Sara Briški Cirman, better known by her stage nameRaiven, is a Slovenian singer, songwriter, and harpist. She first garnered wide recognition while competing in EMA 2016 with the song "Črno bel", where she placed second. Raiven went on to return to EMA in 2017, placing third with "Zažarim", and has competed again in 2019 with the song "KAOS", placing second. Her debut studio album Magenta was released in 2017. In 2019 she released an EP album REM.
Career
Raiven grew up in a family that raises falcons, and she often poses with the birds in her album artwork. Raiven began her musical work at the age of four, when she enrolled in Ljubljana's :sl:Glasbena matica|Glasbena Matica. With the harp as her chosen instrument, she finished both the lower and upper music schools. She attended Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet and specialised in harp, jazz singing and solo singing. In 2015 she continued her musical education at Ljubljana's :sl:Akademija za glasbo v Ljubljani|Academy of Music, from which she graduated in 2018. She has been awarded many times for her achievements in classical music. In 2014 she began making and releasing music under her artistic name Raiven and released a song called "Jadra", which she made in cooperation with Tadej Košir and Jernej Kržič. The song was also accompanied by a music video. A second single called "Bežim" followed in September 2015. She released her debut album "Magenta" on April 21, 2017 and in November of the same year she previewed her second music video for the song "Povej". On July 19, 2018, she was awarded the :sl:Zlata piščal |Zlata piščal – an award which is given out by the Slovenian cultural and artistic society of the same name – for achievements in Slovenian popular music. On October 30, 2018 she released the video for the new single called "Nisem kriva", which was made in collaboration with a songwriter July Jones and producer Peter Khoo. On February 27, 2016 she competed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest for Slovenia during the national final Evrovizijska Melodija and took second place with the song "Črno bel". A year later she finished third, this time with the song "Zažarim". On February 24, 2018 Raiven hosted the EMA in 2018, together with Vid Valič, and gave a performance during the televoting. In May 2018 she was named the head of the Slovenian jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. In 2018 she also made theatre debut, when she portrayed Cassandra in a "Trojanke". The play - newly translated by Jera Ivanc and directed by Jaša Kocel - opened in April at Nova Gorica's :sl:SNG Nova Gorica|Slovenian National Theatre. On February 16, 2019 she introduced "KAOS" at EMA and finished second. The following day she released her first EP "REM". From which she released a single "Širni ocean" on April 4, 2019. On July 4, 2019 she performed for the first time at the festival Exit in Novi Sad on the third biggest stage there Fusion Stage.
