Relja Popović
Relja Popović is a Serbian musician and actor. He first rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop duo Elitni Odredi with fellow rapper Vlada Matović. Formed in 2005, Elitno Odredi released numerous hit singles and one album, Oko sveta. After their disbandment in 2015, Relja pursued a solo career. His debut album, Hotel Jugoslavija, was released in 2025. Popović is the co-founder of the record label Made In BLKN Records.
As an actor, he is recognized for his performances in the movies Ordinary People and The Parade. Popović became the youngest winner of the Heart of Sarajevo award for his role in Ordinary People. In 2021, he joined the cast of the television series Besa. Additionally, Relja has served as a judge and coach on the singing competition show IDJ Show since 2022.
Early life
Popović was born on 2 August 1989, in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia. His mother, Zoja Begolli was a ballet dancer at the National Theatre in Belgrade and lecturer at the Academy of Arts. His father, Srđan Popović, worked as a sports journalist for the daily newspaper Večernje novosti. Popović lost his father in 1991, and his mother remarried to Kosovar actor Faruk Begolli, whom she divorced after 17 years of marriage. She died in 2017. Popović grew up in the Paviljoni neighborhood of New Belgrade. Relja stated that he found passion for hip-hop as a child, being exposed by his older brother Miša to artists such as Eminem, Jay-Z and Juice.Popović graduated from the High School of Hospitality and Tourism in downtown Belgrade. In May 2008, he was shot in stomach while defending his girl friend from a middle age man in a pub, and had his kidney and spleen removed because of it. The assaulter was subsequently sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Career
Elitni Odredi and early acting ventures
Popović began his professional music career in 2005 alongside his childhood friend Vladimir Matović, as a part of Elitni Odredi. Together they released one studio album, titled Oko sveta, and several standalone singles. Elitni Odredi broke to mainstream attention in 2011 with the singles "Kao kokain" and "Beograd". They were one of the first urban artists to perform for Serbian diaspora in the European Union and Australia. At the beginning of 2015, Elitni Odredi eventually announced their disbandment to focus on solo projects.Regarding his acting beginnings, Popović made his on screen debut in the short film Dremano oko, directed by Vladimir Perišić. He continued working with Perišić on his full-length feature film Ordinary People from 2009. His performance in this movie earned Popović the Best Actor Award at Cottbus East European Film Festival and at Sarajevo Film Festival, making him the youngest recipient of the Heart of Sarajevo award. In 2011, he also starred in The Parade, directed by Srđan Dragojević. The movie was enlisted as the fourth biggest box office success of Serbian cinematography in the 2010s.
2015-2025: Solo music beginnings, Made In BLKN, ''Hotel Jugoslavija''
Following the duo's hiatus, Popović pursued a solo career with the release of his first single "Beograd još živi" in April 2015. During the next couple of years, it was succeeded by a series of other standalone singles, which included hit songs like "Crni sin" featuring Coby and Cvija, "Samo jako" featuring Coby and Stoja, "Latino Evropa" and "Mi Amor". In 2019, Relja announced his debut album, titled Made In Balkan. The project ended up consisting of ten songs that were also released as standalone singles. The first part, released in 2019, included singles - "Princeza na belom", "Meduza" featuring Nikolija, "Takvi kao ja", "Tuga iz Porschea" and "Made In Balkan". In July 2019, the songs were promoted at Ulaz music festival in Belgrade. The following year, Popović established Made In BLKN Records in distribution deal with IDJTunes. The company was also expanded to a clothing brand in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, Relja released singles form the second part of his debut project - "Maria", "Genge" featuring Rasta, "Offline" featuring Devito, "Manije" and "Kraj je". In December 2021, Popović joined the cast of the crime drama series Besa.The following March, he was announced as a judge and coach on the singing competition IDJ Show. His contestant Amna Alajbegović went on to the win the first season in June 2022. Same year, Relja also collaborated with Devito on the singles "Omađijala" and "Do zore", and with Nucci on "Zovite doktore". Both "Omađijala" and "Zovite doktore" were top-ten singles in Croatia, peaking at number two and eight, respectively. In August 2022, Popović performed at Music Week Festival in Ušće, Belgrade. In January 2024, Popović scored his first Billboard number one single with the song "Sve si znala", which peaked atop of Croatia Songs chart. Later that year, he had a lead role in the movie "Videoteka", which had its premier at 2024 FEST. On 22 May 2024, he released a six-track EP, titled Stroberi. The following month, Relja performed at the Red Bull SoundClash concert in Belgrade against Marija Šerifović.
On 30 May 2025, Popović released his debut album, Hotel Jugoslavija, a decade after he had pursued a solo career. The album received positive reception and charted in Austria and Switzerland. Music video for the track "Baš ti se sviđa" with Nikolija was also named the "most controversial moment in Balkan pop culture" of 2025 by Vogue Adria, due to its highly polarizing sex positive message.
Personal life
Popović graduated from the Faculty of Media and Communications at the Singidunum University and also studied acting at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade.He has been in a relationship with singer Nikolija Jovanović since Elitni Odredi collaborated with her on the single "Alkohola litar" in 2014. Together they have two daughters, born in 2016 and 2021.