Severina: three decades as Croatia's pop queen

In August 2022 Severina headlined the Pomurski Poletni Festival in Velika Polana, a village in Prekmurje near the Croatian border. Photos are in the Severina gallery.

From Split to the whole region

Severina Vučković was born in Split in 1972 and started performing as a teenager. By the 1990s she was one of the biggest names in Croatian pop, and her popularity soon crossed borders. Today she fills arenas in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and her songs are part of the soundtrack of the whole region.

Eurovision and "Moja štikla"

In 2006 Severina represented Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens with "Moja štikla" ("My Stiletto"). The song mixed pop with folk elements from the Dalmatian hinterland, and its staging made it one of the most talked-about entries of that year. It remains one of her signature songs.

Pop with roots

Severina's music moves between dance pop, ballads and songs that draw on Balkan folk traditions. That mix explains her reach: the same concert can appeal to teenagers who know her from social media and to their parents who grew up with her early hits.

A star on and off stage

Severina has spent much of her career in the spotlight of tabloids and television, and she has learned to use that attention. On stage she is a professional entertainer with costume changes, dancers and a set list built for singing along.

A big name in a small village

Velika Polana is a small village, and a summer festival there bringing in a star of Severina's size shows how strong the ties between Prekmurje and Croatia are. Many in the crowd had travelled from across the border.

See the Severina photos, or browse all concert galleries.