Sanela Sijerčić

Sanela Sijerčić is a Bosnian folk singer, born on 24 September 1976 in Sarajevo, where she still lives. She is best known for "Srce od papira", the title song of her 2000 album, and for hits such as "Lažu te", "Otrov zmije", "Biću njegova, izvini" and "Evo rane". In 2006 she received a Folk Oscar, and she was named female singer of the year in Bosnia.

She grew up in a Sarajevo mahala with her mother Kadira and father Sakib, sang in her primary school choir and as a soloist, and travelled with the orchestra of the folk ensemble KUD Saobraćajac. She finished a dental technician school and later studied telecommunications. In 1991 she reached the final of an audition with Amela Zuković and Ljuba Aličić on the jury, but the start of the war cut it short. During the war she recorded her first song, "Jorgovani", at the Bubamara studio in Dobrinja, worked with TV BiH and got the nickname Princeza after a song of that name; "Komšija" was a hit of hers in those years.

Her albums are Kap po kap (1995), Odgovori (1998), Srce od papira (2000), Rođendan (2002), Fenix (2005) and Bivša draga (2008). It was with the label Intakt that she recorded "Srce od papira", the folk hit that defined her career, and other favourites include "Zemlja nek' se trese", "Srce u prašini", "Ludo sam te voljela", "Sama sam" and "Numero si uno".

Personal reasons interrupted her career more than once, and she stepped back from active recording and performing in 2009. The archive of the broadcaster BHRT holds a number of her sevdalinka performances and historic videos.