Bez kontrole

Bez kontrole is the debut studio album by Serbian singer Sara Jo. It was released digitally on 21 June 2023 through Bassivity Digital. The album was preceded by two singles: "Divlja" and "Zar ne". Bez kontrole features guest vocals from rapper Mimi Mercedez on the track "Sandra Meljničenko". The production on the album was mainly handled by Luka Jovanović Luxonee, Nikola Kirćanski Kei and Slobodan Veljković Coby.

Background and promotion

Bez kontrole was released over a decade since Sara Jo had begun her career on the second season of Prvi glas Srbije in 2012. The album's lead single, "Divlja", was released on 23 October 2021. It was followed by "Zar ne", which was presented at the Skale Festival in Herceg Novi in June 2022. The following year, during the 2023 Music Awards Ceremony, held in the Belgrade Arena on January 25, Sara Jo performed "Divlja" and teased "U glavi" and "Zlo". After media speculations, the album, titled Bez kontrole after the first verse from "Divlja", was officially announced on 19 June 2023. The music video for "U glavi" was released a day after the album's release.
On December 3, Jovanović released the music video for "Tako hodam", sponsored by the Serbian fashion house Mona.

Music and lyrics

Musically, Bez kontrole is generally pop-oriented, whilst including dance-pop, contemporary R&B and hip hop sound. The album features influences from slow jam on the tracks like "Glas", "Zar ne" and "Sudar". "Glas" was also recorded a capella, featuring only Jovanoic's vocals and beatboxing in the background. "Tako hodam" was influenced by voguing and the ballroom scene. Lyrically, the album overall explores themes of love and sexual liberation. The lyrics of "Sandra Meljničenko" refer to Aleksandra Melnichenko, former member of the 90s girl group Models and wife of billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko, as the symbol of power and confidence.

Critical reception

In a review entitled "Slightly forced pop", Kristina Kolar from Muzika.hr described Bez kontrole as a "rushed, uninspired pop project". The critic further wrote, "despite its name, the album is not so much Out of Control". The review was unfavorable of the lack of ingenuity and the use of clichés in lyrics. On the other hand, Kolar highlighted the album's production as "immaculate" and the potential in its "retro R&B colors", which she compared to Erykah Badu and Destiny's Child.