SERBIA: Marija & Jelena – A rivalry that led to a strong friendship!

The relationship between Marija Šerifović and Jelena Tomašević and their shared past, which is full of strong feelings and respect, has been studied recently by the mass media in Serbia. According to the Svet Scandal page, the two domestic stars are connected by years of shared experiences and noble competition!

The common past …

Both Marija and Jelena grew up in Kragujevac, even attending the same high school, which was the starting point of a relationship that from early on seemed to develop into something deep. In fact, the two eurostars, in their younger years, participated in local and national singing competitions, with one of them always in the driver’s seat.

“The period of our common childhood and teenage years has strong signs of competition and for me a taste of disappointment. Jelena often beat me in the competitions we participated in together. I remember “3K Dur” for example. Maybe I have scars from those defeats, but I always loved and admired Jelena!”

Marija Šerifović

For her part, Jelena Tomašević has deep respect and admiration for Marija Šerifović:

“Marija is a woman with divine talent, who always stood out for her uniqueness and authenticity. I remember with emotion the time when we grew up together and participated in concerts and yes maybe I won then, but today Marija is a role model for young artists and she is a source of inspiration, with her determination and ethos, in music.

Jelena Tomašević

…and the trip to Eurovision!

In 2007, Marija Šerifović conquered Europe, achieving a resounding victory at Eurovision with her “Molitva”.

The victory reached Serbia, Marija was deified in Belgrade and a year later, Jelena Tomašević took the baton of the Serbian representation.

“Oro” took sixth place in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, which was a stroke of luck to Marija‘s perhaps wounded teenage ego, but Jelena admits today, all these years later, that Marija‘s success paved the way for her to Eurovision, being an absolute source of inspiration.

[Source: svet-scandal]

Today, the two of them continue to express, in public, their respect and appreciation for each other, maintaining a friendship based on mutual support and recognition of their talents and path. The competition helped them develop as both artists and people and established them as role models in the Serbian music scene.

Are you #team_Marija or #team_Jelena? Tell us in the comments!