Following the initial ten years of her career, Berović rose to substantial regional popularity by collaborating with rappers Jala Brat and Buba Corelli on her albums Viktorijina tajna (2017) and 7 (2018).[1] Her song "Pravo vreme" is one of the most-viewed music videos by an Ex-Yu artist.[2] During her first major headline Pravo Vreme Tour, Berović performed in the sold-out Belgrade Arena, in November 2018, and broke the record for the most visited concert in the venue.
Subsequently, she released Intime (2020) and Milion (2023).
Early life
Maja Berović was born 8 July 1987 in the village of Malešići, part of the Ilijaš municipality near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Serb parents. Her birth name was often falsely reported as "Maida" and her ethnicity has been disputed in the media.[3][4][5] She lost her father when she was three years old.[6] Berović lived in Malešići alongside her mother and older brother until the end of the Bosnian War in 1995, when she relocated to Bratunac where her mother was originally from. In a 2016 interview, Berović described her childhood during the Bosnian War:
"I had the bad fortune to belong to the generation that grew up during the war in Bosnia. I carry many ugly, and beautiful memories from that period of my life. The ugly memories include my family's relocation in search of a peaceful life, even though, at the time, I was not fully aware of the horrors of the situation. I spent most of my days playing, like any child."[7][8]
In Bratunac, she attended school and first began practising music. From the age of 12 she used to sing in local discothèques every weekend until she turned 18. Berović grew up listening to artists such as Dragana Mirković, Lepa Brena and Ceca and lists them as her musical influences.
Career
Berović began performing professionally during her early teenage years.[9] In August 2007, her debut album, Život uživo, was released through Grand Production. The album, which was written by Marina Tucaković and produced by Aleksandar Milić Mili, spawned the popular song "Džin i limunada".[9]Život uživo was followed by Crno zlato, released in December 2008 under IN Music. Subsequently, in February 2011, Berović released her third self-titled album through BN Music. It produced "Djevojačko prezime", which Berović describes as her signature hit.[9] The song also won the award for the 'Hit of the Year' in Sarajevo[10]
In October 2012, Maya released Djevojka sa juga under the Belgrade-based label City Records. The following April, she also had her first performance in Belgrade.[11] In April 2014, Berović participated in the Pink Music Festival with a club-oriented song, called "Alkohol", produced by Damir Handanović.[12] The song was later featured in the 2022 Netflix movie The Swimmers.[13] Subsequently after its release, "Alkohol" was included to her fifth album, Opasne vode, released on 27 October 2014. In addition to an updated and slightly different sound, the new record was also accompanied by a new image.[14][15] According to Berović, the album marked an important milestone of her gaining popularity in Serbia.[9] Both Djevojka sa juga and Opasne vode were sold in 50,000 copies each.[16][17] In March 2016, Berović released her commercially successful single "Pauza" singing in Ekavian dialect instead of Ijekavian, which is dominantly spoken in Bosnia. The transition saw criticism from the audience, which perceived that Maya was trying to appeal more to Serbian market. In her own defense, Berović stated that the choice had been made due to the fact that the song was written by Serbian songwriters.[18] However, she continued singing in Ekavian even when working with Bosnian songwriters.
On her 29th birthday, Berović released the single "To me radi" featuring Bosnian rappers and producers Jala Brat and Buba Corelli.[19] Its music video amassed over 70 million views. She continued working with the duo on her commercially acclaimed album Viktorijina tajna, which was released on 2 July 2017 through City Records.[20] It was sold in 50,000 copies.[21] As of December 2022, all nine music videos from the album have collectively accumulated over 340 million views on YouTube. To promote it, Berović embarked on a regional tour, which additionally included dates in the United States.[22] The following July, she released her subsequent seventh studio album through her independent label XL Elit Invest.[23][24] It included nine tracks, again written and produced by Jala Brat and Buba Corelli,[24] which have collectively, as of December 2022, amassed over 350 million views and over 18 million streams on Spotify. The album featured a duet with Buba Corelli, titled "Pravo vreme", which alone has collected over 130 million views and is recognized as one of the most viewed music videos by an Ex-Yu artist.[2] In November 2018, as a part of her regional tour, also called Pravo Vreme, Berović held a concert in the Belgrade Arena to 18,000 people.[25] According to the media reports, the concert was also one of the fastest-selling events in the venue's history.[25]
In July 2020, Berović held an online concert via Serbian streaming service YouBox, which was viewed by 260,000 people.[26][27] On 6 August, Maya released her eight studio album, titled Intime.[28] The album charted in Austria and Switzerland. Ten tracks from Intime collectively accumulated over one hundred million views by the end of the year.[29] In October, Berović released a makeup collection, called Maya Beauty Line.[30] Her ninth album, Million, was released in July 2023.[31]
Personal life
On 31 July 2016, Berović married Alen Dragosav.[32] On 21 February 2022, Berović welcomed her first son, named Lav.[33] She currently reside between Graz, Austria and Belgrade, Serbia.[34] Berović is an Eastern Orthodox Christian.[35]
Maya reached the milestone of one million followers on Instagram in October 2020.[36]
