associated_acts death_date death_place years_active birth_place background birth_date instrument genre article_title name occupation
tanec 4 may 2001 skopje , republic of macedonia 1950-2001 Čair , skopje solo_singer 21 december 1923 vocals macedonian folk music vaska ilieva
 vaska ilieva Васка Илиева singer
vaska ilieva

vaska ilieva -lrb- -rrb- -lrb- february 21 , 1923 -- may 4 , 2001 -rrb- was a macedonian leading folk singer from yugoslavia and the republic of macedonia .
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 yugoslavia , the balkans and throughout the worldwide macedonian diaspora .
she was referred to as the `` queen '' of traditional macedonian music .
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 .
