Memory of an inimitable legend – Safet Isović

Safet Isović was remembered as an unsurpassed great sevdah whose voice, power of interpretation and dignified performance marked an entire era of the Balkan music scene. Born in Bileća, he began his journey to the top in the mid-fifties of the last century, bringing with him a specific color of his voice and incredible precision in his performance, which took the sevdalinka out of the narrow bars and placed it on the world’s big stages.

He was an artist who sang with equal fervor and authority about love, longing, but also about the pride of the country and people, which is why many rightfully called him "father of all". His diction was impeccable, and every ornament in the song, that famous Bosnian thriller, sounded natural with him, and at the same time mathematically correct, which became an unattainable standard for all generations that came after him. Through decades of rich career, Safet has become a guardian of tradition, singing anthology numbers like "Moj is kind", "Sve Behara" i "A martyr’s farewell"but he was also a pioneer who was the first to fill halls and stadiums, proving that folk music can have the dignity of high art.

A special chapter of his life was written during the siege of Sarajevo, when, despite world fame, he remained with his people and was seriously wounded in his home in 1992, which was followed by long-term treatment abroad, but as soon as his health permitted, he returned to his song and homeland. His departure in 2007 left a void that is impossible to fill, but he left behind an invaluable sound archive that still serves as a basic textbook for anyone who wants to know the very soul and depth of true sevdah.