Samantha Maya

Samantha Maya is a Slovenian pop singer of the younger generation, born Samantha Maya Šolaja on 7 May 1999. She grew up in Slovenia, going to primary school in Prebold and secondary school at the Gimnazija Celje – Center, and she sings in Slovenian: that is why she is on Muzika-Balkan. Her career is on the Slovenian scene, and with her band she has played the Radio SI Mainstage, Zorica, Orto Bar and Pogačarjev trg on New Year's Eve.

Before singing she danced, and as a pupil she led the dance group of her school in Prebold. She sang in competitive choirs from primary school to the end of secondary school, which is where her recognisable, many-voiced choral sound comes from, and she took singing lessons with Alya and Raiven. As a teenager she started out with the band The Takeover, which from 2019 became her backing band. She studied at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana and holds degrees in pedagogy and andragogy and in philosophy.

In 2017 she won the first Slovenska nota, a singing competition held in Hrastnik, which brought her the first media attention. In January 2019 she released her first song, "Do neba", on Menart, and it went onto the radio. "Na drugi strani" and "Dotik" followed the same year, made with Žan Serčič. Then she began working with Kevin Koradin and Clifford Goilo: "Glas" (June 2020) was song of the week on Val 202, and "Venera" (November 2020) came with an EP of the same name.

"Sanjava (Runaway)" (April 2021) was among the three most played Slovenian songs of that month on the SloTop50 chart. In 2022 she recorded her first duet, "Le spomin", with the singer Stella, and released "Adrenalin" and "Yin & Yang". After "Past" (2023) and "Melanholija" (2024) came her first full album, Sophia, in May 2024, with the single "Amor". In 2025 she sang "Horizont" at the 44th Melodije morja in sonca and won the most votes from the viewers. The playlist gathers her album and singles up to "Vrane" (2026).