“The Sun Doesn’t Shine Like in ’85”

Abstract The legacy of Yugoslav music re-emerged in Serbia and in the wider post-Yugoslav cultural space during the 2000s, as the historical distance and growing dissatisfaction with capitalism led artists to reach out to the Yugoslav socialist past. This has taken many directions, from the reigniting of fandom of ex-Yugoslav music stars and the creation of tribute bands, to the renewal of interest in songs from World War ii and the composition of new music echoing Yugoslav memories and re-framing Yugoslav popular songs in the broader field of contemporary artistic practices. Most socio-musical formations and cultural scenes that have been fashioned after the break of Yugoslavia either rearticulated and incorporated particular sound legacies strongly associated with Yugoslav socialism or emulated its ‘ethos’ by contrasting the present with ideas and practices of Socialist Yugoslav society. The author will focus on female performers and authors, as well on the smaller socio-musical and artistic contexts related to the feminist movement. By acknowledging, comparing and interpreting the contributions of female and feminist artists / activists in Serbia who use music as a tools for social critique, the article offers an insight into a complex intersection between gender, ideology, and politics of remembrance ‘after Yugoslavia’.