Dražen Žeric
Encyclopedia
Dražen Žerić Žera is a Bosnian
singer and one of the founders and the leading vocal of a famous Bosnian band, Crvena jabuka
(The Red Apple).
Noted for his spiky hair and a specific texture of his voice, he remains one of the most recognizable vocals of the entire area of Former Yugoslavia
.
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
(then Yugoslavia).
Both of his parents were teachers by profession. Žera has one brother, Damir, who lives in Geneva
, Switzerland
.
Žera grew up in Sarajevo
where he attended music school for piano.
In early 1984 Zlatko Arslanagić - Zlaja formed the band with his mates Drazen Rici, Drazen Žerić, Aljosa Buha and Darko Jelcic. That was the beginning of Crvena jabuka.
Crvena jabuka quickly became one of the most successful bands in Yugoslavia topping charts y ear after year, from 1985 to 1990. In 1986 on the way to a concert in Mostar, near Jablanica lake the entire band had a terrible car accident where lead singer Drazen Ricl- Zijo and guitarist Aljosa Buha died immediately. Other band members including Zera were badly hurt. A year passed after the accident and fans were expecting them to continue with Zijo's music. Zera and Zlaja had some songs that Zijo wrote and composed so they named Zera, who was a keyboard player at the time before the accident, the lead singer.
After some time Žera became recognized as one of the biggest teenage idols along with Momchilo Bajagić Bajaga
and Boris Novković
.
The band's so called Yugoslav years ended in 1990 by winning the prestige Messam music award in Belgrade
which crowned their most successful album Tamo gdje ljubav počinje
(There, where love begins).
Žera spent two years under the Serbian siege in Sarajevo doing humanitarian work and charity concerts along with singers Kemal Monteno
, Mladen Vojičić Tifa and Zlatan Fazlić-Fazla.
By the end of 1994 Žera moved to Zagreb
, Croatia
. He was quickly granted Croatian citizenship and in the early 1995 he signed the contract with a Croatian music label Tutico, reuniting Crvena Jabuka along with their original drummer, Sarajevo native, Darko Jelcic-Cunja.
A comeback album U tvojim očima was released in the spring of 1996 and it was a huge success. Since then, the band released four studio albums and one concert album selling more than 500 thousand copies worldwide which made them the best selling band of all times from former Yugoslavia, ahead of the most famous Yugoslav band ever, Bijelo dugme
.
Constant touring took toll on Žera's health. His extensive drinking habits had been reported many times. In 1998 he was pulled over by the Croatian police on the Croatian-Slovenian border and later detained reportedly for not appearing at the Municipal Court in Zagreb where he was due for the trial in the court case in which he was accused for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The case was later dismissed and Žera was given probation.
Žera lives in Makarska, Croatia. In private life, he has got married just a couple months ago, which is the reason for the band's upcoming album entitled Volim Te
(I Love You).
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
singer and one of the founders and the leading vocal of a famous Bosnian band, Crvena jabuka
Crvena jabuka
Crvena jabuka is a Sarajevo-based pop band that originated in 1985, and since then has remained very popular. They were also a part of the so called New Primitives movement that occurred in the 1980s in the Former Yugoslavia territory....
(The Red Apple).
Noted for his spiky hair and a specific texture of his voice, he remains one of the most recognizable vocals of the entire area of Former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
.
Early years
Žera was born on the 20th of July 1964, to Bosniak parents Šemša and Nedžib in the city of MostarMostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
(then Yugoslavia).
Both of his parents were teachers by profession. Žera has one brother, Damir, who lives in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Žera grew up in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
where he attended music school for piano.
In early 1984 Zlatko Arslanagić - Zlaja formed the band with his mates Drazen Rici, Drazen Žerić, Aljosa Buha and Darko Jelcic. That was the beginning of Crvena jabuka.
Crvena jabuka quickly became one of the most successful bands in Yugoslavia topping charts y ear after year, from 1985 to 1990. In 1986 on the way to a concert in Mostar, near Jablanica lake the entire band had a terrible car accident where lead singer Drazen Ricl- Zijo and guitarist Aljosa Buha died immediately. Other band members including Zera were badly hurt. A year passed after the accident and fans were expecting them to continue with Zijo's music. Zera and Zlaja had some songs that Zijo wrote and composed so they named Zera, who was a keyboard player at the time before the accident, the lead singer.
After some time Žera became recognized as one of the biggest teenage idols along with Momchilo Bajagić Bajaga
Bajaga
Bajaga can refer to:* Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga" - Serbian rock musician, frontman of Bajaga i Instruktori* Bajaga i Instruktori - Serbian rock band...
and Boris Novković
Boris Novkovic
Boris Novković is a Croatian pop singer. Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the former Yugoslavia, his interest in a musical career was cultivated by his family background, with a mother who taught music, and a father, Đorđe Novković, who was a leading Croatian songwriter and music manager...
.
The band's so called Yugoslav years ended in 1990 by winning the prestige Messam music award in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
which crowned their most successful album Tamo gdje ljubav počinje
Tamo gdje ljubav pocinje
Tamo gdje ljubav počinje is the fourth studio album from the Zagreb based pop rock band Crvena jabuka. The album was released in 1989.This album is mostly centered on love songs, and has six singles. After the release of this album there was a tour that lasted to near the start of 1990...
(There, where love begins).
War and post-war
In 1992 as the Yugoslav War advanced into Sarajevo, the entire Yugoslavian music scene toppled.Žera spent two years under the Serbian siege in Sarajevo doing humanitarian work and charity concerts along with singers Kemal Monteno
Kemal Monteno
Kemal Monteno is a popular Bosnian singer-songwriter. He was born to an Italian father and a Bosniak mother. He recorded his first song Lidija in 1967 and has enjoyed a prosperous career in the former Yugoslavia...
, Mladen Vojičić Tifa and Zlatan Fazlić-Fazla.
By the end of 1994 Žera moved to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He was quickly granted Croatian citizenship and in the early 1995 he signed the contract with a Croatian music label Tutico, reuniting Crvena Jabuka along with their original drummer, Sarajevo native, Darko Jelcic-Cunja.
A comeback album U tvojim očima was released in the spring of 1996 and it was a huge success. Since then, the band released four studio albums and one concert album selling more than 500 thousand copies worldwide which made them the best selling band of all times from former Yugoslavia, ahead of the most famous Yugoslav band ever, Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...
.
Constant touring took toll on Žera's health. His extensive drinking habits had been reported many times. In 1998 he was pulled over by the Croatian police on the Croatian-Slovenian border and later detained reportedly for not appearing at the Municipal Court in Zagreb where he was due for the trial in the court case in which he was accused for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The case was later dismissed and Žera was given probation.
Žera lives in Makarska, Croatia. In private life, he has got married just a couple months ago, which is the reason for the band's upcoming album entitled Volim Te
Volim Te
Volim Te is the latest release from the Sarajevo based pop rock band Crvena Jabuka. It was released in 2009. The album contains a wide array of love songs since vocalist Drazen Zeric got married the previous year.-Track listing:#Mnogo Ruza#Pravi Ljudi...
(I Love You).