Vaska Ilieva (; February 21, 1923 – May 4, 2001) was a Macedonian leading

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

from

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

Career

She started her career as a dancer and singer in the State Ensemble Tanec in the early 1950s. Her style of singing and the songs she sang brought her wide popularity throughout Macedonia, the rest of the former

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and throughout the worldwide Macedonian diaspora. She was referred to as the "Queen" of traditional

Macedonian music Music of Macedonia may refer to: *Music of North Macedonia, a sovereign state in southeastern Europe *Music of Macedonia (Greece), a region of Greece immediately south of North Macedonia See also *Music of Southeastern Europe Balkan music is a t ...

. Ilieva was awarded various honours from many European countries and toured Europe the Americas and Australia, where there is a large Macedonian community. Her repertoire of over 800 songs earned her a reputation as one of the most versatile and popular Macedonian female artists. Since the mid-1980s, Ilieva focused on interpreting patriotic songs, reflecting popular opinion and preceding the independence of the Republic of Macedonia. She died on 4 May 2001 in her native Skopje at the age of 77, leaving behind a rich cultural and spiritual heritage. In her honor, and on the occasion of 10 years since her death, a concert was organised and held at the Macedonian Opera and Ballet, featuring famous musical names, as well as her successor Susana Spasovska. 1923 births 2001 deaths Musicians from Skopje 20th-century Macedonian women singers Macedonian folk singers Yugoslav women singers {{RMacedonia-singer-stub