Safet Isović: Remembering the legendary sevdalinka singer

Nineteen years ago, on this day in 2007, the legendary Safet Isović passed away in Sarajevo. Widely regarded by music critics as the greatest singer of sevdalinka in history, Isović was a defining voice of traditional Balkan folk music.

Born in Bileća in 1936, Isović spent much of his life in Sarajevo after moving there to study law in 1955. His professional music career began in 1956 following an amateur singing competition, leading to his first recordings with Radio Sarajevo. He achieved significant regional fame, highlighted by a successful solo concert at the Dom Sindikata in Belgrade in 1963. Throughout his career, he recorded approximately 20 solo albums.

Isović was noted not only for his powerful vocal range, compared by some to world-class operatic tenors, but also for his dedication to preserving the cultural heritage of sevdalinka. He is buried in the courtyard of the Ali-pašina Mosque in Sarajevo.