Selma Bajrami

Selma Bajrami (born 4 July 1980) is a Bosnian singer, songwriter and media personality. She began her music career by releasing her debut album Kad suza ne bude... (1998) at the age of 18. Bajrami has released nine studio albums to date and is considered one of the most popular female singers from Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[1]

Bajrami was born in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of SFR Yugoslavia, to a Bosniak mother, Enesa (née Suljić; 02 March 1960), who was born in the village of Kuge, and a father, Fadil Bajrami (30 March 1957), who is of mixed heritage — half Bosniak – born in Lukavac – and half Albanian, as his father Redžep Bajrami (08 September 1933 – 12 April 2013), Selma’s grandfather, was born in Gjilan (now in Kosovo) and later emigrated to Tuzla. She grew up in the nearby village of Mramor, where she spent the entirety of the Bosnian War (1992–1995), during which she started singing in kafanas. She has a sister, Fahira (13 July 1977), and a brother, Enis (12 September 1984). In 1996 she moved back to Tuzla where she finished a cosmetology school.^[2][3][4]

Bajrami started singing professionally at the age of 13, performing at local festivals and venues.^[5]

Bajrami made her debut in 1998 with the album Kad suza ne bude..., released by the record label Nimfa Sound. Early in her career, she gained attention with hits such as Njemu osmijeh, meni suze, Šta će žena ta?, and Nije moja majka kriva.

Shortly after her debut, Bajrami also became a member of the all-female pop group IF from Tuzla. Between 1999 and 2000, the group released three songs: Ne vjeruj muškarcima, Ne mogu bez tebe, and Ako se desi.^[6]

In 1999, she released her second studio album Ljubav si ubio gade, which brought her nationwide popularity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and established her as one of the most promising young performers. The album produced several hits, including Pijanico, Život liječi rane, Mrva hljeba, and the title track. The song Nikad od tebe čovjeka was written for her by acclaimed singer-songwriter Dino Merlin.

Her third studio album, Revolucija, was released in June 2001. This marked her first appearance on the Serbian music scene, where she performed on TV Pink and Grand Production shows. The album was released by Nimfa Sound in Bosnia and Herzegovina and by Grand Production in Serbia. Saša Popović, director of Grand Production, introduced her on the show Grand Show as the most popular singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The album featured popular songs such as Svi ste vi isti, Otvori se, zemljo, and Oči zelene.^[7][8]

Her fourth studio album, Žena sa Balkana, was released in 2002 and was her final release with Nimfa Sound. The album included notable tracks such as Nana, Škorpija, and Žena sirena, the latter of which became one of her signature nicknames.^[9]

In 2003, Bajrami competed in the Bosnian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She finished in sixth place in the final with the song Zaljubljena.^[10]

After ending her contract with Nimfa Sound, she released her fifth studio album Kakvo tijelo Selma ima on December 27, 2004, under the Saraton and Song Zelex labels. A reissue was released in April 2005 by Hayat Production. Songs such as the title track, Tijelo uz tijelo, and Kad iza sebe pogledam solidified Bajrami’s status as one of the leading pop-folk artists in the Balkans. On this album, Bajrami was credited as the composer of Divlji zov and Prva ljubav, and as the lyricist of Ljubavi jedina. Notably, in 2010, a demo version of the song Muška suza surfaced on YouTube, performed by Dragana Mirković.^[11]

The media reported that Selma was initially selected to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song C’mon Boy. However, just days before the national selection, the song was withdrawn. The songwriter, Aleksandra Kovač, decided to keep the song for herself and later won an MTV award with it.^[12]

In 2006, she recorded a duet with Enes Begović titled Gdje će ti duša, which appeared on his album that same year.

Bajrami’s sixth studio album, Ostrvo tuge, was released on April 25, 2007, by Grand Production and sold over 200,000 copies, making it her best-selling album to date. The standout tracks included Ostrvo tuge, Promijeni se, Korak do nervnog sloma, and Lijepe žene. The video for the title track was shot in Skopje in late 2006. The album also featured a duet with Aca Lukas titled Kad se ne da, ne da se. The song Tako si hladan was written by Bajrami herself

From October to December 2008, Bajrami competed in the second season of the talent show Zvijezde sa zvijezdama, where she and her partner Enver Lugavić Kice won the competition.^[13]

In 2009, she released the single Đavolica featuring rapper Deda in July, followed by the duet Šta je od Boga, dobro je with Macedonian singer Elvir Mekić in November. The single Farmerice, along with its accompanying music video, premiered on December 24, 2009. In March 2010, she competed in Grand’s Axal III Show with the song Rukujmo se kao prijatelji.

Her seventh studio album, Zakon sudbine, was released on June 2, 2010, marking her final release under Grand Production. The album sold over 100,000 copies and included hits like Voli me do bola, Bakšiš, and the title track. The song Nemoj da se šališ was written by Bajrami herself.

In January 2011, she released a reissue of Zakon sudbine via Hayat Production. That same year, Hayat TV aired her reality show Voli me do bola, in which Selma searched for dancers and models for the music video of the title song, which was filmed in August.^[14][15]

On December 19, 2013, she released the single Nisam ti oprostila as a lead single from her eighth studio album Selma, released on July 23, 2014, through City Records and Hayat Production. Notable tracks from the album include Tijelo bez duše, Nisam ti oprostila, and Samo tvoje oči.^[16][17]

On October 9, 2015, she released the duet Mlađe slađe with Enela Palavra via IDJ Tunes. The song quickly became a hit and has garnered over 15 million views on YouTube.

In May 2016, she released single Zvjerka, whose TV performance on Zvezde Granda Specijal has accumulated over 33 million views on YouTube.^[18]

On December 16, 2016, she released the emotional single U zemlji krvi i meda, inspired by the tragic wartime love story of Boško and Admira, often referred to as the Romeo and Juliet from Sarajevo.^[19]

Bajrami compiled the singles she had released between 2015 and 2024 into a full-length album titled Embargo, which was officially released on August 30, 2024. She stated that the album had been in the making for ten years and represents a chapter of her life during that period.^[20]

In 2025, she announced that she was working on her tenth studio album, in collaboration with a new team of songwriters and producers.^[21]

Bajrami met her first husband, Zoran Vučković from Sarajevo, in March 2003 in the Croatian city of Makarska, where they married six months later.^[22] They divorced in February 2004.^[23][24]

Selma met her second husband, a Bosnian man named Mujo Musić in July 2011, during a performance of hers at the Modrac Lake by Lukavac.^[25] They were wed on 22 December 2011 in front of 100 guests at the hotel Tuzla in the same city, having been engaged a month.^[26] Bajrami moved with her second husband to his home in Vienna, Austria. The couple filed for divorce in October 2014.^[27]

Bajrami was about two months pregnant on her wedding day and although she had a birth due date of 4 July 2012,^[28][29] her 32nd birthday, she gave birth via caesarean section^[30] to a baby boy named Daris seven days later than expected on 11 July 2012 in Vienna.^{[31][32][33][34]}

Selma did not celebrate her son's first birthday in 2013 as he was born on the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. She has stated that she will never celebrate his birthday on that date out of respect for the victims.^[35]

On December 23, 2020, custody of her son Daris was granted to her former husband. Bajrami later stated in the media that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she lacked legal assistance. Meanwhile, her ex-husband submitted multiple false claims about her to the court. Because she did not respond to the lawsuit, the court interpreted this as agreement with the allegations, resulting in custody being awarded to her ex-husband.^[36]

Bajrami has been publicly involved in a custody battle over her son, Daris. Reports indicate that her former husband restricts Daris from contacting her by phone while the child is in his care. In June 2025, Selma shared a comment from Daris on her TikTok video, expressing his longing for her despite the restrictions.^[37]

Selma currently lives in a town near Vienna, called Purkersdorf.^[38]

On January 23, 2009, TV Vogošća aired Selma’s music video for the song Nana at 7:10 PM, in which she plays a teacher handing out candies to children. Following the broadcast, the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CRA) issued a written warning to the local TV station TV Vogošća, stating that the message of the music video calls into question the welfare and dignity of children and minors.^[39]

On February 28, 2010, Bajrami was attending a friends birthday party in Belgrade, when she was attacked and assaulted by a drunk man.^[40][41][42] She was treated in a hospital and sued her assailant.^[43]

Earlier, Bajrami denied media reports in September 2008 claiming that a schizophrenic man attempted to approach the stage with a chainsaw during one of her performances in nightclub near Srebrenik.^[44][45]

On September 20, 2023, former football player Elvir Bolić made a controversial remark mentioning Bajrami’s name in a negative context related to a VIP lounge at a football match. She responded publicly, accusing him of seeking publicity and stating, “I’m used to people who’ve wasted their opportunities trying to attach themselves to my name.” She sarcastically invited him to attend the next game together while singing her song Lijepe žene.^[46][47]

During a 2023 appearance on AmiG Show on TV Pink, Bajrami called out the host Ognjen Amidžić for asking singer Era Ojdanić an inappropriate question about the youngest woman he had slept with. She later condemned Ojdanić’s behavior, saying that he “drooled the entire time and could be my grandfather.”^[48][49]

On November 25, 2023, a video surfaced of Bajrami performing the wedding song “Valle Kosovare” while making the “Double-Headed Eagle” hand gesture, a symbol associated with Albanian identity. The video went viral in Serbian media, leading to a media backlash and criticism from figures such as Jovana Jeremić, Maja Nikolić, and Dragan J. Vučićević, among others.^[50][51]

On January 22, 2024, Bajrami was denied entry into Serbia upon landing in Belgrade from Vienna. Serbian authorities cited “security concerns.” Shortly afterward, Serbian politician Aleksandar Vulin publicly stated that he had personally issued the ban.^[52][53][54]

In response, Bajrami appeared on N1, denying any animosity toward the Serbian people and emphasizing that many of her collaborators and friends are Serbian. She stated that the gesture she made represented belonging to the Albanian people, not support for “Greater Albania,” as portrayed by some Serbian media outlets.^[55][56]

Bosnian politician Elmedin Konaković commented on the incident, calling Serbia’s actions “a black hole,” and criticized Vulin for issuing bans based on personal or political disagreement.^[57][58]

Later, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated during a TV Pink news segment that Selma Bajrami and Severina were “haters of the Serbian people.” However, in a subsequent appearance, he announced that both would be allowed to enter Serbia again. Both artists later stated they would not return while Vučić remained in power.^[59][60][61]

In December 2024, Bajrami expressed public support for Serbian students who were protesting university conditions and demanding accountability after a tragic incident in Novi Sad, where the collapse of a roof structure killed 16 people.^[62]

In July 2025, singer Jelena Karleuša publicly criticized Bajrami for liking a post on social media referencing the suspension of Karleuša’s Instagram accounts. Bajrami responded with a sharp retort, continuing their public feud.^[63]

• Kad suza ne bude... (1998)
• Ljubav si ubio gade (1999)
• Revolucija (2001)
• Žena sa Balkana (2002)
• Kakvo tijelo Selma ima (2004)
• Ostrvo tuge (2007)
• Zakon sudbine (2010)
• Selma (2014)
• Embargo (2024)

• 1999: "Ne vjeruj muškarcima" (with IF)
• 2000: "Ne mogu bez tebe" (with IF)
• 2000: "Ako se desi" (with IF)
• 2003: "Zaljubljena"
• 2005: "To vodu ne pije" (with Amir Kazić Leo)
• 2006: "Gdje će ti duša" (with Enes Begović)

• Najveći hitovi (2007)
• The Best of Selma Bajrami (2011)