Selma Bajrami (born 4 July 1980) is a Bosnian singer. She began her professional music career with the release of her debut studio album Kad suza ne bude... in 1998, and has since released nine studio albums. Bajrami achieved her greatest popularity during the 2000s and is regarded as one of the most prominent and commercially successful popular music performers from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is best known for her hit songs "Kakvo tijelo Selma ima" (2004), "Tijelo uz tijelo" (2004), "Ostrvo tuge" (2007), "Lijepe žene" (2007), and "Farmerice" (2009).
Early life Selma Bajrami was born in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of SFR Yugoslavia, to a Muslim family. Her mother, Enesa Bajrami (; born 2 March 1960), is Bosniak, from the village of Kuge near Srebrenik, and her father, Fadil Bajrami (born 30 March 1957 in Lukavac), was of mixed Bosniak and Kosovo Albanian heritage. Her paternal grandfather, Redžep Bajrami (8 September 1933 – 12 April 2013), was born in Gjilan, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now in Kosovo), and later settled in Tuzla.
Selma has an older sister, Fahira Bajrami (born 13 July 1977), and a younger brother, Enis Bajrami (born 12 September 1984).
She grew up in the nearby village of Mramor, where she spent the entirety of the Bosnian War (1992–1995). During this time, she began performing at local festivals and venues.
She graduated in 1997 from the Mixed Chemical High School in Tuzla, cosmetology program.
Career
1998–2003: From Kad suza ne bude… to Žena sa Balkana, IF, and Eurovision national selection Bajrami debuted in 1998 with the album Kad suza ne bude..., released by the record label Nimfa Sound. Early in her career, she gained attention with hits such as "Njemu osmijeh, meni suze", "Šta će žena ta?", and "Nije moja majka kriva".
Shortly after her debut, Bajrami joined the all-female pop group IF from Tuzla. She was the lead vocalist of the group, while backing vocals were provided by Mirela Ibrahimović and Dragana Milić. Between 1999 and 2000, the group released three songs: "Ne vjeruj muškarcima", "Ne mogu bez tebe", and "Ako se desi". With the song "Ne mogu bez tebe", they participated at the VIII Mediterranean Music Festival Budva 2000, while with "Ako se desi" they performed at the III International Pop Music Festival Forte 2000 in Sarajevo.
In 1999, she released her second studio album Ljubav si ubio gade, which brought her nationwide popularity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It established her as one of the most promising young performers. The album produced several hits, including "Pijanico", "Život liječi rane", "Mrva hljeba", and the title track. The song "Nikad od tebe čovjeka" was written for her by acclaimed singer-songwriter Dino Merlin. That same year, she also participated at the Bihaćki festival with the song "Daleko od očiju, daleko od srca".
Her third studio album, Revolucija, was released in June 2001. This marked her first appearance on the Serbian music scene, where she performed on RTV Pink and Grand Production shows. The album was released by Nimfa Sound in Bosnia and Herzegovina and by Grand Production in Serbia. Saša Popović, director of Grand Production, introduced her on Grand Show as the most popular singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The album featured popular songs such as "Svi ste vi isti", "Otvori se, zemljo", and "Oči zelene".
Her fourth studio album, Žena sa Balkana, was released in 2002 and was her final release with Nimfa Sound. The album included notable tracks such as "Nana", "Škorpija", and "Žena sirena", the latter of which became one of her signature nicknames.
In 2003, Bajrami competed in the Bosnian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, finished in sixth place in the final with the song "Zaljubljena".
2004–2008: Kakvo tijelo Selma ima, Ostrvo tuge, and the Show Zvijezde sa zvijezdama After ending her contract with Nimfa Sound, Bajrami released her fifth studio album Kakvo tijelo Selma ima on 27 December 2004, under the Saraton and Song Zelex labels. A reissue was released in April 2005 by Hayat Production. Songs such as the title track, "Tijelo uz tijelo", and "Kad iza sebe pogledam" helped solidify Bajrami's status as one of the leading pop-folk artists in the Balkans. On Kakvo tijelo Selma ima, Bajrami was credited as the composer of "Divlji zov" and "Prva ljubav", and as the lyricist of "Ljubavi jedina". Notably, in 2010, a demo version of the song "Muška suza" surfaced on YouTube, performed by Dragana Mirković.
According to media reports, Bajrami was initially selected to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "C'mon Boy". However, just days before the national selection, the song was withdrawn after its songwriter, Aleksandra Kovač, decided to keep it for herself. Kovač later won an MTV award with the same song.
Bajrami's sixth studio album, Ostrvo tuge, was released on 25 April 2007, by Grand Production and sold over 280,000 copies, making it her best-selling album to date.* Primary CD edition: Cassette edition: Compilation edition: The standout tracks included "Ostrvo tuge", "Promijeni se", "Korak do nervnog sloma", and "Lijepe žene". The video for the title track was shot in Skopje in late 2006. The album also featured a duet with Aca Lukas titled "Kad se ne da, ne da se". The song "Tako si hladan" was written by Bajrami herself.
From 26 October to 28 December 2008, Bajrami took part in the second season of the talent show Zvijezde sa zvijezdama, where she and her partner, Enver Lugavić Kice, emerged as winners.
2009–2014: Hit singles, Zakon sudbine, reality show, and Selma In July 2009, Bajrami released the single "Đavolica" featuring rapper Deda, followed by the duet "Šta je od Boga, dobro je" with Macedonian singer Elvir Mekić in November. The single "Farmerice", along with its accompanying music video, premiered on 24 December 2009. In February 2010, she competed in Grand Axal III festival with the song "Rukujmo se kao prijatelji".
Her seventh studio album, Zakon sudbine, was released on 2 June 2010, marking her final release under Grand Production. The album sold over 100,000 copies and included hits like "Voli me do bola", "Bakšiš", "Sarajevo", and the title track. The song "Nemoj da se šališ" was written by Bajrami herself.
On 19 January 2011, she released a reissue of Zakon sudbine via Hayat Production. That same year, Hayat TV aired her reality show Voli me do bola, in which Selma searched for dancers and models for the music video of the title song, which was filmed in August.
Between 2011 and 2013, Bajrami appeared as a special guest performer at three consecutive grand finales of the Bosnian music competition "Zvijezda možeš biti ti", all held at Sarajevo's Zetra Olympic Hall, where Mirza Šoljanin, Anida Idrizović and Denial Ahmetović respectively claimed victory.
The first single from her eighth studio album Selma was originally titled "Djevojke", but was later renamed "James Dean". A 20-second preview was released on SoundCloud on 30 November 2012, while the full version premiered on YouTube on 14 December 2012.
On 27 April 2013, Selma served as a special guest at Saša Matić’s first headlined concert in Sarajevo, held at the Mirza Delibašić Hall.
On 19 December 2013, Bajrami released the ballad "Nisam ti oprostila" as the album's second single. The music video for the song was filmed in August 2013. Less than two weeks later, she performed the emotional ballad "Moje milo" during a New Year's Eve television special. Serving as the album's third single, the song is dedicated to her son, who was 17 months old at the time.
On 4 June 2014, the album's fourth single "Tijelo bez duše" — an upbeat pop track co-produced by Atelje Trag – premiered with a music video that had been filmed in March 2014.
The full album was released on 23 July 2014 through City Records, with a physical edition issued in a print run of 50,000 copies. A Bosnian edition followed in late October 2014, released by Hayat Production.
2015–2024: From "Mlađe slađe" to Embargo On 9 October 2015, Selma released a duet with Enela Palavra titled "Mlađe slađe" under the IDJTunes label. The music video, filmed in August 2015, became a hit and currently has over 15 million views.
On 9 May 2016, she released the single "Zvjerka" on digital platforms. The music video, shot in Mostar, was published on YouTube on 15 June 2016. Her televised performance of the song on the Zvezde Granda specijal has amassed over 33 million views.
This was followed by several singles in quick succession, including "Uzbuna" (23 September 2016), and "U zemlji krvi i meda" (16 December 2016), a song inspired by the tragic love story of Boško and Admira, often referred to as the 'Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo'.
On 7 July 2017, she released "Sve mi nudi", and later that year, "Incidentno" — first on digital platforms on 1 December, followed by its music video release on 22 December.
In February 2018, Selma announced a high-profile collaboration with Jala Brat and Buba Corelli. The track, titled "Rizik", was initially intended as a duet with Buba Corelli and was scheduled for release on the Imperia YouTube channel on 24 August 2018. However, due to creative disagreements, the original version was never officially released. A teaser uploaded on Imperia's channel gained over 250,000 views within 24 hours, and shortly after, the unreleased duet version featuring Buba leaked online. On 13 September 2018, the official version of "Rizik", now featuring Marko Dragić Pablo in Corelli's place, was released along with a music video.
On her 39th birthday, 4 July 2019, Selma released the single "Lažni gospodin".
Between 2021 and 2023, she continued releasing singles such as "Neka gori ova noć" (a collaboration with young artist Belmin Malkić) (4 December 2021), as well as "Prva žena" (27 March 2022), "Maska" (30 December 2022), and "Harem" (17 October 2023).
On 18 March 2024, she released the single "Dama", written for her by renowned Bosnian singer-songwriter Al' Dino. Selma stated that the music video for the song was her response to the media lynching she experienced following her ban from entering Serbia. The video was directed by Haris Dubica and features a scene in which Selma appears on the pillar of shame, reminiscent of the famous "Walk of Shame" sequence from Game of Thrones—a reference also noted on the official YouTube channel beneath the video as the inspiration for the scene. Interestingly, most of the footage was filmed in her mother's native village of Kuge.
On 30 August 2024, Selma released the single "Embargo", completing a body of work spanning nearly a decade. With this release, she finalized her ninth studio album, which she described as a personal and emotional reflection of the past ten years of her life. The album includes songs recorded and released between 2015 and 2024, encapsulating the different artistic and emotional phases she experienced during that period.
2025–present: Recent activities In 2025, Bajrami revealed that she was working on her tenth studio album with a new team of collaborators and announced a concert tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 17 August 2025, Bajrami attended the third night of the Sarajevo Film Festival and appeared on the red carpet. According to Azra.ba, her presence, alongside Hanka Paldum and Dino Merlin, "stole the spotlight" from the attending actors and film stars.
Artistry
Musical style