Maja Nikolić

Maja Nikolić, born Marija Nikolić on 11 April 1975, is a Serbian pop singer who was born and raised in Niš. She finished the Svetozar Marković Grammar School there and began her singing career in the early 1990s by competing at music festivals.

Her breakthrough came in February 1994 at the International Music Fair MESAM in Belgrade, where "Odlazi" won three first prizes. Her debut album Sad me pronađi followed in 1995 on PGP-RTS. She has named singer Maja Odžaklievska as her musical influence and a supporter in those early days.

In May 1998 she took part in the Slavianski Bazaar in Odesa and Saratov with "Više nisi moj" and "Đelem, Đelem", arranged by her frequent collaborators Vladimir Graić and Željko Joksimović, and as the winner she performed on Red Square. The same year she released her second album, Uzmi me, with "Uzmi me", "Varali me svi" and "Ako veruješ", and in February 1999 she held her first solo concert at Sava Centar.

After the third album, Iz inata (2000), Maja Nikolić moved to the United States. She performed at Harry's Velvet Room in Chicago, opened Diana Ross's charity concert for disabled children at the China Club in New York, and sang "Something to Talk About" at the 7th Golden Satellite Awards. She also studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles.

Back on the Serbian scene she released Za moju dušu (2006), Crveno (2011) and Zemlja čuda (2018). She has entered the Serbian Eurovision selection many times: Beovizija 2003 with "Granica", 2004 with "Otrov u malim bočicama", Evropesma 2006 with "Kad ti treba", Beovizija 2007, Beosong 2013 with "Blagoslov", Beovizija 2018 with "Zemlja čuda" and Pesma za Evroviziju 2025 with "Žali srce moje". She is also known as a reality television personality, and she has two sons.