Usnija Redžepova

Usnija Redžepova started performing soon after completing her secondary studies. Although she made come true her father's old dream to study Arabic at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology, she had to sing in cafés to get enough money to live. Most of her friends in Belgrade were from Macedonia and she met Nasko Džorlev, a Macedonian musician who had his own ensemble. She joined them and toured Yugoslavia for 5 years.[4]

In 1966, she released her first disks, two EPs produced by Jugoton, one of the largest Yugoslav labels. As Esma Redžepova, another singer from Macedonia, had already signed with Jugoton, the label decided to rename the singer "Usnija Jašarova" to avoid any confusion. "Jašarova" was made up with the forename of Usnija's father, Jašar.[4] The first EP was recorded in duet with another folk singer, Ivanka Jovanovska, while the second only contained songs by Usnija. The main title, Džulo, Džulo, quickly became a hit in Yugoslavia. The two disks were recorded in Serbian but the singer released a third EP in 1968 containing only Romani songs. Together with Vaska Ilieva and Anđelka Govedarović, two other folk singers, Usnija was sent to Australia in 1969 to perform for the Yugoslav diaspora. She also sang for the army in Croatia in 1971.[3]

By 1973, Usnija Redžepova had experienced success and had started a promising career. However, she was still studying at the university and was feeling very tired. She had not realised that her success was exceptional and had an unassuming approach to it. That year, Žarko Jovanović, a prominent Serbian-Romani artist, wanted her to play in his new adaptation of Koštana, a popular play in Serbia telling the story of a Gypsy girl. As she had almost withdrawn from the scene, he was not able to find her until another Macedonian-Romani singer, Muharem Serbezovski, introduced Redžepova to him.[4]

Although Redžepova was worried about having to play and sing in an academic setting, she joined the National Theatre in Belgrade to perform Koštana. She stayed there for 26 years until 1999. The play was a large success and Usnija Redžepova described her time there as euphoric. Although she had to give up her studies, she had the opportunity to visit some Arabic countries, including Sudan where she performed for Yugoslav workers. President Josip Broz Tito is said to have been an admirer and she performed for him and Fidel Castro when he was on a visit in the Brionian Islands. The cultural organisation responsible for her tours abroad, "Beogradska estrada", also permitted her to perform in Western countries.[4] Throughout the 1970s, she released many singles and EPs, including some in Turkish. Her first album was released in 1977.

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Usnija Redžepova considered putting an end to her career because she was devastated by the death of her country. Nonetheless, she continued to release albums until 2007 but she ended up in a difficult financial situation after her husband's death in 2005.[5] She received a national pension from the Serbian government on 29 December 2011.[6]

Redžepova died on 1 October 2015 in Belgrade after a three-year long battle with lung cancer. She was 69.[7] Her funeral took place at the Bajrakli Mosque in central Belgrade on 4 October and she was buried in Skopje at the Butel cemetery.[8]

• Usnija Jašarova i Jovanka Ivanovska, Jugoton, 1966.
• Džulo, Džulo, Jugoton, 1966.
• Ciganske pjesme pjeva Usnija, Jugoton, 1968.

• Zbog tebe, Jugoton, 1982.
• Songs of a Macedonian Gypsy, Monitor Records, 1994.
• Romske pesme, PGP-RTS, 2002.
• O pesmo moja, Tioli, 2003.
• The Best Of, PGP-RTS, 2003.
• 30 godina sa trubom, PGP-RTS, 2007.

• Death and the Dervish (Zdravko Velimirović, 1974), performing a singer.