Portal:North Macedonia/Selected Biographies
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Todor Toše Proeski (Macedonian: Тодор Тоше Проески [ˈtɔʃɛ ˈprɔɛski] ; 25 January 1981 – 16 October 2007) was a Macedonian multi-genre singer, songwriter and actor. He was popular across the entire Balkan area and all around Eastern Europe, and locally he was considered a top act of the Macedonian music scene. Proeski was known for his strong vocal performances and trademark quote ве сакам сите ("I love you all"), and was once dubbed "Elvis Presley of the Balkans" by BBC News. He died in a car crash in Croatia at the age of 26.
Proeski, was born in Prilep, SFR Yugoslavia (today North Macedonia), to Dominika and Nikola Proeski from Kruševo, his hometown, where he spent most of his childhood. After his musical talent was discovered at the age of 12, he was chosen to perform at the popular children's song festival Zlatno Slavejče (eng.: Golden Nightingale) in Skopje, performing the song „Јаs i mојоt dеdо“ in Aromanian language. This was his first public music performance; however, his successful career began in 1996 when he participated in the teenage music festival Melfest in Prilep.
Following this public exposure, he was awarded for his strong vocal capabilities. This led to his rise to fame when he participated in the music festival Makfest in Štip with the song "Pusti Me" ("Let Me Go") in 1997. His fanbase quickly grew and he continued to make use of festivals, such as SkopjeFest and OhridFest, as a platform for promotion and publicity. Proeski collaborated with one of North Macedonia’s acclaimed lyricists and composers, Grigor Koprov, to produce some of the greatest hits of his career such as "Usni na Usni" ("Lips over Lips") and "Sonce vo Tvoite Rusi Kosi" ("Sun in Your Golden Hair"). In 1999, he released his debut album, Nekade vo Nokta (Somewhere in the Night), which contained eleven tracks. In the summer of the same year, Proeski performed his first solo concert in Skopje. (Read more...)