Biljana "Bilja" Krstià(Serbian Cyrillic: ÃÂøÃÂðýð ÃÂøÃÂð ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂøÃÂ, Serbian pronunciation: [bÃÂÃÂana bÃÂÃÂÃÂa kà ÂéÃÂstitÃÂ]; born 9 November 1955) is a Serbian and Yugoslav singer and songwriter.
Starting her musical career as a teenager, KrstiÃÂ gained nationwide popularity as a member of the rock band Suncokret. She later moved to the band Rani Mraz, with which she also achieved large commercial and critical success. She started her solo career in 1983, releasing three mostly pop rock-oriented albums and one children's music album to moderate success. In the late 1990s she started performing ethnic music, to large critical acclaim and mainstream success in Serbia and abroad. With her backing band Bistrik Orchestra, KrstiÃÂ has recorded six studio albums with covers of traditional songs from the Balkans and performed on world music festivals across the world. She has composed music for film, television and theatre.
Biljana KrstiÃÂ started her career as a teenager, in 1972, as a member of the band Bubamare (Ladybugs) from Leskovac. After graduating from highschool, she started her studies of music at the Belgrade Music Academy.
Krstiàjoined the band Suncokret in 1975. With the band she recorded the studio album Moje bube (My Bugs, 1977) and four 7-inch singles, achieving nationwide popularity. In 1978 Krstiàand Bora ÃÂorÃÂeviàleft the group and joined the newly-formed Rani Mraz, led by ÃÂorÃÂe Balaà ¡eviÃÂ. ÃÂorÃÂeviàwould soon leave the band, but Krstiàwould remain, alongside Balaà ¡eviÃÂ, the only official member of the band until its official dissolution in 1981, recording the albums Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu (To my Mom instead of a Prom Photo in the Shop-Window, 1978) and Odlazi cirkus (The Circus Is Leaving, 1980) with the group.
Krstiàstarted her solo career in 1983 with the album Prevari noÃÂas svoje druà ¡tvo sa mnom (Cheat on Your Friends with Me Tonight). The album featured songs written by Josip BoÃÂek and ÃÂorÃÂe Balaà ¡eviÃÂ. It was followed by the albums Iz unutraà ¡njeg dà ¾epa (From the Inner Pocket), released in 1985, and Bilja, released in 1994, featuring songs written by a number prominent musicians and songwriters from the Yugoslav rock scene, including Kornelije KovaÃÂ, SrÃÂan à  aper, Nebojà ¡a KrstiÃÂ, MomÃÂilo BajagiÃÂ, à ½ika MilenkoviÃÂ, Duà ¡an Mihajlovià"Spira", Radoman Kanjevac, Bata ZlatkoviÃÂ, and Nikola ÃÂuturilo. In 1990 she released the children's music album Loptom do zvezda (With a Ball to the Stars), featuring songs from the TV show SreÃÂan put u XXI vek (Safe Trip to the 21st Century). The songs were written on poems of children's poets Miroslav AntiÃÂ, Slobodan Stanià ¡iàand Vladimir AndriÃÂ.
During these years, she made numerous appearances as a backing vocalist on albums by various artists from Belgrade and worked as a music editor on Radio Belgrade.
KrstiÃÂ turned to ethnic music with her 2000 album Bistrik (a word play which could be roughly translated as Area of Clean Water), produced by Ljuba NinkoviÃÂ and featuring covers of traditional songs from Serbia, Romania, North Macedonia and Hungary. The album was originally released through One Records, and was later reissued by the Greek branch of V2 Records. In 2001, the TV show based on the songs from Bistrik and entitled RuÃÂni rad (Handicraft) was made. The show won the fourth place at the Rose d'Or festival in Montreux.
In 2003, Krstiàreleased the album Zapisi (Inscriptions), featuring songs originally written for Zdravko à  otra's 2002 film Zona Zamfirova and Boà ¡ko Buha Theatre play à  argor, directed by Milan Karadà ¾iÃÂ. She recorded the album with her Bistrik Orchestra, featuring Ljuba Ninkovià(formerly of S Vremena Na Vreme, shargia, guitar, vocals), Branko Isakovià(formerly of Suncokret, Bulevar, Propaganda, Idoli and Kerber, bass), Dragomir "Miki" Stanojevià(formerly of Poslednja Igra Leptira, keyboards), Nenad Josifovià(violin), Milinko Ivanovià(flute, duduk), Maja Kislinski (percussion, vocals), and Ruà ¾a Rudiàand Nataà ¡a Mihaljinac (backing vocals). Besides covers of traditional songs, like "Jovano Jovanke", "Ergen deda" and "Kozar - zurli treà ¡tat na sred selo", the album featured the song "à  argor kolo" composed by Ljuba NinkoviÃÂ.
The albums Bistrik and Zapisi brought international attention to Krstiàand Bistrik Orchestra. In 2005 Krstiàperformed in São Paulo as a member of the Mediterraneo Orchestra, composed of world music artists from across the world.
In 2006, Bilja Krstiàand Bistrik Orchestra released the album Tarpoà ¡, named after a traditional women's cap from the Balkans and featuring covers of traditional songs. The album was recorded with new members of the Bistrik Orchestra: Ninkoviàand Isakoviàwere replaced by KrstiÃÂ's former bandmates from Suncokret Nenad Boà ¾iàand Bata Boà ¾aniàrespectively, and the group was joined by backing vocalist Nevenka RadoniÃÂ. Tarpoà ¡ was released in Serbia through PGP-RTS, and internationally by German record label Ituition Schott Music. It was pronounced by one of top ten 2007 albums by the British music magazine Songlines, and KrstiÃÂ's song "The Sad Letter" appeared on the magazine's compilation album Top of the World 44. In 2008, the band released the video album Bilja Krstiài Bistrik Orchestra â LIVE, with the recording of their concert held in Belgrade's Terazije Theatre on 27 November 2007.
In 2012 Krstiàstarted her vocal workshop at the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment. In 2013 Krstiàand Bistrik Orchestra recorded the a capella album Izvorià ¡te (The Wellspring) with ethnic musician Dimitrije "Mikan" ObradoviÃÂ. The album featured new covers of traditional songs from Serbia, as well as some of previously recorded covers in new musical arrangements. In 2017 Krstiàand Bistrik Orchestra released the album Svod (Sky) through the British record label ARC Music. The album featured covers of traditional songs from across the Balkans. In 2023 they released the album Biljur (Crystal) through Croatia Records, featuring covers of traditional songs with the topic of women's struggle for the freedom of choice.
Krstiàwrote music for Zdravko à  otra's 2002 film Zona Zamfirova, which was released on the album Zapisi. On the 2003 Herceg Novi Film Festival the film was awarded for the best score, and on the 2003 Mostra de Valencia film festival it won the First Award for Best Music. With Dragomir Stanojeviàshe wrote music for SrÃÂan KoljeviÃÂ's 2015 film The Man Who Defended Gavrilo Princip, and it was released on the soundtrack album Branio sam Mladu Bosnu (I Defended Young Bosnia, the literal translation of the film's original title). She wrote music for the TV series à  esto ÃÂulo (Sixth Sense) and co-wrote the music for the TV series Crna svadba (Black Wedding) with Dragomir StanojeviÃÂ.
Bilja Krstiàworked with Tenores di Bitti "Mialinu Pira", David D`Or, Marta Sebestyen, Yanka Rupkina, Amira Medunjanin, Tamara Obrovac, Bojan Zulfikarpaà ¡iÃÂ, Vlatko Stefanovski, Nenad VasiliÃÂ, Magda Dourado Pucci, Vasko Atanasovski, Vlado Kreslin, Bora DugiÃÂ, Boban Markoviàand Marko Markoviàand others.