Aleksandar Vuksanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Вуксановић; born 3 November 1968), better known by his stage name Aca Lukas (Serbian Cyrillic: Аца Лукас), is a Serbian pop-folk singer and musician.

Life and career

Vuksanović was born on November 3, 1968 in Belgrade, and grew up in the downtown neighborhood of Karaburma. He graduated from a music high school.

Vuksanović began his career in the early 90s performing various genres of music, from jazz to Gypsy, in Belgrade nightclubs, such as the bar “Lukas” from which he got his stage name. He later toured throughout Yugoslavia with rock musician Viktorija and her band. Lukas released his first album, Ponos i laž, in 1995, on which he started collaborating with song-writing duo Marina Tucaković and Aleksandar Radulović. He achieved more significant popularity upon his next two albums and stand-out hits like the 1998 Anna Vissi cover “Lična karta” (ID), which became his signature song. Lukas held his first solo concert at the Pionir Hall in 1999, and then embarked on his first tour.

Today, Aca Lukas is regarded as one of the biggest Serbian turbo-folk singers. To date, he has released ten studio albums and has also performed at the Belgrade Arena over ten times. However, his biggest concert was held at the Marakana Stadium in June 2013 to 50,000 people.[2] Lukas also recorded duets with other popular regional performers, such as: “Daleko si” (2012) and “Omaklo mi se” (2015) with Ivana Selakov, “Ne zanosim se ja” (2014) with Ceca, “Kraljevi grada” (2015) with MC Stojan, “Da me je ona volela” (2017) with Mile Kitić and Saša Matić, “Bankina” (2017) with Jelena Karleuša, “Kidaš me” (2018) with Milica Pavlović, “Problem” (2019) with Maya Berović and “Sad i zauvek” (2021) with Dragana Mirković.

Additionally, he served as a judge on the televised singing competition Zvezde Granda between 2013 and 2018. Lukas also made a cameo appearance in the 2016 Serbian movie The Samurai in Autumn.

Personal life and controversies

Vuksanovic’s public perception is significantly impacted by a series of personal struggles, controversial remarks and legal troubles. He was married three times and has two sons and two daughters. His third wife, Sonja Vuksanović, reported him for a domestic a*sault, which he was eventually charged for in 2017 after he had pleaded guilty. Furthermore, in 2003, he was arrested for illegal gun possession during the police action Sablja.[6] Over the years, there have also been reports of his substance abuse and gambling addiction.[ In 2001 Lukas admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland.

Lukas has also been a vocal supporter of the President Aleksandar Vučić and has been known for making inappropriate remarks aimed at the opposing side, such as sending a death treat to popular talk show hosts Ivan Ivanović and Zoran Kesić in April 2020.[8] He was publicly denounced in November 2020 for insulting journalist Žaklina Tatalović in a sexist narrative during a live TV program on Pink. Lukas subsequently apologized for his action in a manner that was perceived as insincere by the public. In June 2021, Lukas released a memoir titled “Ovo sam ja” (This Is Me), which was poorly received from the critical public due to his views and statements like those regarding the a*sassination of Zoran Đinđić. Human rights organization ‘Da Se Zna!’ filed a complaint against Vuksanović for homophobic speech during a television appearance of his in January 2018.

After the final of the Serbian selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, Pesma za Evroviziju ’22, where Lukas had placed 5th in the final with the song “Oskar”, he accused the Serbian public broadcaster RTS of irregularities in the voting of the selection, stating he would file a criminal complaint against the head of the Radio Television of Serbia, editor of entertainment program Olivera Kovačević and general director Dragan Bujošević for “stealing votes”. RTS responded, stating that the SMS votes were counted automatically by software which did not allow interference. The Comtrade System Integration company, which set up the software to count the votes, said it was prepared to hand the votes to the authorities if requested to do so, adding that the same data is available from mobile phone operators. He also made comments about the winning performer Konstrakta, saying: “I could have gone on stage and washed my legs, but I chose instead to perform,” also claiming she is working for opposition political parties. Konstrakta, laughing off his suggestion, jokingly offered “to wash his legs for him.[15]” After the controversy, RTS and Kovačević announced they would sue Lukas.

Discography

Studio albums

• Ponos i laž (1995)
• Pesme od bola (1997)
• Lična karta (1998)
• Rođendan (2000)
• Nešto protiv bolova (2001)
• Istina je da te lažem (2003)
• Jagnje moje (2006)
• Lešće (2008)
• Stil života (2012)
• Uspavanka za ozbiljne bebe (2021)

Cover albums

• Jedno veče u kafani (1998)
• Drugo veče u kafani (1999)
• Još sam tu (za drugove) (1999)
• Zora beli… (1999)
• Aca Lukas & O.K. Band (2000)

Live albums

• Najveća žurka na Balkanu (1999)
• Žurka (2002)

Compilations

• The Best of Aca Lukas (2000)
• Aca Lukas – Hitovi (2008)
• Aca Lukas – Stil Zivota (2012)