević, N. (27 April 2023). "Ceca je najmlađa dobitnica nagrade za životno delo: Progovorila o trudnoći ćerke Anastasije". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  6. ^ "THE PROSECUTOR OF THE TRIBUNAL AGAINST ZELJKO RAZNJATOVIC also known as "ARKAN"" (PDF). 23 September 1997.