Zana is a Serbian rock and pop group formed in Belgrade in 1979.
Formed by guitarist Radovan JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, keyboardist Zoran à ½ivanoviàand vocalist Zana Nimani, Zana was initially a part of the Yugoslav new wave scene. With their second album they turned towards more commercial synth-pop and achieved large mainstream popularity. Until the mid-1980s the band had moved from their initial new wave and synth-pop sound towards pop rock and pop. After the departure of Zana Nimani in 1984, JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviàcontinued to lead the band, changing two vocalists, Nataà ¡a Gajoviàand Nataà ¡a à ½ivkoviÃÂ. During the 1990s, Zana worked as a pop trio consisting of JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, à ½ivanoviàand vocalist Jelena GaloniÃÂ. In 1999, JoviÃÂeviàleft the group, leaving à ½ivanoviàand Galoniàas the only official members of Zana. In the 2010s à ½ivanoviàand Galoniàformed a new Zana lineup, making a return to pop rock format.
Guitarist Radovan JoviÃÂeviàand keyboardist Zoran à ½ivanovià"Kikamac" started to work together in 1976, playing in several high school bands. At the end of the 1970s, they were both members of the band Suton (Dusk). On a school dance in Saint Sava elementary school in Belgrade, on which Suton performed, JoviÃÂeviàbrought his girlfriend-at-the-time Zana Nimani. She sang, having her first performance with JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviÃÂ. In 1979, JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, à ½ivanoviàand Nimani decided to start performing under the name Zana. The first lineup of Zana featured, beside JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, à ½ivanoviàand Nimani, guitarist Igor JovanoviÃÂ, bass guitarist Bogdan Dragoviàand drummer Aleksandar Ivanov.
The band soon managed to get a term to record some of their songs in Radio Belgrade's Studio VI, where they were spotted by lyricist Marina TucakoviÃÂ, who had previously worked with SrÃÂan MarjanoviÃÂ, DAG, YU Grupa, Bisera VeletanliÃÂ, Ambasadori, Dado TopiÃÂ, SlaÃÂana Miloà ¡eviàand other acts. She got interested in the band, and soon became their lyricist and an official member.
In 1980, Zana recorded their first 7-inch single, featuring the songs "Nastavnice" ("Hey, Teacher"), recorded with a children's choir, and "Sveta". They were declined by Belgrade-based record label PGP-RTB, but soon after signed for Zagreb-based Jugoton, which released the single. The band promoted the single on their live performances, alternative music saxophonist Paul Pignon occasionally performing with them. Zana had their first public performance in Belgrade in November 1980, performing as an opening act on Generacija 5 concert in Pionir Hall. Their followup 7-inch single was also suceessful, released as the double-A-side with the songs "Moj deda" ("My Grandfather") and "Pepito pantalone" ("Pepito Pants"). In 1981, Jugoton refused to give Zana unlimited time in studio to record their debut album, so the band moved to PGP-RTB, for which they released the reggae-influenced single "Leto" ("Summer"), intentionally releasing it in May, hoping it would become a summer hit. It was later revealed in the Yugoslav press that with "Leto" Zana plagiarized "Matador" by Garland Jeffreys, but it did not influence the song's success on the charts. Due to the success of "Leto", Jugoton agreed to Zana's terms, so the band signed back to Jugoton.
The band's debut album, Loà ¡e vesti uz rege za pivsku flaà ¡u (Bad News Accompanied by Reggae for a Beer Bottle) was released in 1981. It was recorded in Jugoton's Studio VI, and produced by the band members themselves. On the album, à ½ivanoviàwas signed as "Kikamac" only in order to avoid being confused with Zoran à ½ivanovià"Hoze" of the band Mama Co Co, to whom Kikamac's fees were often mistakenly paid. The album brought the hits "Jutro me podseÃÂa na to" ("Morning Reminds Me of It"), "On" ("He"), "Mià ¡evi beli celu noÃÂ" ("White Mice All Night") and "Loà ¡e vesti" ("Bad News"), the latter featuring altered lyrics, because Jugoton editors demanded the original politically provocative lyrics to be changed. In their home city the band promoted the album with a concert in Dadov Theatre. On a fund-raising concert in Sarajevo they performed as an opening act for Bijelo Dugme. The December 1981 mini-tour across Serbia was ended when Aleksandar Ivanov left the band due to his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav army. Ivanov was temporarily replaced by Pavle "Paja Banana" NikoliÃÂ, a former member of the band Dragoljubov Taxi.
The band's second album, Dodirni mi kolena (Touch My Knees) was recorded in Sweden during May 1982, with the help of saxophonist Goran Nillson, percussionist Byl Gunnar Byllin, and multi-instrumentalist, recorder and producer Tini Varga, who also coauthored lyrics for two songs on the album. During the album recording, TucakoviÃÂ stopped being the band's official member, but would continued to write lyrics for them. With Dodirni mi kolena the group moved to more commercial sound. The album brought synth-pop-oriented hits "Dodirni mi kolena", "Majstor za poljupce" ("Kisses Maestro"), "13 je moj sreÃÂan broj" ("13 Is My Lucky Number"), and the album saw high number sales. In September, the same month when the album was released, JovanoviÃÂ left the band due to his army stint, and was temporarily replaced by Aleksandar RaduloviÃÂ "Futa".
At the end of 1982, the band went on a tour across Serbia, Macedonia, Herzegovina and Dalmatia, however, the concerts saw bad reviews in the Yugoslav music press, as the band's live performances failed to reach the standards of their studio recordings. In May 1983, Jovanoviàand Ivanov returned to the band, and Nikoliàand Raduloviàleft. Soon after, Bogdan Dragoviàleft, forming the band Zamba with Aleksandar RaduloviÃÂ, guitarist Nikola ÃÂuturilo and drummer Predrag "Bata" JakovljeviÃÂ, the group releasing their only studio album, Udarac nisko (Low Kick), in 1983. Zana's new bass guitarist became Miloà ¡ Stojisavljevià"Cajger", a former member of Generacija 5.
In August 1983, Zana recorded their third studio album, entitled Natrag na voz (Back to the Train). The album was, as the band's previous release, recorded in Sweden and produced by Tini Varga. The album's biggest hits were the duet "Jabuke i vino" ("Apples and Wine"), sung by Nimani and à ½eljko Bebek (the band initially considered Daniel, Oliver MandiÃÂ, Jura StubliÃÂ, or Branimir "Dà ¾oni" à  tuliàfor the song) and "MladiÃÂu moj" ("My Boy"). The title track also featured Bebek on vocals. At the time of album release, the end of 1983, Ivanov left the band, and was replaced by Predrag Jakovljevià(formerly of Zamba). After leaving the band, Ivanov dedicated himself to a career in marketing. He has moved to New Zealand, where he hosted a music show on a local radio, played in The Beatles tribute band The Zeatles and in the band Melody Boys which performed covers of Yugoslav rock hits.
In February 1984, Zana went on a promotional tour, but as the audience showed little interest in their concerts, they ended the tour in March. Soon after, JoviÃÂiÃÂ and Kikamac went to serve the army, the band went on hiatus, and Nimani decided to start a solo career. After the release of her only solo album NoÃÂas pevam samo tebi (Tonight I Sing only for You) in 1986, she married, retired from music and eventually moved to Canada.
In 1985, JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviàreformed Zana with the new vocalist, Nataà ¡a GajoviÃÂ. With the album Zana, unofficially known as Crvene lale (Red Tulips) after the first track, released in 1985 and produced by Saà ¡a HabiÃÂ, they moved towards pop and pop rock sound. The album brought the hits "Joà ¡ ovaj dan" ("One More Day"), "Pahulje" ("Snowflakes") and "Nikad nedeljom" ("Never on Sunday"). Their next album, Otkinimo noÃÂas zajedno (Let's Get Crazy Tonight Together) was released in 1987. It was recorded with the new drummer Zoran "Babonja" Baboviàand produced by Duà ¡an Petrovià"à  ane". The album brought folk-influenced hit "Vejte snegovi" ("Fall Heavily, Snows"), which featured guest appearance by Boki Miloà ¡eviàon clarinet. The 1988 album Zana, produced by Tini Varga, featured Mladen VojiÃÂiàTifa, Laza Ristovski and Miroslav Sedak BenÃÂiàas guests. The album brought the hits "Oà ¾eniÃÂeà ¡ se ti, udaÃÂu se ja" ("You Will Get Married, I Will Get Married"), "Vojna poà ¡ta" ("Military Post") and "Vlak" ("Train").
In 1989, Gajoviàleft the band, retiring from music and moving to Saudi Arabia. Following her departure, other members also left the band, so JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviàreformed Zana with Nataà ¡a à ½ivkovià(vocals), Zoran Jakà ¡ià(bass guitar) and Saà ¡a Al Hamed (drums). The new lineup recorded the album Zana, also known as Rukuju se, rukuju (They're Saying Goodbye, They're Saying Goodbye) after its biggest hit. The album was produced by JoviÃÂeviÃÂ, à ½ivanoviàand Laza Ristovski and released in 1989. The track "E, moj doktore" ("Oh, Doctor") featured folk singer Dragana Mirkoviàon vocals, and the song "Napravite mostove" ("Build Bridges") featured the girl group à  armerke on vocals. After only two years spent with Zana, à ½ivkoviàjoined Hare Krishna and withdrawn from the scene. In 1990, to celebrate ten years of activity, JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviàreleased the compilation album Najlepà ¡e pesme 1980-1990 (Most Beautiful Songs 1980 - 1990).
With Zana's fourth singer, Jelena GaloniÃÂ, JoviÃÂeviàand à ½ivanoviàrecorded the albums Zana in 1991, featuring the pop-oriented hit "Nisam, nisam (Devojka tvoga druga)" ("I'm Not, I'm Not (Your Friend's Girlfriend)"), and Traà ¾im (I'm Searching), released in 1993, featuring the rock-oriented hit "PriÃÂa se, priÃÂa (Da Rusi dolaze)" ("They're Saying, They're Saying (That the Russians are Coming)").
At the beginning of 1996, the compilation album Zlatni hitovi 1980 - 1995 (Golden Hits 1980 - 1995) was released, featuring two new songs, "Modrice" ("Bruises") and "Guà ¡ti, guà ¡ti" (a cover of the song by Istrian singer Alan VitasoviÃÂ), the videos for which were recorded at Thailand. The album Zanomanija (Zanomania), released in 1997 and featuring dance-pop elements, featured a remixed version of "Modirce" and "Guà ¡ti, guà ¡ti" and a cover of Time song "Da li znaà ¡ da te volim" ("Did You Know that I Love You"). The album's biggest hit was the ballad "Nije sve tako crno" ("Not Everything Is So Dark"). In the autumn of 1998, they released the live album Zana uà ¾ivo (Zana Live), recorded on their concert held in Sava Centar on 1 November 1997. The album featured singer Brankica Vasiàas guest.
At the beginning of 1999, JoviÃÂeviàmoved to the United States, leaving à ½ivanoviàand Galoniàas Zana's only official members. The two recorded the song "Balkanska" ("Balkan Song") for the various artists album ProleÃÂe na trgu â Moj Beograd srce ima (Spring on the Square â My Belgrade Has a Heart), featuring protest songs against the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia. In 1999, they released the album Prijatelji (Friends), which featured the sound resembling their earlier works. On the song "40", which deals with the life of a middle aged man, à ½ivanoviàrecorded lead vocals for the first time. Beside Zana members, the authors of the lyrics were Marina Tucakoviàand Bora ÃÂorÃÂeviÃÂ. In 2001, à ½ivanoviàand Galoniàreleased album 21, featuring songs composed by à ½ivanoviàon the lyrics by Galoniàand Marina TucakoviÃÂ. The album was produced by à ½ivanoviÃÂ, Galoniàand à ½ika FilipoviÃÂ.
In 2006, Zana released the album Kao nekad (Just like Before). The album featured dance-pop remixes of "Vejte snegovi" and "Dodirni mi kolena", and the song "Znaà ¡ li à ¡ta je ljubav" ("Do You Know What Love Is") featured guest appearance by tenor Goran Dime. In June 2008, à ½ivanoviàand Galoniàgot married. On 29 April 2010, Zana celebrated thirty years of work with a concert in Sava Centar, Nataà ¡a Gajoviàand Nataà ¡a à ½ivkoviàmaking guest appearances on the concert.
On 30 December 2013, the band's former drummer Pavle NikoliÃÂ, who spent last years of his life as the owner of the club Tropikana in Accra, Ghana, died in a car accident.
In 2015, after a five-year hiatus in their work, the band, in the lineup consisting of GaloniÃÂ, à ½ivanoviÃÂ, Milica RanÃÂià(drums), Dejan Trajkovià(guitar), Miljan Davidovià(keyboards), Zoran Jakà ¡ià(bass guitar), released the single "Maco" ("Honey"). In December 2016, Zana released the single "Stupido", a duet sung by Galoniàand the group's former vocalist Nataà ¡a GajoviÃÂ. In 2018, Croatia Records released the box set Original Album Collection, containing all of the band's albums with Nimani on vocals (the first three studio albums), as well as Zana Nimani's only solo album, NoÃÂas pevam samo tebi. In 2022, in order to mark the band's 40th anniversary, PGP-RTS released the box set entitled Dijamantski box set 1980âÂÂ2022 (Diamond Box Set 1980âÂÂ2022) containing all 13 studio albums released by the band, the live album Zana uà ¾ivo, as well as a disc with singles released during the 1980âÂÂ2022 period. The release also contains a book with press clippings and photographs from various phases of the group's career.
The band's former bass guitarist Bogdan Dragoviàdied in March 2016, and another former bass guitarist for Zana, Miloà ¡ Stojisavljevià"Cajger" died on 29 January 2024. Marina Tucakoviàdied on 19 September 2021.
Croatian and Yugoslav singer Tereza Kesovija recorded a French language version of the song "Dodirni mi kolena", entitled "Danse avant de dormir", in 1983, The song "MladiÃÂu moj" was covered by Serbian pop punk/power pop band Oruà ¾jem Protivu OtmiÃÂara on their 1996 album BarbieCue. The song "Dodirni mi kolena" was covered by Croatian pop singer Severina on her 1999 album Ja samo pjevam (I just Sing) and by Serbian pop punk band Lude Krawe on their 2007 cover album Sve tuÃÂe (Everything by the Others). The song "Vejte snegovi" was covered by Bosnian progressive metal band Heaven Rain on their 2012 album Second Sun and by Serbian jazz duo Lidija Andonov & Andy Pavlov on their album Mlad & Radostan - Homage to Yugoslav Music from the 80s and Beyond (Young & Joyful - Homage to Yugoslav Music from the 80s and Beyond). The song "Majstor za poljupce" was covered by Serbian jazz singer Lena KovaÃÂeviàON her 2013 album San (The Dream).
In 2006, "MladiÃÂu moj" was polled No. 54 on B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.