Knez

Nenad Knežević Knez, is a Montenegrin pop singer and songwriter. He was born on December 5, 1967, in Cetinje, the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Yugoslavia, in a musical family. He spent his childhood and youth in Podgorica. His first public performance was at the age of six at the Naša radost festival in Podgorica, where he sang the song “Bio jednom jedan lav” (Once Upon a Lion). By winning the competition, he became the soloist of the children’s choir “Suncokrili” (Sunflowers). During high school, he formed his first band called Visoka frekvencija, and during that time, he composed songs like “Da l’ si ikada mene voljela” (Have You Ever Loved Me) and “Ti si kao magija” (You’re Like Magic), which would later become hits for Knez. Shortly after, he formed The Moon Band and became a star on many hotel terraces along the Montenegrin coast.

A few years later, together with his father Milija, a legend of the Montenegrin music scene, he gathered the most talented musicians in Montenegro: guitarist Milorad Jovović – Šule and arranger-keyboardist Aleksandar Saša Tamindžić, and thus, Montenegro Band was formed. They performed throughout the former Yugoslavia, gaining extensive experience in live performances.

Knez began his solo career in 1992, appearing at the prestigious Yugoslav music festival MESAM with the song “Da l’ si ikada mene voljela,” which became a big hit overnight.

This was followed by his debut album titled “Kao magija” (Like Magic). Most of the hits from this album were composed by Leo Đokaj and Knez, with lyrics written by Ljubo and Zlatko Jovović. The album also includes a duet with Rambo Amadeus titled “Ne kukaj nam djede Niko” (Don’t Cry for Us, Grandfather Niko). Nenad Knežević Knez’s distinctive and original voice that emerged on the Yugoslav music scene in the 1990s was recognized with numerous awards, including Album of the Year, Oskar of Popularity, Golden Hit, Golden Cassette, Golden Palm, Melko, and others.

In late 1994, his second album “Iz dana u dan” (Day by Day) was released, preceded by the maxi single of the song “Moja mala” (My Little One) in four different versions. Many hits were remembered from this album, but Knez’s favorite was the duet “Vrati je more” (Return Her, Sea), which he performed with his father Milija Knežević. Most of the songs were accompanied by excellent music videos. Two years later, Knez released his third album, “Automatic,” which broke all sales records. In addition to major hits, the album stood out with the duet “Bubamara” (Ladybug) featuring actor Branislav Lečić. The peak of his career up to that point was marked by a grand solo concert in Belgrade’s Sava Center.

Three years later, the compilation album “The Best of Knez” with 18 greatest hits was released, including two new songs: “Nijedna žena na svijetu” (No Woman in the World) and “Ti ne znaš ko sam ja” (You Don’t Know Who I Am) in collaboration with Vlado Georgiev.

Afterward, preparations began for his performance at the Pjesma mediterana – Budva 2000 festival. In this highly competitive event, Knez won the first prize with the song “Vjeruj” (Believe). His victory in Budva served as an excellent preview for his most complete and, according to many, best album yet, titled “Daleko, visoko” (Far, High). Songs from that album became the most listened to on many radio and TV stations in the region.

In May 2003, Knez delighted his audience with his fifth album, “Ti me znaš” (You Know Me). The album featured twelve new songs, one of which had already achieved success at the Sunčane Skale festival in Herceg Novi (Silver Siren 2002 for the song “Pobijedila si ti” – You Won), and it showcased a very interesting blend of styles.

In 2004, Knez took part in Evropesma – Europesma, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in Serbia and Montenegro. In the final, his song “Navika” reached a 7th place. The self-composed song had lyrics from Snežana Vukamanović.

In 2005, Knez released his sixth album titled “Vanilla,” in which he changed his style again and turned to house and R&B, collaborating with a completely new team of young arrangers. The album was produced in Belgrade, Skopje, and Zagreb, and many top instrumentalists and studio musicians participated in its realization. The album includes a duet “Emina” with singer Emina Jahović. In 2006, he achieved third place with the song “Ti me znaš” for which the lyrics were written by Sergej Ćetković at the “Pjesma mediterana” festival in Budva. That same year, he released the compilation album “The Best of Balade,” produced by City Records.

In 2008, he released his seventh album, “Otrov i med” (Poison and Honey), which was very interesting in terms of production, also under the same record label. In the same year, Knez participated in MonetenegroSong 2008, the contest were the artist for Eurovision 2008 was selected. Knez reached a 3rd place.

In 2012, he released the ethno-jazz album “The Magic of Balkan,” featuring 15 covers of sevdalinka, old town, and Roma songs. He gathered the best instrumentalists of that genre in the region for this release. The album was presented through numerous concert tours.

In 2010, he participated in the reality show “Survivor,” which was filmed in the Philippines.

In 2013 and 2019, the audience had the opportunity to witness his vocal abilities and talent for transformation in the TV show  (Your Face Sounds Familiar) broadcast on Prva Srpska Televizija.

Knez represented Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in 2015 with the song “Adio,” with music by Željko Joksimović and lyrics by Marina Tucaković. He finished 13th in the final, achieving the best result for Montenegro at that prestigious music competition.

In October 2018, Knez released a new single, entitled “Danas ja, sjutra ti”. In August 2019 “Još samo njenu svirajte” came out. In the same year Knez performed at the Sea Dance Festival at Buljarica Beach in Montenegro.

In 2021, Knez was part of an episode the tv show 12 reči. On 26 March of the same year, Knez’ new single “Zarobljeni” was released. Two months later, Montenegrin TV station RTCG broadcasted an entire show of Knez.

On 11 june 2023, the new single “Pričaj sa mnom” was released.

Knez is the father of Ksenija Knežević, who, as a member of the group Hurricane, represented Serbia in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.