Ceca Joins Zvezde Granda Jury, Show Starts Saturday

The new season of Zvezde Granda begins Saturday, September 19, at 9 p.m. on Prva Televizija (Prva TV), the show’s production team announced, and this year’s jury includes Svetlana Ceca Raznatovic for the first time. The competition runs for nine months, according to the announcement, and the very first episode will introduce viewers to the new contestants and their opening performances.

Who Makes Up This Year’s Jury?

This season’s professional jury is made up of:

• Svetlana Ceca Raznatovic
• Snezana Djurisic
• Dara Bubamara
• Sanja Vucic
• Dragan Kojic Keba
• Aleksandar Milic Mili
• Djordje David

Grand Produkcija director Goran Sljivic is once again hosting the competition this season and bringing in his own contestants, which, according to the announcement, will add extra dynamics to the show. Voja Nedeljkovic returns as the moderator, the link between the contestants and the jury. Ana Sevic and Milan Mitrovic, the hosting duo who regularly cover the country’s biggest talent competitions, are running the broadcast.

Inside Zvezde Granda’s Redesigned Studio

The studio has been completely redesigned, B92 reported. Dark tones dominate, lit by purple and blue neon, while the floor is finished in glossy black with white circular lines resembling a radar screen. A large LED screen carrying the redesigned, three-dimensional Zvezde Granda logo sits in the background. The jury and hosts’ styling at the first taping followed the same tone, according to B92: Ceca Raznatovic wore a short white dress, Snezana Djurisic a long black dress with a floral print, Djordje David his signature black, rock-inspired look, Aleksandar Milic Mili a more relaxed summer outfit, and Dragan Kojic Keba a yellow jacket.

What Changed in the Jury Lineup

The biggest change from last season is the departure of Ana Bekuta, who left the jury after 12 years. Sanja Vucic has become a permanent jury member, B92 reported. Prva TV confirms this, naming Sanja Vucic in its own announcement as the seventh full member of the professional jury, alongside Ceca Raznatovic, Snezana Djurisic, Dara Bubamara, Dragan Kojic Keba, Aleksandar Milic Mili and Djordje David.

There is a discrepancy between the two sources here. Prva TV’s announcement names Sanja Vucic as part of the seven-member jury. B92, in a piece specifically about the jury’s look and styling at the first taping, does not mention Sanja Vucic in its photo captions from that shoot. Which lineup actually appears in each episode will become clear once the new season starts Saturday.

Dara Bubamara, after earlier signaling she might leave, has stayed on the jury after all. We reported on this previously, after the singer responded to criticism directed at her by saying she was sorry if anyone was offended, but that “the truth hurts.” At the first taping of the new season, B92 reported, she showed up in what was described as her most provocative look yet.

Zvezde Granda has for years been one of the most watched music competitions on Serbian television, and any change to the jury lineup routinely draws attention from viewers and media alike. This season brings a new studio and a new face on the jury, alongside the departure of Ana Bekuta, who had been part of the show for 12 years. Contestants entering the competition on Saturday will have nine months to compete for the title of the new Zvezde Granda, and the first episode is expected to reveal what rules and surprises this season holds.