Zuzi Zu


Zumreta Midžić, known by her stage name Zuzi Zu, is a popular Bosnian artist: singer, musician and songwriter. She performs various music genres from pop-rock to Bosnian folk - sevdalinka and Gypsy music. She was born in Velika Kladuša, Bosnia and Herzegovina and for many years she was living and working in Sarajevo.

Biography

Zuzi Zu developed two parallel and separated : one was in economics and the other was in music.
She graduated with Bachelor of Economics, from University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Economics. After the graduation she found employment in Government of Socialistic Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Department for planning of economic development as an adviser for tourism and trade.
She is continued her academic career and she granted at The Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands.
At the same time she was studying economics, she also attended Sarajevo's Secondary Music School – Department of solo singing. She was also a member of the Choir of Radio Television of Sarajevo. Maestro Julio Marić, conductor of the Choir, selected her to sing backing vocals for the Festival "Vaš Šlager Sezone" in 1976 when songwriter Kemal Monteno won it with the famous song "Sarajevo, ljubavi moja".
After that she participated as a backing vocalist, alongside young singer Gordana Ivandić in the Great Yugoslav Tour of "Indexi" and Zdravko Čolić. Later these two ladies formed disco duo "Rock Hotel" and released single "Disco/Blue jeans". After disintegration of “Rok Hotel” this duo joined male singer Mirza Alijagić and formed disco group "Mirzino jato". The period from 1979 to 1982, while she was a member of the group, was marked with some of the greatest Yugoslav disco hits such as “Apsolutno tvoj”, “Normalna stvar”, “Charter Flight” etc.
In the midst of eighties she’s began cooperation with “Bijelo dugme", the greatest rock group of former Yugoslavia. She sang backing vocals on the album "Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo" and participated on subsequently eponymous Yugoslav Tour of the group.
During all these years Zuzi Zu’s also performed old Bosnian folk songs called sevdalinka. Famous interpreter of sevdalinka Himzo Polovina supported her to record the first sevdalinka song "Moj beharu ko li mi te bere" for the Musical Production of Sarajevo's Radio and Television. Aftar that she recorded about 20 of sevdalinka with National and Tamburitza Orchestra RTV Sarajevo. With one of the most prominent and popular performers of the Bosnian traditional music sevdalinka Safet Isović and his Omer Pobrić Orchestra in the late '80s and early '90s she sang at concerts and parties in Bosnia, Germany and Austria.-
In the year 1991 she recorded her first solo album "Noćas ja ludujem". The author of all songs was Milić Vukašinović Mića famous composer of rock and folk songs.
The winds of Yugoslav war broke her two careers and brought her, first, to Italy and then to Netherlands.
In Italy she sang sevdalinka in the Turin's Folk Club and in the year 1993 she participated at famous Genoa's Mediterranean Festival.
In Netherlands she has cooperated with Amsterdam's gipsy orchestra Ogto Gadje and in the year 2002 they recorded joint CD "Ogto Gadje II". There she sang four famous gipsy songs.
2005 she returned to Sarajevo. There she joined the band formed by Željko Bebek, Mladen Vojičić Tifa and Alen Islamović, the three former singers of "Bijelo dugme". Next four years under the name "Kad sam bio bijelo dugme" band was touring all-around Europe and countries of Balkan region.
Zuzi Zu was preparing nearly 5 years her second solo album. So far she recorded 18 songs: “Vatra”, "Trepavica", "Čičak", "Plava banana", "San o ljubavi", "Ederlezi”, “Ružica si bila”, “Žena istoka”, “Reanimacija”, "Morska pjena", “Where Love Has Gone”, “Dove l’amore”, “Trag ljubavi”, “Waar ben je gebleven”, “Delija”, "Lutka od gume", "Imal jada k'o kad akšam pada" and "Uspavanka". The standalone CD named "Vatra" consisted of 10 tracks, of which six singles already has videos and they are: "Vatra", "San o ljubavi", "Morska pjena", "Ederlezi", "Trag ljubavi" and "Delija". Collaborators on CD audio tracs and videos are Studio Kobac, Studio Futa Radulović and Dejan Miličević from Belgrade. Than Studio Al, Studio Tempo from Sarajevo and Invenio Films from Bijeljina. Zuzi Zu appears as an author, singer, producer and stylist.
She participated in the Tv Pink reality of Farma 5 in 2013.
Zuzi Zu was also announced as part of the supporting stage team for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the performance at Eurovision 2016, but later withdrew her participation in the project.

Filmography

Zuzi Zu sang in several Yugoslav films. The most important are these:
The first one is the film "Nacionalna klasa" by director Goran Marković. She performed back vocals in a main musical theme of the film named "Floyd" and she also sang a song named "Hoby" where punk for the first time was introduced in Yugoslav music.
The author of all music was Zoran Simjanović.
The second one is the movie "Dom za vešanje" by director Emir Kusturica. There she sings the backing vocals for the famous song "Ederlezi" that later became the trademark of the whole film.

Discography

Solo albums