Zehra Deović (9 December 1938 – 30 October 2015) was a Bosnian

sevdalinka Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional genre of folk music originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevdalinka is an integral part of the Bosniak culture, but is also spread across the ex-Yugoslavia ...

- folk singer and was one of the leading female singers of the 1960s and 1970s in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

, along with

Silvana Armenulić Silvana Bajraktarević (born Zilha Bajraktarević; 18 February 1939 – 10 October 1976), known professionally as Silvana Armenulić (), was a Bosnian singer-songwriter and actress and one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditi ...

, Nada Mamula and

Beba Selimović Izeta Selimović (27 March 1936 – 10 March 2020), known by her stage name Beba Selimović, was a Bosnian sevdalinka- folk singer and was one of the leading female singers of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in Yugoslavia, along with Zehra Deović, ...

. Deović started working at

Radio Sarajevo Radio Sarajevo is a radio station and magazine that began airing 10 April 1945, four days after the liberation of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina near the end of World War II. It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's first radio station. The first words s ...

in 1960 and released her first album two years later. She lived and worked in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

until her death.

Biography

Deović was born in

Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 1 ...

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...

(modern-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

), to

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

parents Halim and Abida Deović. Her father was killed in 1941 and she relocated as a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

refugee to Sarajevo in 1943 with her mom and two siblings. After three years, they returned to Foča. As a child, Deović joined Foča's youth cultural club "Jedinstvo" (''Unity'') and first began performing with them in major cities of

in 1953. During these tours she had the chance to perform alongside the famous folk singers of the time, such as Vuka Šeherović. In 1960, she moved back to Sarajevo for schooling and auditioned for

with the folk song "Dvije su se vode zavadile". She passed and was given a recording contract with the

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

-based label

Jugoton Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia. History Jugoton was formed in 1947. It is notable for releasing some of the most important former Yugoslav pop and rock records. ...

. Deović released her debut studio album '' Pjesme iz Bosne'' on 11 December 1962. Through her career she was a frequent participant in the annual music festival in

Ilidža Ilidža ( sr-cyrl, Илиџа, ) is a town and a municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a total population of 66,730 with 63,528 in Ilidža itself, and is ...

, in addition to multiple other music festivals in the region. Deović died at age 76 after a long illness on 30 October 2015 in Sarajevo.

Discography

Extended plays

*'' Pjesme iz Bosne'' (1962) *'' Oj Igmane'' (1963) *''Ja prošetah čaršijom'' (1963) *''Oj, Prijedore pun si mi sevdaha / Pšeničice sitno zrno '' (1963) *''Izmamilo sunce'' (1964) *'' Ne znam šta ću majko'' (1966) *''Ni Bajrami više nisu'' (1968) *''Voljela sam'' (1971) *''Rodni grade / Čekanje'' (1971) *''Zovem te ljubavi '' (1973)

Studio albums

*''Dvije su se vode zavadile'' (1976) *''Zehrin sevdah'' (1982) *''Kad procvatu'' (1990)

References

External links

Text about sevdah and sevdalinke with information about popular singers and Zehra Deović
*
Web site of Balkan Fever 2009 festival with information about Zehra Deović
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deovic, Zehra 1938 births 2015 deaths People from Foča Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Yugoslav women singers Sevdalinka