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Senidah
Slovenian singer-songwriter (born 1985) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Senida Hajdarpašić (pronounced [senǐda xǎjdarpaʃitɕ]; born 9 April 1985), known professionally as Senidah (pronounced /sɛˈniːdə/), is a Slovenian singer-songwriter. Often dubbed the "Balkan Trap Diva" by the media,[1] she first rose to prominence in the early 2010s as the lead singer of the band Muff. She later gained mainstream popularity across the former Yugoslavia with the release of her solo single "Slađana" in 2018.
"Slađana" was featured on her debut album Bez Tebe (2019), which garnered critical acclaim in the Balkans. Between 2019 and 2021, she released a series of commercially successful standalone singles, including "Mišići", "Kamikaza", "100%", "Replay", and "Dođi", a collaboration with Dino Merlin. Her sophomore album Za Tebe (2022) was preceded by singles "Behute", "Jadnaja", and "Dva prsta". Her third album, Sen i Dah (2025), was preceded by five commercially successful singles and supported by major concerts across the former Yugoslavia.
Senidah has received seven nominations at the regional Music Awards Ceremony (MAC) and has won three, including the Golden MAC for Authenticity award in 2020.
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Early life
Senida Hajdarpašić was born 9 April, 1985 in Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia. Her parents were Bosniaks from Bihor near Bijelo Polje, Montenegro.[2][3][4][5] Regarding her nationality, Senidah stated that she was "born in Yugoslavia and will forever remain a Yugoslav".[6] She grew up listening to American music such as Guns N' Roses, Michael Jackson, and 2Pac, as well as traditional sevdalinkas.[5] She has one older sister. When Senidah was a small child, her family was involved in a car accident which claimed the life of her father. As a result, her mother became a widow in her twenties.[5] Senidah's singing talent was discovered by her sister, who would record her singing and post it on the internet.[7] Before her career in music, she worked for a company in the banking industry. [8] When Senidah was 27, her mother passed away from an illness.[8][9]
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Career
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Early beginnings and Muff
In February 2011, Senidah released her debut solo single "Pustinjom", featuring Slovenian rapper Zlatko. Soon after, she joined electro soul-pop band Muff as the lead vocalist.[10] Their first single "Ti Daješ" was released in July 2011.
In March 2014, Muff took part in the preselection contest to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the entry "Let Me Be (Myself)". They finished in second place; Tinkara Kovač won with the song "Round and Round." Muff's eponymous album was released in November 2014. Their EP Unity was released in April 2018.
2018–2019: Breakthrough, "Slađana", and Bez Tebe
In March 2018, Senidah released her solo trap single "Slađana" in Serbian. After the song had gained some traction on YouTube, the Belgrade-based label Bassivity Digital offered to re-upload the music video to their official channel. Soon, "Slađana" went viral and has accumulated nearly than 70 million views as of November 2025. Senidah continued collaborating with Bassivity Digital, releasing her next single "Belo" in June 2018. She was also featured on "4 Strane Sveta" by Coby, the founder of Bassivity, as part of the soundtrack to Serbian film South Wind.[11][12] In December 2018, Senidah released two more singles, "Bez Tebe" and "Nisi Bio Tu", the latter of which describes a loss of faith following the car accident which took her father's life.
In January 2019, Senidah won the Hip-Hop/Rap Song of the Year Award with "Slađana" at the 2019 Music Awards Ceremony.[13] In March, she released the English-language single "Ride" under Universal Serbia, which had been recorded a couple of years prior. Her debut solo album, Bez Tebe, was released in March 2019, entirely in Serbian.[14]
2019–2021: Stand-alone singles
On 21 April 2019, Senidah performed at the Bassivity Showcase event at the Belgrade Sports Hall, alongside Bassivity Digital collective.[15] She released "Mišići" and "Sve bih", the latter featuring Atlas Erotika, with the Slovenian label FCKN A! in April and May 2019, respectively. "Mišići" achieved great success, with 92 million views on YouTube as of November 2025. In the summer of 2019 she performed at Exit Gang and the Sea Dance Festival.[16][17] In July, she co-wrote Đogani's single "Dodiri."[18] On 9 August, she released an English-language single, "202".[19] In mid-August, media started a rumour that Senidah was internally selected to represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020;[20] however, the rumour turned out to be false.[21] She would later state that she would participate in the Eurovision Song Contest only if she were able to represent the entire former Yugoslavia.[22]
On 15 August 2019, the single "Kamikaza" by Bosnian rap duo Jala Brat and Buba Corelli was released featuring Senidah.[23] The single was a great commercial success, charting on the Ö3 Austria Top 40. On 26 September, Austrian rapper RAF Camora posted a snippet of his upcoming collaboration with Senidah on his Instagram story. The song, titled "100%," was released on 28 November 2019, alongside the music video that was shot in Barcelona, Spain.[24] It peaked at number three in Austria and debuted at number 28 on the Official German Charts on 6 December, becoming the first song in any variant of Serbo-Croatian to enter the chart.[25][26] The video has over 100 million views on YouTube as of November 2025.
As of January 2020, Senidah is the first musician from the region to reach 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.[27] On 27 January 2020, she performed "Mišići" live at the 2020 Music Awards Ceremony. That night, she presented Oliver Mandić with the Career Achievement Award. She also won two awards herself: the Trap Song of the Year Award for "Mišići," presented to her by Jelena Karleuša, and a special Golden MAC for Authenticity Award that was awarded to her by the organizers.[28]
Although she denied it at the Music Awards Ceremony a month before, Telegraf reported in late February 2020 that Senidah collaborated with renowned Bosnian musician Dino Merlin on a song.[29] According to the media, Merlin wrote the song and they shot a music video in Istanbul.[30] However, Senidah denied the rumours once again on Instagram Live. On 1 March 2020, Senidah released the music video for "Samo uživaj," shot at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Belgrade.[31][32] On 12 May 2020, she released the music video for "Ko je," directed and produced by Senidah herself. The video was shot at the streets of Ljubljana, which were deserted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] Three days later, she released the single "Piješ."[34] In August 2020, she released new single "Viva Mahalla."[35]
Senidah began 2021 by releasing "Dođi," her highly anticipated duet with Dino Merlin.[36] On 12 February 2021, Senidah released a collaboration with her long-time collaborator and friend, Slovenian producer Cazzafura, entitled "Deca techna." On 12 May 2021, she released "Replay" in collaboration with the Italian fashion brand of the same name. The song represented a significant change in Senidah's sound, a switch from her usual trap sound to jazz-rock.[37][38] The music video, released the same day, surpassed a million views within the first day. On 3 July 2021, Senidah performed at the 20th annual Zagreb Pride in Ribnjak.[39] She concluded the year by releasing the single "Fama" on 24 December.[40][41]
2022–2023: Za Tebe
Senidah started her 2022 by releasing her new single "Behute" on 28 January.[40][41] The song features flamenco sonic textures and the lyrics call upon Bosnian folk traditions. "Behute" entered Austrian and Swiss charts,[42] becoming her third and second entry on each respectively. On 15 February 2022, "Behute" became the first song to top Billboard's newly introduced Croatia Songs chart,[43] while also debuting at number five on the Austria Songs chart.[44] "Behute" was succeeded by singles "Jadnaja,"[45] "Druga Strana,"[22] and "Play With Heart"—the lattermost of which served as the official anthem of Women's EHF Euro 2022[46]—all within the first half of the year. In early July, it was confirmed that Senidah and Konstrakta would co-headline that year's EuroPride, held in Belgrade.[47] On 17 November 2022, Senidah took to Instagram to reveal the title, cover art and tracklist of her sophomore Serbian-language studio album Za Tebe. It featured "Behute," "Jadnaja," and the third single "Dva prsta," which had been released on 2 November.[48] The album was released a day later, on 18 November.[49]
On 2 June 2023, Senidah performed at the Red Bull Sound Clash live show with Lepa Brena, held at the Belgrade Fortress.[50] During the remainder of 2023, Senidah released the music videos for Za Tebe tracks "Level" and "Senida,"[51][52] as well as featured on "Mediteran" from Who See's 2023 album Kako jeste i kako je moglo.[53] "Level" reached the peak of number five on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart.[54]
2024–present: Sen i Dah and major concerts
On 28 February 2024 (Luka Dončić's 25th birthday), Senidah released "#77", a song dedicated to her Slovenian compatriot.[55] In April, she released "Greh" in collaboration with producer Cazzafura, and "Delija," both accompanied by music videos.[56][57] "Delija" was followed up by a string of commercially successful singles — "Alo alo",[58] "Idi gade",[59] and "Omen"[60] — all of which charted on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart,[61][62][63][64] with "Delija" charting in Austria as well.[65] On 30 August, Senidah released the single "Omen"[60] on the same day she held a concert at Tašmajdan Stadium in Belgrade.[66] The concert attracted a crowd of 10,000, among them Lepa Brena and Nataša Bekvalac, while Coby joined Senidah on stage to perform "4 Strane Sveta".[67] On 1 October 2024, Senidah released "Phuket." The music video version of the track contained only non-lyrical vocals,[68] while the lyrical version was released to streaming services.
On 17 February 2025, Senidah revealed the cover and tracklist for her third solo studio album Sen i Dah. The same evening, she uploaded her Tašmajdan concert on YouTube in its entirety,[69] coupling it with the release of a live album format on streaming services under the title Live from Belgrade.[70] Sen i Dah was released on 25 February 2025, featuring prior singles "Delija", "Alo alo", Idi gade", and "Omen".[71] On 17 March 2025, Senidah was revealed as the cover star of the spring issue of the Croatian edition of Elle.[72] A day later, she released the music video for Sen i Dah album track "Moj si high." The video, which was created by Bosnian computer engineer Damir Ličina,[70] retells the story of Hades and Persephone using heavy use of artificial intelligence (AI).[73] "Moj si high" debuted and peaked at number ten on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart.[74] On 6 June 2025, Senidah released Sen i Dah (Deluxe Edition) in the form of an extended play (EP). The EP contained two new tracks and two which were reworks of previously released singles "Greh" and "Dopamin."[75] On 20 June 2025, Senidah released "Bandida," her first Spanish-language collaboration with Mexican singer Adriel Favela.[76] On 25 June 2025, albums 25 by Marko Louis and Dar i kletva by Coby were released; they included duets with Senidah, "Bulbule" and "Siroče," respectively.[77][78] On 16 July 2025, Senidah was revealed as the cover star of the summer issue of Vogue Adria.[79] On 25 September 2025, the music video for "Bulbule" was released.[80]
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Artistry
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When asked about who would be her American counterpart, Senidah named Alicia Keys "because of her emotion" and Mary J. Blige "because of her aggression," as well as Chris Brown "because of his stage presence."[81] Regarding her stage presence, she said: "On stage I love the freedom to experiment. I feel like Wonder Woman on stage."[79] Known for her unique vocal color, Senidah told Klix.ba that she was hoarse even as a baby, which resulted in the voice she has today: "My mom's coworkers always thought I was a boy because of the way my voice sounded."[82] She told Telegraf in 2024 that, until "Replay", she felt like the audience thought she could not sing.[83]
Senidah expressed her resistance to being pigeonholed into genres, which are strictly segregated in the former Yugoslavia: "You're either folk, or pop. I don't want to be either. Neither one—I want to be something else entirely. I love mixing. Someone once said I'm like Šemsa from New York, which I really liked."[79] She is notable for blending contemporary R&B with Balkan folk music.[84] She expressed her love of sevdalinka—stating that her favorite sevdalinka song is "Zapjevala sojka ptica,"[84] and adding that she loves her stage name because it reminds her of the word "sevdah"[81]—as well as her fascination with Bosnian sevdalinka musician Božo Vrećo. Senidah also named Dino Merlin her influence, pointing out that he "gave her a lot both as a musician and a soul she can feel."[85]
Senidah credited her late mother as her main songwriting inspiration,[86][87] and stated that she prefers to compose melodies because "the emotion is strongest in them."[88] Talking about the idiosyncratic syntax and archaic vocabulary that her lyricism is known for, Senidah said: "I truly love that entire heritage, those beautiful words. All languages [i.e. varities of Serbo-Croatian] have gorgeous words—and they should be used. From every language, take the most beautiful. When I worked only in Slovenian, I didn't have access to all those words—for thirty‑odd years I couldn't express myself like that, but I always looked forward to it, all those sevdalinka words I grew up with. It's beautiful. Why not put only the most beautiful words in songs?"[79]
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Public image
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Throughout life I often felt I belonged nowhere—like people thought, "you're not one of ours." It's true: I didn't have a Slovenian name, though I'm from Slovenia. I have a Bosnian name, though I'm not from there. My roots are from Montenegro. As a child I often visited relatives in Macedonia, but I also feel at home in Serbia. Over time I realized it's my greatest advantage. It shaped my music.
–Senidah for Vogue Adria, 2025[79]
Senidah is notable for her rapid rise to fame and critical acclaim in the former Yugoslavia.[89][90] Zvonimir Milaković of Story.hr credited her for "starting a new music wave with her song 'Slađana.'"[90] She is known for her specific vocals and singing style,[91] with Novosti's Lujo Parežanin dubbing her a "terrifically convincing singer, so [convincing] that the majority of regional pop scene seems like a group of amateur singers after her,"[92] as well as for her extravagant and androgynous appearance.[40][93][86] Her fame in the former Yugoslavia led Red Bull's Vojkan Bećir to characterize her as "what once were Brena or Čola."[94] Furthermore, due to her biographical "Yugoslav-Balkan arc: a Slovenian musician whose parents are Montenegrin Bosniaks, and whose music is released by [Belgrade-based] Bassivity," Parežanin stated that "she is not just a performer who happens to be extremely popular in the region [...] – this destroyed and tortured region of ours belongs to her."[92] Miloš Dašić of City Magazine described Senidah as a "product of the pop culture of this region over the past 50 years. [...] Senidah has become the music all people listen to. Our people, right here. Senidah is both Lepa Brena and Darkwood Dub."[95]
Vogue Adria's Tara Đukić wrote: "From her first solo appearance after leaving the funk band Muff, it was clear that Senidah was taking a new turn — aesthetically, musically, and conceptually — one rooted in the legacy of '90s kitsch. Yet in her music, she boldly plays with those Balkan codes in her own unique way. Ethno sounds like soul, trap and R&B become mainstream, and as she blends and unites seemingly incompatible genres, she refuses to be placed into any category." Đukić further stated that, after Bez Tebe, "Dođi" was "more a confirmation than a turning point—a sign that it was time to take her seriously—while [Za Tebe], written in collaboration with voices like Bojana Vunturišević and poet Radmila Petrović, became a kind of feminist manifesto."[96]
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Personal life
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While answering fans' questions on the show Nešto drugačije, Senidah was asked about her sexuality to which she replied: "I love people. I don't look at who they are or what they are. It is only important that I find you okay and that's it. I love good people. Uncorrupted people." The response sparked debates about the singer's possible bisexuality.[97][93] In an interview with the Serbian edition of Hello!, she said that rumours about her sexuality do not bother her and that she's "in an emotional relationship with music."[98] Senidah implied her bisexuality once again in a 2024 interview with Nova.rs.[99] In 2025, on the show Metar moga sela, she revealed her late mother had once asked her if she was a lesbian.[100]
On 15 May 2021, amidst the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Senidah criticized the Government of Slovenia on Instagram for expressing support to Israel by hanging its flag on the Government Building alongside the flags of Slovenia and the European Union, stating that she was ashamed to be a Slovenian citizen.[101][102] At her Skenderija concert on 1 August 2025, Senidah raised the flag of Palestine on stage, calling the audience to hear the Palestinians' plea for help amidst the Gaza Strip famine.[103]
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Discography
Albums
Awards and nominations
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Notes
References
External links
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