Kaliopi

Kaliopi Bukle Калиопи Букле Caliopi Bucle
Background information
Birth name	Kaliopi Bukle
Also known as	Kaliopi
Born	(1966-12-28) 28 December 1966 Kičevo, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia
Origin	Macedonian Aromanian
Genres	Pop, Blues, Jazz, Classical
Occupations	Artist, Singer, Composer, Poet, Humanist
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1976 – present
Labels	Kaliopi Music Production Hayat Production Hit Records City Records
Associated acts	"Kaliopi" (Band)
Website	Official website

Kaliopi Bukle (Macedonian: Калиопи Букле; Aromanian: Caliopi Bucle, pronounced [kaliˈɔpi ˈbuklɛ] ( listen); born December 28, 1966 in Kičevo), known professionally as Kaliopi, is a Macedonian singer-songwriter. In her career, Kaliopi has transitioned from the lead vocal of her eponymous band in 1980s Yugoslavia to an established vocalist and composer in Macedonia and across the ex-Yugoslavian region.

Biography

Early life and career beginnings

Kaliopi Bukle showed interest in music at a young age and in 1976, she entered the Macedonian children's festival "Zlatno Slavejče", securing first place with the song "Mojata učitelka”.^[1][2]

Kaliopi later toured with the choir of Zapro Zaprov "Razvigorče" through Czechoslovakia, Slovenia (then within their native Yugoslavia) and Austria between 1978 and 1980.^[2] She then joined the class of Marija Nikolovska, where she studied solo singing for four years, continuing her training later at the Music Academy in the class of Blagoja Nikolovski in 1984. Kaliopi competed in and placed third in the 1984 Yugoslavian solo singing contest, competing as the youngest classical music singer at the festival.

Band formation, Kaliopi and Rodjeni

In 1984, Kaliopi founded the band "Kaliopi" together with Romeo Gril, recording their first two songs, "Tomi" and "Nemoj da me budis", at the request of Macedonian Radio.^[2] The band won best interpretation for the song "Leo" at the Festival Opatija, an award voted for by the journalists of Yugoslavia. In 1986, the band released their eponymous debut album under the ZKP RTLJ record label. In the same year, they participated in the Split Festival where they won the best debut performer award for their song "Da more zna".

In 1987, the band released their second album, "Rodjeni", which was recorded in Zagreb and was highly successful, producing the hit-song "Bato". The band was active in the music scene, performing at festivals, recording television specials for TV Zagreb, TV Belgrade, TV Sarajevo and TV Titovgrad and performing a concert tour that included performances in the Soviet Union. At the height of the band’s popularity, Kaliopi and Romeo Gril moved to Switzerland and after an extended absence from the music scene, followed by the breakup of Yugoslavia, the band was officially dissolved.

Solo comeback, Oboi me and Ako denot mi e nokj

Kaliopi returned to the music scene as a solo performer in the now independent Republic of Macedonia, competing at the 1996 edition of Skopje Fest, the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. With the song "Samo ti", she was awarded first place from the jury and audience, winning the right to be the first representative for Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the 1996 Contest had an influx of new participants and at a non-televised audio pre-selection; Macedonia was eliminated from competing at the contest. Kaliopi later competed in Skopje Fest 1998, but only managed 9th place with the song "Ne zaboravaj".

Kaliopi began re-establishing herself in the Macedonian music scene, composing songs for other artists and releasing her solo debut album, "Oboi me", in December 1999. The album was promoted via a television special broadcast on Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), single releases for the songs "Oboi me" and "Daj da pijam" and a promotional tour in summer 2000. The album was the last collaboration with her former band mate Romeo Gril until 2012. In 2000, Kaliopi established her own record label, Kaliopi Music Production, which exclusively dealt with her releases in Macedonia.

In January 2001, Kaliopi announced a new album and a new collaboration with producer Darko Dimitrov. The album’s title track “Ako denot mi e nokj” was the first single release, followed by "Na pat do Makedonija", "Dali me sakas", "Mesecina" and "Za samo eden den". The album received promotion through a documentary aired titled ‘’Kaliopi Again’’ on MRT, an unplugged concert at the ancient Heraclea Lyncestis amphitheatre in Bitola and the "Na pat do Makedonija" concert tour which commenced in November 2001 and included eleven concert dates across Macedonia.

On 16 February 2002, Kaliopi took part in Skopje Fest 2002 as a composer and backing vocalist for the song "Pesna za nas" (A song about us), which was performed by Gorgi Krstevski. The song placed 5th in the competition. In July 2002, Kaliopi released the single "Najmila", which was one of two new songs featured on the October release of the live album "Najmila – Kaliopi Live and Unreleased". Kaliopi released "Zasluzena Zemja" as the follow-up single from the album.

Ne mi go zemaj vremeto and 30 year jubilee

In 2003, Kaliopi released the title track from her third album, "Ne mi go zemaj vremeto, as the first single. The album, released in December 2003, featured the duets "Bel den" with Macedonian-Romani singer Esma Redžepova and "Purpurni dozdovi" with Macedonian actor Vasil Zafirchev. The album produced several radio hits throughout 2004 and 2005: "Za kogo postojam", "Toa sum jas", "Dari dari dam" and "Koga prokleto ti trebam". This was also the first solo album to feature songs in the Serbo-Croatian language and it also included Kaliopi’s first single marketed towards the ex-Yugoslavian market titled "Smeh". In 2004, Kaliopi played the lead in the first Macedonian musical, titled "Cija si".

In November 2004, Kaliopi was selected along with five other artists for the Macedonian pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. Kaliopi opted out of the selection in the initial stages after learning that the process would be competition based rather than an internal selection.^[3] However, she still remained part of the competition as a composer by supplying selection finalist Aleksandra Pileva with the song "Ne", which ultimately placed third.

In early 2006, Kaliopi released the single "1000 Bozji Cvetovi", which garnered media interest as the single was billed as a duet with Kaliopi herself. On 4 March 2006, Kaliopi competed in the Macedonian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Silna" (Strong). Despite the media labelling her as one of the main favourites to win, the song ended up placing 6th. The song was later remixed and used in a promotional campaign in Macedonia for the Škoda Octavia.

On 12 July 2006, Kaliopi performed at the Montenegrin festival Suncane Skale with the Serbian version of the song "Silna" and placed third. She later released a non-album radio single title "Zivotot e džabe". Kaliopi was featured on Croatian singer Massimo Savić's album as a composer and a singer, performing the song "Melankolija".

In late 2006, Kaliopi celebrated her 30 year jubilee as an artist, which took place in the form of a huge concert at the Universal Hall in Skopje. Kaliopi performed her greatest hits and was joined by Esma Redžepova and Edin Karamazov. The concert later received a video release.

International career and Želim ti reći

With increased exposure in Croatia, Kaliopi signed a record deal with Aquarius Records and released her first single, "Probudi me", in Croatia in 2007. The release was followed by a compilation album, "The Best of", also released in Croatia. In May 2007, Kaliopi released the single "Grev", which she composed as the theme for the film Elegija za tebe. In November 2007, Kaliopi was a judge and a guest performer at the Albanian music event, Kënga Magjike, where she received critical praise for her performance of "Ako denot mi e nokj", which she dedicated to the late Toše Proeski who had been involved in a tragic accident just a month earlier.

In 2008, Kaliopi released the Serbo-Croatian language album "Želim ti reći", promoting the release with the singles "Ljubi" and the title track "Želim ti reći”. In late June, Kaliopi competed at the Montenegrin festival Pjesma Mediterana, in Budva, as a performer of the song "Reci mi" and as the author of the song "Dajem ti sve" performed by Tamara Todevska. On 6 July 2008, Kaliopi participated at the 48th edition of the Split Festival, performing the song "Za tebe čuvam sebe", written by Croatian singer Alka Vuica. On the 5 October 2008, Kaliopi participated in the memorial tribute concert honouring the anniversary of Toše Proeski's last concert, performing his song "Nemas ni blagodaram".

Kaliopi participated in several festivals across ex-Yugoslavia in 2009, performing "Ljubičice" at the Croatian Radio Festival on 30 May, winning best interpretation for the performance of "Meni je ime" at Pjesma Mediterana on 6 June, winning Suncane Skale 2009 with Naum Petreski with the song "Rum dum dum" and performing "Stine" at the Runjićeve večeri in Croatia.

Oblivion and Poraka

In November 2009, Kaliopi released the album "Oblivion", a collaborative work with Edin Karamazov, which featured 11 world famous songs performed in nine different languages with musical arrangements for the baroque lute and guitar. Kaliopi previously appeared on Edin Karamazov’s album "The Lute is a Song", where she recorded a version of the old Macedonian song, "So maki sum se rodila". The album was promoted across the ex-Yugoslavian region in 2010, including performances at the Macedonian Opera and Ballet in Skopje, the 15th International Cultural Manifestation Zeničko proljeće in Zenica and the Kastav Summer Festival in Kastav.

At the end of 2009 and through 2010, Kaliopi participated in several music projects. She recorded the song "Nevinost" as part of "Miligram", an ex-Yugoslavian compilation album project by composer Aleksandar Milić Mili. Kaliopi also participated in the posthumous release of Toše Proeski’s self-composed unreleased songs, recording the song "Zasekogaš" in Macedonian and "Zauvijek" in Serbo-Croatian.

In December 2010, Kaliopi released her fifth solo album "Poraka", for which she collaborated with Darko Juranović "D'Knock", Tihomir Preradović, Miroslav Rus and Rambo Amadeus. The album also contained the duet "Denot si budi" with Slovenian singer Marko Vozelj. The Serbo-Croatian version of the album, "Poruka", was released in the ex-Yugoslavian market. The singles "Ti", "Ne sum kako ti" and "Poraka" were released to promote the album.

Macedonian Idol, Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and Melem

For the majority of 2011, Kaliopi was part the judging panel for the first edition of Macedonian Idol, alongside fellow judges Igor Džambazov and Toni Mihajlovski.^[4] Kaliopi released two songs with the finalists of the show: "Ne e kraj na se" and "Se rodi den".

On 19 November 2011, Macedonian Radio-Television internally selected Kaliopi to represent Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kaliopi performed the song "Crno i belo", with lyrics by Kaliopi herself and music by Romeo Gril, which qualified from the second semi-final on 24 May 2012 and went on to place 13th in the final on 26 May 2012, scoring 71 points.^[5][6] Prior to Eurovision performance, Kaliopi promoted the song in Serbia, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Kaliopi continued working with Romeo Gril for her sixth album. The collaboration yielded the album "Melem", for which Romeo Gril wrote and composed the majority the songs. Kaliopi released the singles "Vučica", "Melem" and "Mrvica" to promote the album prior to and after its February 2013 release date.

Discography

Studio albums

with Group Kaliopi

• 1986: "Kaliopi"
• 1987: "Rodjeni"

Solo

• 2000: "Oboi Me"
• 2001: "Ako Denot Mi E Nokj"
• 2004: "Ne Mi Go Zemaj Vremeto"
• 2008: "Zelim Ti Reci"
• 2010: "Poraka" and "Poruka"
• 2013: "Melem"

with Edin Karamazov

• 2009: "Oblivion"

Live albums

• 2002: "Najmila – Live and Unreleased"
• 2006: "Kaliopi Live" (DVD Album)

Instrumental albums

• 2005: "Me, Isadora"

Compilation albums

• 2007: "The Best Of"

Awards and achievements

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaliopi.

• Music of the Republic of Macedonia
• SFR Yugoslav Pop and Rock scene
• Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

External links

• Official Website

References

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Aleksandra Bučevac	Sunčane Skale winner with Naum Peterski 2009	Succeeded by Dado Topić & Anita Popović
Preceded by Vlatko Ilievski with Rusinka	Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012	Succeeded by Vlatko Lozanoski & Esma Redžepova with Pred da se razdeni

v t e Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest   Participation 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014   Artists 1990s Kaliopi 1997 Vlado Janevski 1999 2000s XXL 2001 Karolina Gočeva 2003 Toše Proeski Martin Vučić Elena Risteska Karolina Gočeva Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian Next Time 2010s Gjoko Taneski, Billy Zver & Pejčin Vlatko Ilievski Kaliopi Esma and Lozano Tijana Dapčević   Songs 1990s "Samo ti" 1997 "Ne zori, zoro" (Не зори, зоро) 1999 2000s "100% te ljubam" 2001 "Od nas zavisi" 2003 "Life" "Make My Day" "Ninanajna" "Mojot svet" "Let Me Love You" "Nešto što kje ostane" 2010s "Jas ja imam silata" "Rusinka" "Crno i belo" "Pred da se razdeni" "Pobeda" (Note: Entries scored out are when Macedonia did not compete)

v t e Eurovision Song Contest 2012   Countries Final (by final results) Sweden (winner) Russia Serbia Azerbaijan Albania Estonia Turkey Germany Italy Spain Moldova Romania Macedonia Lithuania Ukraine Cyprus Greece Bosnia and Herzegovina Ireland Iceland Malta France Denmark Hungary United Kingdom Norway Semi-final only (in alphabetical order) Semi-final 1 Austria Belgium Finland Israel Latvia Montenegro San Marino Switzerland Semi-final 2 Belarus Bulgaria Croatia Georgia Netherlands Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Withdrawn Armenia   Artists Final (by final results) Loreen Buranovskiye Babushki Željko Joksimović Sabina Babayeva Rona Nishliu Ott Lepland Can Bonomo Roman Lob Nina Zilli Pastora Soler Pasha Parfeny Mandinga Kaliopi Donny Montell Gaitana Ivi Adamou Eleftheria Eleftheriou MayaSar Jedward Gréta Salóme & Jónsi Kurt Calleja Anggun Soluna Samay Compact Disco Engelbert Humperdinck Tooji Semi-final only (in alphabetical order) Semi-final 1 Anmary Iris Izabo Pernilla Karlsson Rambo Amadeus Sinplus Trackshittaz Valentina Monetta Semi-final 2 Anri Jokhadze Eva Boto Filipa Sousa Joan Franka Litesound Max Jason Mai Nina Badrić Sofi Marinova Withdrawn Alyona Lanskaya (Belarus)   Songs Final (by final results) "Euphoria" "Party for Everybody" "Nije ljubav stvar" "When the Music Dies" "Suus" "Kuula" "Love Me Back" "Standing Still" "L'amore è femmina (Out of Love)" "Quédate conmigo" "Lăutar" "Zaleilah" "Crno i belo" "Love Is Blind" "Be My Guest" "La La Love" "Aphrodisiac" "Korake ti znam" "Waterline" "Never Forget" "This Is the Night" "Echo (You and I)" "Should've Known Better" "Sound of Our Hearts" "Love Will Set You Free" "Stay" Semi-final only (in alphabetical order) Semi-final 1 "Beautiful Song" "Euro Neuro" "När jag blundar" "The Social Network Song" "Time" "Unbreakable" "Woki mit deim Popo" "Would You?" Semi-final 2 "Don't Close Your Eyes" "I'm a Joker" "Love Unlimited" "Nebo" "Verjamem" "Vida minha" "We Are the Heroes" "You and Me" Withdrawn "All My Life" (Belarus) "Per sempre" (Italy) (Note : "Withdrawn" refers to entries that withdrew after applying to enter)