Aleksandra Melnichenko
Serbian former singer and model (born 1977) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aleksandra Melnichenko (née Nikolić; Serbian: Александра Мељниченко, née Николић, romanized: Aleksandra Meljničenko; born 21 April 1977), also known as Sandra Meljničenko (Serbian Cyrillic: Сандра Мељниченко), is a Serbian [1] philanthropist and a former singer and model. She is married to the Russian billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko.[2][3][4]
Aleksandra Melnichenko | |
|---|---|
Александра Мељниченко | |
Aleksandra Melnichenko | |
| Born | Aleksandra Nikolić 21 April 1977 |
| Other names | Sandra Meljničenko |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1997–2001 |
| Labels | |
Early life
Aleksandra "Sandra" Nikolić was born and grew up in Belgrade, the capital of former Yugoslavia, to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother. Her father was an architectural engineer and her mother was an artist.[3][5] Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, Aleksandra held both Serbian and Croatian citizenship.[2][6]
Sandra was educated at the 11th Belgrade Gymnasium, before enrolling in the Faculty of International Management in Belgrade.[3]
Career
At the age of 15, while still in high school and before enrolling into Belgrade University's Faculty of Management, Aleksandra launched herself into a successful first career in fashion, winning international recognition as a model and, from 1996, regional fame as a member of the original cast of the Balkans' leading girl band Models. She returned to full-time modelling in 1998, working with leading international agencies while living in Europe's fashion capitals.[7][8][6][9]
Aleksandra Melnichenko has focused on philanthropy, mainly supporting children's education and the arts. Over time, the family's foundation and the companies the Melnichenko family invested in have donated nearly US$500 million to charity.[10]
Personal life
In 2003, in France, Aleksandra met entrepreneur and investor Andrey Melnichenko.[11] The couple married two years after their first meeting, in September 2005, and started to spend an international life between different continents and countries.[12][6]
Aleksandra and Andrey have since welcomed a daughter (2012) and a son (2017).[13][6]
Aleksandra and Andrey Melnichenko own two superyachts designed by Philippe Starck: Sailing Yacht A and Motor Yacht A, which reportedly cost $500 million and $350 million to build, respectively,[11][14] and are considered to be "one of the most advanced superyachts on the water" with "environmentally-friendly innovations."[15]
In 2023, Serbian singer Sara Jo collaborated with Serbian rapper Mimi Mercedez on a track called "Sandra Meljničenko", after Aleksandra. The track was included on Jo's debut album Bez kontrole that was released on 21 June of the same year.[16]
References
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