MARI A

The artist MARI A was born in 1982 in a small town Sanski Most in Bosnia & Herzegovina, which at that time was under great influence of the Ex-Yu Pop-Rock Scene. MARI A's inspirations have been absorbed by the city's "rocky atmosphere" since the early days of her childhood, although she did not have a classical music education. Nevertheless, she began early to develop her ear for remarkably interesting melodies and original compositions. At the age of 9, she moved with her parents to Vienna (Austria) and attended the School of Economics. She remained stubborn and held firmly to her conviction to want to make music. At the age of 11 she was inspired by soul and pop greats and divas like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and wrote her first love song in English. The result of her childhood is a powerful pop music that infuses heartily with different sounds and melodies: electronic, rocky, sometimes ethno-pop, sometimes acoustic or at the piano. MARI A writes songs in German, English and her mother tongue Bosnian. In the year 2010 she was awarded as a Pop/Rock Artist of the Year.

In 2015 she enters the Austrian music scene for the first time as the winner of the Austro Vision Song Contest with her self-written ethno song "Sabah El Kheir". She attracted more attention in 2016 as a final candidate of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 "Wer singt für Österreich". In autumn 2019 her first debut EP "A Strangers Soul" with a total of five songs will be released.