Zana à  ià ¡kin (; born in September 1961), best known under her maiden surname Zana Nimani (), is a Serbian and Yugoslav retired singer and songwriter, best known as the first frontress of the pop rock band Zana.
Nimani started her career in 1976, when she started to sing with the band Suton, in which her boyfriend-at-the-time Radovan JoviÃÂeviàplayed guitar. Since 1979, the band started to perform under the name Zana, adopted after Nimani's first name. The band's first 7-inch singles and their debut album Loà ¡e vesti uz rege za pivsku flaà ¡u (Bad News Accompanied by Reggae for a Beer Bottle), released in 1981, brought them nationwide popularity. The following two albums, Dodirni mi kolena (Touch My Knees), released in 1982, and Natrag na voz (Back to the Train), released in 1983, were also well received, bringing a number of hits for the band. However, when Zana went on a hiatus in 1984 due to mandatory army stints of JoviÃÂeviàand keyboardist Zoran à ½ivanoviÃÂ, Nimani decided to leave the band (which would continue to work under the name Zana) and start a solo career.
In 1984, Nimani appeared as guest vocalist on Divlji AnÃÂeli maxi single Totalni kontakt (Total Contact). In 1986, she released her only solo album, NoÃÂas pevam samo tebi (Tonight I Sing Only for You). The album was recorded in Sweden and featured Swedish studio musicians. It was produced by Tini Varga, who also authored part of the songs. Other authors on the album were Nimani herself and former Zana members Marina TucakoviÃÂ, Aleksandar "Futa" Raduloviàand Bogdan DragoviÃÂ. The album brought minor hits "à  to ne znam gde si sad" ("Why Don't I Know Where You Are Now") and "Mià ¡ko zna" ("Mià ¡ko Knows"). During the same year, Nimani appeared at the MESAM Festival with the song "Ruà ¾a na dlanu" ("Rose on the Palm"), which was released on the festival official compilation Mesam â Pop festival 86., and on a split 7-inch single with Bebi Dol's song "Inà ¡alah" ("Inshallah").
In 1987, she recorded backing vocals for the album Into the Heart by blues guitarist Dragoljub CrnÃÂeviÃÂ. In 1988, she appeared in the TV rock operette Kreatori i kreature (Creators and Creatures). The operette was composed by Vladimir MilaÃÂiÃÂ, directed by Milutin Petroviàand featured, beside Nimani, Massimo SaviÃÂ, Dejan CukiÃÂ, Sneà ¾ana JandrliÃÂ, Bora ÃÂorÃÂeviÃÂ, Goran ÃÂavajda "ÃÂavke", Amila Sulejmanoviàand ÃÂorÃÂe DragojloviÃÂ. In 1988, she also wrote lyrics for the song "PriÃÂi blià ¾e" ("Come Closer") recorded by Mladen VojiÃÂià"Tifa" on his first solo album No. 1.
Soon after, she got married and retired from the scene. In 2009, City Records released The Platinum Collection, a compilation of songs recorded by Zana during Nimani's tenure as the band's lead vocalist, together with her solo tracks. In 2018, Croatia Records released the box set Original Album Collection, containing all four of Nimani's studio albumsâÂÂZana's first three with her as vocalist and her solo album NoÃÂas pevam samo tebi.
Nimani was born in 1961 in Belgrade, to Kosovo Albanian parents from the town of Gjakova.
She is married to ÃÂorÃÂe à  ià ¡kin. Nimani and à  ià ¡kin have one child, daughter Tea (born in Belgrade in 1991). With the breakup of Yugoslavia, she moved to Canada, where she still resides.