Dara Bubamara on Dragana Mirkovic feud: "The truth hurts"

On the third day of filming the new season of “Zvezde Granda,” on Tuesday, Dara Bubamara spoke to reporters for the first time about the story that has spent days circling her relationship with Dragana Mirkovic, Telegraf and Espreso report from the scene.

The singer arrived for filming with her partner, two decades her junior, who drove her in, as Telegraf describes it, a roaring car. In front of the cameras, she first addressed the outfit she wears on the show.

This is all handmade on me, it costs a lot. I pay for everything myself, I don’t take anything for promotion, and that’s why I never have money.

Dara said, adding that she rarely has anything left over, since she pays out of her own pocket for everything she wears.

She then turned to the topic that has interested the public most in recent days. Dara had said earlier that Dragana Mirkovic was considered as a backup for her jury seat, in case she didn’t sign a contract with Grand, and that production waited to see what happened with her before deciding who would keep that chair, Espreso reports.

Dara told Espreso: “That’s what people were saying, okay, if that’s good for the show, why not, but I knew there was no chance of that,” adding that Mirkovic, as far as she knew, had been negotiating with every media house.

Now, at filming, she said she blames no one for the stories that came out of it.

I’m sorry if she got offended, I only told the truth. The truth hurts.

Dara said, according to Telegraf, adding that she respects Dragana Mirkovic and holds nothing against her.

The singer also addressed Jelena Karleusa’s invitation to join her on Pink’s “Zvezde.” She said it would be interesting to work with Karleusa, since they have similar energy, but that this season she decided to stay at Grand and choose a calmer path, without stress. She also praised jury member Sanja Vucic, calling her interesting and saying she talks a lot.

Svetlana Ceca Raznatovic arrived at the same filming visibly in good spirits, and reporters asked her about Dragana Mirkovic as well, specifically whether she’s sorry the folk star isn’t on the jury this season, Republika reports. Ceca first reacted with surprise, then answered.

I can only feel sorry when someone isn’t well, when things are bad, when someone is sick. We’re all alive and healthy, this is just showbiz, I don’t decide, the production decides.

Ceca and Dragana Mirkovic have not been on good terms for years, Republika notes. Ceca had already spoken about the jury lineup earlier this season, when she told our outlet about Ana Bekuta’s departure and said that she, too, would leave one day.

While the jury and the audience remain caught up in the Dragana Mirkovic story, Grand production director Goran Sljivic revealed what the new season looks like behind the cameras. More than 4,000 candidates applied, and about 200 got a chance to perform on stage. The rules for the first round are different from last season, he said, and both the number of candidates and how often they appear during the season have changed.

Sljivic told Grandonline, in a statement carried by Mondo, what he expects from the contestants.

If they want to make a career out of this, they have to fully commit, and not just to singing, but also to their behavior on stage, their relationship with the production, and the precision and punctuality of their arrivals at rehearsals.

He added that it’s clear which candidates respect that, and that those are exactly the ones with a chance to become real stars one day.

Also at the filming, Espreso reports, Dragan Kojic Keba showed up with a stye on his eye. He joked that, according to folk belief, a stye appears when a pregnant woman’s wish goes unfulfilled, and said he grants absolutely everything his pregnant daughter-in-law wants.

The third day of filming the new season of “Zvezde Granda” thus passed with two topics running through nearly every statement made in front of the cameras: who sits on the jury, and who has truly earned a place on stage.