Silvana Armenulić

Lore & Background

Zilha Bajraktarević was born in Doboj, the third of eleven children in a Bosnian Muslim family. Her father owned a cake shop called Jagoda. She survived diphtheria as a child and began singing early, learning mandolin in elementary school. By eighth grade she had lost interest in school and became a local kafana singer.

She adopted the stage name Silvana after the Italian actress Silvana Mangano, because friends said she resembled her. She married tennis player Radmilo Armenulić in 1960; they had a daughter, Gordana, in 1965. The marriage ended after Radmilo allegedly cheated with singer Lepa Lukić, though they remained legally married until her death. Her biggest hit, 'Šta će mi život,' was written by Toma Zdravković, whom she had helped early in his career after finding him sleeping on a bench in Leskovac in 1958.

Reader's Guide

Silvana Armenulić's significance lies in her status as a defining voice of sevdalinka and Yugoslav folk music. Her song 'Šta će mi život' (1970) is regarded as one of the best-selling singles in the former Yugoslavia, and her career included recordings with labels such as Diskos, PGP-RTB, and Jugoton, as well as appearances in TV sitcoms like 'Ljubav na seoski način' and films like 'Građani sela Luga.' Her legacy endures as a symbol of the multiethnic cultural landscape of Yugoslavia, reflected in her own ethnically mixed marriage. The song's writer, Toma Zdravković, later expressed regret over the hit, feeling it foreshadowed her early death. She remains a revered figure in Balkan music history.

Did You Know?

• She was the third of eleven children in a Bosnian Muslim family.