Zana (band)

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Front cover of Zana's single "On", 1981

Back cover of Zana's single "On", 1981

Zana is a popular music group from Belgrade, Serbia, which was especialy successful during the 1980s in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

1 Early years
2 Mainstream commercial success
3 Zana solo
4 Zana without Zana
5 Video
6 External links

[edit] Early years

The band was formed in 1980 in Belgrade by Zoran D. Živanović- Kikamac (keyboards) and Radovan Jovićević - Radovan II (guitar). The band was named after its first and most popular frontress the ethnic Albanian from Belgrade Zana Nimani. The band released several singles before their first album Loše vesti uz rege za pivsku flašu ("Bad news accompanied by Reggae for a beer bottle") was released for the Yugoslav major label Jugoton in 1981. During this short and less known initial period Zana was a New Wave band and part of the Yugoslav New Wave music scene.

[edit] Mainstream commercial success

The band and especialy Zana Nimani herself gained nationwide popularity in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with their very successful second album Dodirni mi kolena released for Jugoton in 1982. With this album the band shifted towards more pop or power pop sound. However, certain traces of their previous new wave phase are still evident on this record as well as elements of the then-popular new romantic sound. The album was recorded in Torsby, Sweden from May 20 till June 25 1982 with the line-up: Zana Nimani (vocalist); Kikamac (ARP omnisynthesizer and piano); Radovan Jovićević and Igor Jovanović - Mali (guitar); Bogdan Dragović - Bogi (bass guitar and backing vocals); Pavle Nikolić - Paja Banana (drums); Bylla Gunnar Byllin (percussion); Goran Nillson (saxophone) and Tini (Roland guitar synthesizer).

Zana's third album "Natrag na voz" cover, 1983

In 1983 they release their album "Natrag na voz" including the pop-ballad hit "Jabuke i vino", a duet of Zana Nimani and Željko Bebek (the ex-frontman of Bijelo Dugme).

[edit] Zana solo

In 1985 Zana Nimani left the band and started a successful solo career as a pop singer. She released her solo album "Noćas pevam samo tebi" in 1986.

[edit] Zana without Zana

Despite Zana Nimani's departure, the band continued to work under the same name with a new vocalist: Nataša Gajović - Naca (1985-1988) which sings on the following albums: "Crvene lale" (PGP RTB 1985), "Otkinimo noćas zajedno" (PGP RTB 1987) and "Vlak" (Diskoton 1988) with guests such as Mladen Vojičić - Tifa and Laza Ristovski of Bijelo Dugme. Beside the arrival of the new vocalist the sound of the band also underwent severe changes to commercial pop music with frequent use of pop-folk (for example the songs: "Vejte snegovi", "Oženićes se ti" and others). After Naca left she was replaced by Nataša Živković (1989-1990), who sings on the 1989 album "Miš" (Diskoton 1989) which includes the pop folk hit "Rukuju se, rukuju". A guest on this album is the serbian popfolk and later turbofolk star Dragana Mirković.

The current singer Jelena Galonić joined the band in 1990. With her the group released the albums: "Nisam, nisam" (1991), "Tražim" (PGP RTS 1993), "Zanomanija" (PGP RTS 1997), "Prijatelji" (PGP RTS 1999) and "Kvaka" (PGP RTS 2001), mostly turbofolk oriented records without any connection to the band's earlier period when Zana Nimani was its vocalist.

In 2006 the group released the album "Kao nekad" which includes remixes of the older hits "Dodirni mi kolena" and "Vejte snegovi".