Dana Todorović (; ; born 2 October 1962), better known under the stage name Bebi Dol (), is a Serbian and former Yugoslav singer-songwriter, performer and actress. Known for her distinctive voice, theatrical style and eclectic musical influences, she became one of the most recognizable pop and new-wave artists of the Yugoslav music scene during the 1980s. She gained major popularity with songs such as “Mustafa,” “Rudi,” and “Inšalah”.
Bebi Dol represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 with "Brazil".
Early life
Dragana Šarić was born on 2 October 1962 in Belgrade, FPR Yugoslavia. Her mother Magdalena worked for Television Belgrade, while her father Milisav Šarić was a jazz saxophonist. Because of her father’s career performing at American military bases, the family spent part of her early childhood living in Copenhagen, and later traveling around Europe.
At the age of seven she returned to Belgrade, where she attended the Mokranjac Music School, receiving formal musical training. The group won a competition organized by Radio Belgrade, which allowed them to record in a professional studio.
During this period she also collaborated with several notable Yugoslav rock bands. In 1979 she appeared as a backing vocalist on the album Samo napred... (Go Ahead...) by YU Grupa, and in 1980 she was a guest singer on Vrt svetlosti (Garden of Light) by Igra Staklenih Perli.
Shortly afterward she formed the band Annoda Rouge with guitarist Goran Vejvoda, Ivan Vdović, and Slobodan Trbojević but the group was short-lived.
Her debut album Ruže i krv (Roses and Blood), released in 1983, established her as one of the most innovative pop artists in the country. Her first solo concert was held on 13 June 1983 at Atelje 212 theatre in Belgrade. Soon afterward she toured with major Yugoslav pop star Zdravko Čolić.
Between 1984 and 1986 she moved to Cairo, performing regularly at the Sheraton Hotel. In 1989, Bebi Dol also performed at the Gold Malaysian Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1991 Bebi Dol won Jugovizija, held in Sarajevo, with the song “Brazil.” She represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 held in Rome. Her entry was also historically significant because it was the last official Eurovision entry from Yugoslavia, as the country began to dissolve later that year.
Later music career (1991–2000s)
After Eurovision she spent some time living in Paris, signing a recording contract there before eventually returning to Serbia due to political instability in the region.
Television, acting and media work
Besides music, Bebi Dol also worked in film and television. In 1985, she provided singing voiceover for the character of Ana, played by Sonja Savić, in Boro Drašković's movie Life Is Beautiful.
In 2003 she hosted her own talk show “Bla Bla Bebi.” During 2017, she was also a contestant on the fourth Serbian season of Your Face Sounds Familiar, winning the first episode as Emeli Sandé.
In 2020, she made a cameo appearance in the series Tajkun (Tycoon), directed by Dragan Bjelogrlić, as a folk singer named Martina, performing "Rano je za tugu" ("It's Early to Be Sad"), originally performed by Haris Džinović.
Personal life
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bebi Dol dated guitarist Goran Vejvoda. During the 1980s she was also in a relationship with singer Massimo Savić, with whom she recorded the duet “Sunce sja, trava miriše.”
Throughout her career, Serbian media often published claims that she struggled with drug addiction, which she repeatedly denied, saying the rumors were painful and untrue. She explained that such stories appeared partly because she had lived with a partner who used drugs. She also denied media reports claiming that she relied on meals from a soup kitchen.
On 27 September 2014, she married Aleks Todorović, a Serbian professor of Russian language and literature born in Los Angeles. After the marriage, it was reported that she adopted the surname Todorović.
In March 2025, Bebi Dol was recorded in the area informally known as Ćacilend, occupied by supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) during the Serbian anti-corruption protests.
Legacy
In 2006, the song "Rudi" was ranked No. 43 on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.
Discography
Studio albums
- Ruže i krv (1983)
- Ritam srca (1995)
- Ljuta sam... (2002)
- Čovek rado izvan sebe živi (2006)
Live albums
- Veče u pozorištu (2007)
Compilations
- ...Pokloni se... (2008)
Singles
- "Mustafa" / "Na planeti uzdaha" (1981)
- "Rudi" (12-inch single; 1983)
- "Inšalah" / "Ruža na dlanu" (split single with Zana Nimani; 1986)
- "Prove To All" / "How Good Not To Love" (1986)
- "Brazil" (1991)
Other appearances
- "Ti si moj svet" (Proleće na trgu – Moj Beograd srce ima, 1999)
Filmography and television appearances
{| class="wikitable"
|+Film
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1986
| Protestni album
| Flora
|
|-
| 2017
| Malesh
| Oldest daughter
| Short film
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Television appearances
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1990
|Bolji život
|Singer in the bar
|One episode
|-
|2003
|Lisice
|rowspan="7"|Herself
|One episode
|-
| 2009
|Farma
|Season 1, Eliminated
|-
| 2010
|Dvor
|Season 1, Eliminated
|-
| 2013
|rowspan="2"|Farma
|Season 4, Eliminated
|-
| 2015
|Season 6, Eliminated
|-
| 2017
| Tvoje lice zvuči poznato
| Season 4, 10th place
|-
|2017-2018
|Zadruga
|Season 1, Eliminated
|-
| 2020
| Tajkun
| Martina
| Two episodes
|-
| 2022
| Prvi bend Srbije
| Herself
| Judge
|}
See also
- Popular music in Yugoslavia
- Music of Serbia
- List of musicians from Serbia