Bebi Dol

Dragana Todorović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгана Тодоровић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [drǎ.ɡa.na to.dǒː.ro.ʋitɕ]; née Šarić, Serbian Cyrillic: Шарић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [ʃǎ.ritɕ]), known under the stage name Bebi Dol (Serbian Cyrillic: Беби Дол, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [bêbi dôːl]), is a Serbian singer-songwriter and actress. She is recognised as one of the most prominent artists in the 1980s and is best known for representing SFR Yugoslavia on the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with "Brazil".

Bebi Dol
Dragana Todorović / Драгана Тодоровић
Bebi Dol in 1991
Background information
Birth nameDragana Šarić
Born (1962-10-02) 2 October 1962
Belgrade, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1970s–present
Labels
Associated acts

Life and career

Early life

Dragana Šarić was born 2 October 1964 in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia, to father Milisav, a military jazz musician, and mother Magdalena, who worked at the Television Belgrade. Due to her father's job, they moved to Copenhagen, Denmark when Dragana was only three months old, but eventually settled back in Belgrade during her school years. Under her father's influence, Šarić started playing piano from a young age and later gained early admission to Mokranjac Music School. She graduated from a regular gymnasium and attended Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade.

Career

Dragana Šarić started her professional career as a member of the less-known band Trakus in the late seventies.

She made her first studio recordings as a guest vocalist on the album Vrt svetlosti (Garden of Light) by Igra Staklenih Perli, released in 1980. The following year, Šarić formed short-lived band Annoda Rouge with her boyfriend Goran Vejvoda and guitarist Ivan Vdović, and also released her solo debut Oriental music inspired single "Mustafa"—that she composed together with Saša Habić.[1] In 1983, Šarić released her first solo album, Ruže i krv (Roses and Blood) under PGP-RTB.[2] During the same year, she also released the 12-inch single "Rudi", that beside the title track (referring to Rudolph Valentino) also featured a cover of The Supremes song "Baby Love".[3] She then spent two years performing in Sheraton hotel located in Cairo, Egypt. After returning to Yugoslavia, in 1986, she released the 12-inch single "How Good Not to Love". She won the eminent MESAM music festival with "Inšalah" (Insha'Allah), the satire on the position of women in Islam, which was later released on a split 7-inch single together with Zana Nimani's "Ruža na dlanu" (Rose on the Palm).[4] Šarić portrayed Ophelia in Hamlet, played during 1987 in Titograd National Theatre. She also appeared on the 1988 MESAM Festival, performing "Slatke suze ljubavi" (Sweet Tears of Love), and on the 1989 MESAM with "Kad sreća odlazi" (When Happiness is Leaving)—winning the Best Interpretation Award. In 1989, she also performed at the Gold Malaysian Festival in Kuala Lumpur and collaborated with Neil Rolnick.

In 1991, after several previous attempts, Bebi Dol was finally chosen as the Yugoslavian entry for the Eurovision with the song "Brazil" (Brasil). She infamously took only one point for the evening and also became the last artist to represent SFR Yugoslavia at the contest, as the country de facto ceased to exist later that year. Despite the results, the song acquired great popularity. Bebi Dol also received invitation to perform at the Sanremo Music Festival but was unable to attend due to wars on former Yugoslavian territory. After a four-year hiatus, in 1995, she released her second album: Ritam srca (Rhythm of the Heart).[5] Bebi Dol performed "Ruža" (Rose) at the 1999 "Child of Tomorrow" charity concert held in Helsinki, Finland, alongside other musicians from around the world.

In 2002, Bebi Dol released her comeback album Ljuta sam... (I'm Angry...), dedicated to all the people she lost in her life.[6] In December 2006, she dropped a cover album in English, entitled Čovek rado izvan sebe živi (Man Gladly Lives outside Himself) through Mascom Records.[7] In 2007, she released her first live album, Veče u pozorištu (An Evening in the Theatre), recorded on the concert held in February 2007 in Terazije Theatre. The album, beside the songs from her last album, features covers by Lenny Kravitz, Simon & Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, Louis Armstrong and Michael Jackson.[8] In 2008, Bebi Dol released compilation album ...Pokloni se... (Take a Bow) and held November concert in Belgrade's Sava Centar.[9]

In 2009, she appeared in the reality television show Farma and returned for its 2013 and 2015 seasons. In 2017, Bebi Dol was a contestant in the fourth Serbian season of Your Face Sounds Familiar, winning the first episode as Emeli Sandé.[10] The following year, she briefly participated in yet another reality series Zadruga, and in November performed at "Volim '80-e" (Love the 80s) concert in Sava Centar, alongside other popular performers from that decade.[11]

Personal life

During the 1980s, Šarić dated Croatian singer Massimo Savić, with whom she recorded duet "Sunce sja, trava miriše" ('Sun Shines, Grass Smells').[12]

In 2015, she married American-born Serbian professor of philology and Russian language Aleks Todorović and has allegedly changed her name to 'Danica Todorović'.[13]

Discography

Filmography
YearTitle GenreRole Notes
1986Protestni Album MovieFlora
2003Lisice TelevisionHerself
2009Farma Evicted (Series 1)
2013 Evicted (Series 4)
2015 Evicted (Series 6)
2017Tvoje lice zvuči poznato 10th place (Series 4)
Malesh MovieOldest daughter
2017/18Zadruga TelevisionHerself Evicted (Series 1)
2020Tajkun Folk singer Martina

See also

References
  1. "Mustafa"/"Na planeti uzdaha" at Discogs
  2. "Ruže i krv" at Discogs
  3. "Rudi" at Discogs
  4. "Inšalah"/"Ruža na dlanu" at Discogs
  5. "Ritam srca" at Discogs
  6. Ljuta sam... at Discogs
  7. "Čovek rado izvan sebe živi" at Discogs
  8. "Veče u pozorištu" at Discogs
  9. ...Pokloni se... at Discogs
  10. https://www.blic.rs/zabava/vesti/objasnila-bebi-dol-je-pobednica-prve-epizode-tlpz/ltbfbv7
  11. "BEBI DOL JE BILA U ZADRUZI, A SADA OTKRIVA KAKO DOŽIVLJAVA RIJALITI: Evo zašto je pristala da uđe u ovakav program!" (in Serbian). Kurir. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  12. "Bebi Dol: Sačuvano pismo za Massima", balkanmedia.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  13. "Bebi Dol o udaji i zašto je njen muž 'dečko kao san'" (in Serbian). Gloria.rs.

Sources
Preceded by
Tajči		 Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest
1991		 Succeeded by
Extra Nena for FR Yugoslavia
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