Suzana Jovanovic Skips Zvezde Granda Trophy Handover
She was meant to present the trophy in honor of Sasa Popovic, but Suzana Jovanovic never showed at the Zvezde Granda finale. The director says family came first.
- Suzana Jovanovic was supposed to hand the Zvezde Granda trophy to the winner in honor of the late Sasa Popovic, but she did not appear at the finale.
- The reason, director Goran Sljivic says, is family: Suzana has just become a grandmother and could not attend.
- The production quickly found a stand-in, and Sljivic himself presented the award.
- The news comes as Suzana returns to the stage after 27 years.
Suzana Jovanovic did not appear at the Zvezde Granda finale, even though she was scheduled to be the one to hand the trophy to the competition’s winner. Production director Goran Sljivic explained her absence to our portal, and the story around the trophy got a last-minute resolution.
The singer had been invited, Sljivic says, to present the award in honor of the late Sasa Popovic, the man she stood beside for decades both privately and professionally. The idea carried real emotional weight, since Suzana stepping onto the Zvezde Granda stage would have been a symbolic continuation of everything Popovic built. At one point, the plan was even accepted.
In the end, it did not happen. Suzana stayed away from the finale, and Sljivic reduced the reason to something hard to argue with: family.
Why did Suzana stay away from the stage?
“Suzana was invited to present the award herself, but due to family obligations she could not come. She became a grandmother,” Sljivic explained, leaving little room for speculation. This, then, is a happy family reason rather than any backstage feud or production problem.
That cut short any talk of alleged drama behind the scenes. Suzana, we understand, put her family obligation first, which in her case, after everything she has been through, is an entirely understandable choice. The audience that hoped to see her on stage was left without that moment, but few could hold the reason against her.
Sljivic did not let the ceremonial moment go without its main act. The production reacted quickly and found a replacement, so in the end it was he who handed the trophy to the winner.
What comes after the finale?
It is telling that this whole episode unfolds just as Suzana Jovanovic is back in the public eye for an entirely different reason. After a full 27 years away, the singer is returning to the stage, and the announcement of her performance has sparked strong interest among fans of folk music.
Many read her comeback as the closing of a difficult chapter and the start of a new phase. That is exactly why her absence from the Zvezde Granda finale drew extra attention, since her return to the public spotlight was expected to coincide with a symbolic gesture at the very competition that also shaped her life.
For now, it all rests on the director’s words and the clear message that this is a happy family circumstance. As things stand, Suzana will have her big public moment on stage, where people have been waiting for her. And in her shoes, would you put family ahead of a ceremonial appearance in front of the cameras?
