Dorotea Dragović was born in Split, Croatia, then part of Yugoslavia, and had an interest in singing since her childhood.[1] She cites Arsen Dedić, Gabi Novak and Tereza Kesovija as her biggest influences and childhood idols.[1] She came to regional prominence in the early 1980s as a member of musical group More, and began her solo career in 1986.[1] The same year, she represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest1986 in Bergen with the song "Željo moja", and finished the 11th with 49 points.[2] Dragović has since been one of the most famous pop singers in Yugoslavia, later Croatia and its region.[3][4][5]
In 1999 Dragović was chosen to represent Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest1999, after she won national election HRT Dora with her dramatic song "Marija Magdalena", written by prominent Croatian songwriter Tonči Huljić.[6] Dragović placed a respectable fourth in Jerusalem, despite having been drawn early in the singing order, sometimes cited as a disadvantage. Her performance also included the removal of some of her clothing – seen jocularly as a staple of Eurovision performances – and was well received in the first contest in which most countries allocated their points after a public telephone vote. This remains one of Croatia's best results at the contest. "Marija Magdalena" was also a radio hit on Greek radio station FLY FM 89,7 and reached number one on its airplay.
Dragović was known in the early 1980s for her work with bands from Split. One of her best known singles "Hajde da se mazimo" was one of the most interesting pop songs of the decade called the "golden eighties". She is a known supporter of Torcida, fans of Hajduk Split football club.[3][5] In 2001, Dragović received threats from Torcida supporters after she sang to Montenegrin prime ministerMilo Đukanović at the 2000 New Year's Even party.[3]
Since 1990, Dragović is married to a former water polo player, Mario Budimir,[1][7] with whom she has a son named Borna (b. 1990).[1]
For "Brod za nabolje": "HR TOP 40 Week 43 2019" (in Croatian). toplista. 27 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
For "Sna' ću se ja": "HR TOP 40 Week 20 2021" (in Croatian). top-lista. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
For "Dva smo života": "HR TOP 40 Week 19 2022" (in Croatian). top-lista. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
For "Sve smo mogli imat": "HR TOP 40 Week 27 2022" (in Croatian). top-lista. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
