Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (; born 7 March 1978), professionally known as Azis (), is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n recording artist of

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

ethnicity. Azis initially rose to prominence in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

performing songs mostly in

chalga Chalga (; often referred to as Folk-pop#Balkan region, pop-folk or ethno-pop) is a genre of Bulgarian pop music. Chalga is a folk-inspired dance music genre, with a blend of Music of Bulgaria, Traditional Bulgarian music along with influences from ...

, a genre which can be described as the Bulgarian rendition of

pop-folk Folk-pop is a broad musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been popularized by mainstream media in recent years. Music ...

. Azis has collaborated with other Bulgarian pop-folk singers, such as

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

, Malina,

Sofi Marinova Sofiya Marinova Kamenova (, ), better known simply as Sofi Marinova () is a Bulgarian pop-folk and ethno-pop singer. She has won multiple music awards and contests. She is often called "the Romani pearl" and "the Romani nightingale". In February ...

Toni Storaro Toni Storaro (; born Tunçer Fikret Ali, , ; on 2 August 1976)rap artist Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing b ...

s – Ustata and Vanko 1. Other than that, his repertoire includes duets with singers from the

former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

, including

Indira Radić Indira Radić (; ; born 14 June 1966) is a Serbia, Serbian Folk-pop, pop-folk singer. She has established herself on the music scene of the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria and sings almost exclusively in her native language. In the period from 199 ...

Marta Savić Marta Savić (; born 7 May 1966) is a Bosnian-born Serbian turbo-folk singer. Early life Marta Savić was born to Bosnian Serb parents in Vranjak, a village near Modriča, Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the age of two months, her family settled in ...

Jelena Karleuša Jelena Karleuša ( sr-Cyrl, Јелена Карлеуша; born 17 August 1978) is a Serbian singer and media personality. Born and raised in Belgrade, she began her music career by releasing her debut album ''Ogledalce'' (1995) at the age of 16 ...

, Severina and

Tea Tairović Tea Tairović-Vardaj ( sr-Cyrl, Tea Таировић-Вардај; born 26 April 1996) is a Serbian singer, songwriter and dancer. Born and raised in Novi Sad, she rose to prominence as a contestant on the reality television singing competition ' ...

. Boyanov performed "

Let Me Cry Bulgaria was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Let Me Cry", composed by Dani Milev, with lyrics by Elina Gavrilova, and performed by Mariana Popova. The Bulgarian participating broadcaster, Bulgarian National Televi ...

" at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcas ...

with

Mariana Popova Mariana Popova () (born 6 June 1978) is a Bulgarian singer. She is known for representing Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, trainer on The Voice of Bulgaria 2011 and from Vip Brother 2012 – Bulgaria. Biography Mariana Popova w ...

, staying in the semi-finals. Other than his acclaimed career as a vocalist, he competed unsuccessfully in the

2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 25 June 2005, for the 240 members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria), National Assembly. According to exit polls, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, Socialists had a lead with around 31%, but without ...

as a member of the

Euroroma Euroroma () is the biggest political party representing the interests of the Romani people in Bulgaria. Established on 12 December 1998, Euroroma is not strictly an ethnic party, as it is open to everybody who shares its ideas and goals. In acc ...

party. Azis remains a prominent figure in the

Bulgarian music The music of Bulgaria refers to all forms of music associated with the country of Bulgaria, including classical, folk, popular music, and other forms. Classical music, opera, and ballet are represented by composers Emanuil Manolov, Pancho Vladi ...

scene.

Biography

Vasil Troyanov Boyanov was born into a modest

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

family in

Sliven, Bulgaria Sliven ( ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality in Northern Thrace. It is situated in the Sliven Valley at the foothills of th ...

. He spent his childhood in

Kostinbrod Kostinbrod ( ) is a town in western Bulgaria. It is the seat of Kostinbrod Municipality. It is located 15 km west of the capital city of Sofia. It is located on two important transport corridors: Lom — Sofia — Thessaloniki and Sofia — ...

and

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

. In 1989, after the

fall of communism in Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...

, he moved with his family to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. There, his sister, Matilda, and brother Ryan were born. Azis married Nikolay "Niki Kitaetsa" Petrov Parvanov on 1 October 2006. Their marriage is not legally recognized under Bulgarian law. Azis' daughter was born on 5 August 2007 and was named Raya. Her mother is Azis' longtime friend, Gala. In 2008, Azis and Parvanov separated amicably.

Controversies

In late November 2007,

Boyko Borisov Boyko Metodiev Borisov (, born 13 June 1959) is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on three separate occasions, serving a total of 9 years between 2009 and 2021, making him the country's longest-serving post-communi ...

, then

mayor of Sofia This is a chronological list of mayors of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, since that post was established after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. The first governor of Sofia was Petr Alabin. Initially, the mayors of Sofia were assigned by the ...

, censored billboards of Azis kissing Niki Kitaetsa, which pictured both men shirtless on the basis they were too graphic in nature. The picture was then censored in other cities in Bulgaria. In 2021, Azis was scheduled to perform at the Balkan Fair in Kestel,

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, Turkey, but the performance was cancelled after a campaign by

Islamists Islamism is a range of Religion, religious and Politics, political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is su ...

targeting Azis' LGBT identity.

Appearances

* In 2007, Azis and Kitaetsa appeared in the ''

VIP Brother 2 ''VIP Brother 2'' was the second season of the celebrity version of the Bulgarian language, Bulgarian reality television show ''Big Brother (Bulgarian TV series), Big Brother''. It was aired on Nova (Bulgarian TV channel), Nova Television. The sho ...

'' edition of ''

Big Brother Bulgaria ''Big Brother'' is a reality show based on the ''Big Brother'' series by Endemol. The show originates from the Netherlands, where in 1999 the first season was aired. At present, the format is spread in a number of countries around the world. A ...

''. Azis left the house voluntarily after nineteen days. * Azis was interviewed in the second episode of ''

Michael Palin's New Europe ''Michael Palin's New Europe'' is a travel documentary presented by Michael Palin and first aired in the UK on the BBC on 16 September 2007 and in the US on the Travel Channel on 28 January 2008. Palin visits 20 countries in Central and East ...

''. * In 2008 on PRO.BG, Azis co-hosted the talk show ''Azis' Late Night Show'' with actress Ekaterina Evro. * In August 2012,

Anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

used the video clip to Azis' song "Mrazish" to deface the website of the Russian court Khamovnichesky, where the members of the band

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

were convicted. * Azis was a contestant on the widely popular reality show ''Kato dve kapki voda'', which is the Bulgarian version of ''

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' ( Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series '' Soundmixshow'', was ...

''. After twelve weeks and a wide specter of highly praised and enjoyed performances, he placed second. In early 2021, he was announced as one of the returning participants in the forthcoming ninth All Stars season of the show.

Covers

Greek

laïko Laïko or laïkó (, ; "

ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, ...

of the people", "popular

; ) is a Greece, Greek folk-pop music genre in accordance with the tradition of the Greeks, Greek people. Also referred to as "folk song" or "urban folk music" () in its plural for ...

vocalist

Panos Kiamos Panos Kiamos (Greek: Πάνος Κιάμος, ) is a Greek laiko–pop singer. Early life Kiamos was born on 4 October 1975 in Athens, where he spent the rest of his adolescent life. In 1994, at the age of 18, he passed the entry exams for me ...

, made a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

of Azis' single "Sen Trope" entitled "Fotia me Fotia" (''Fire to Fire''). Serbian

turbo-folk Turbo-folk is a subgenre of contemporary South Slavs, South Slavic pop music that initially developed in Serbia during the 1990s as a fusion of techno and folk music, folk. The term was an invention of the Montenegro, Montenegrin singer Rambo ...

singer

Dragan Kojić Keba Dragan Kojić (born 7 October 1956), better known as Keba (), is a Serbian singer. Debuted in 1976, he has a career spanning more than four decades and remains one of the most acclaimed Serbian folk singers. Kojić also appeared in the second ...

covered the same song as "Ona to zna" (''She Knows That''), as well as the Romanian singer Florin Salam as "Saint Tropez". In November 2012, the Greek singer

Giorgos Tsalikis Giorgos Tsalikis (Γιώργος Τσαλίκης, born 25 October 1975) is a Greek Laïko Laïko or laïkó (, ; "ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur fr ...

made a cover of Azis' song "Hop", entitled "Asto" (''Let it'').

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs (
maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...
s)

Videography / songs

DVDs

*2003: ''Шоу спектакъл'' *2004: ''Нищо лично'' *2004: ''The best videoclips'' *2004: ''Together with Desi Slava'' *2005: ''AZIS 2005'' *2005: ''Дуети'' (Duets) *2006: ''Аз, Азис'' ( I, Azis) (CD) *2007: ''Azis''

Collaborations

Books

* ''Аз, Азис'' (Book and CD) (2006)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Azis 1978 births Living people Bulgarian expatriates in Germany Bulgarian pop singers Bulgarian folk-pop singers Bulgarian people of Romani descent Musicians from Sliven Romani musicians Romani singers Bisexual singers Romani LGBTQ people Bulgarian non-binary people Bulgarian LGBTQ singers Bulgarian television personalities Big Brother (Bulgarian TV series) contestants Non-binary singers 20th-century Bulgarian LGBTQ people 21st-century Bulgarian LGBTQ people English-language singers from Bulgaria