Bojan Ilievski opens Skopje show with Mišo Kovač tribute
Winner of Zvezdite na Grand dedicated a packed Skopje night to Mišo Kovač after learning of the singer’s death on 31 October.
Bojan Ilievski, the Macedonian singer who won the most recent season of Zvezdite na Grand, dedicated his latest Skopje performance to the late Croatian star Mišo Kovač, who died on 31 October at the age of 86. Ilievski said he learned the news while driving to his gig in Skopje and decided to open the night with one of Kovač’s songs.
In a post on social media he wrote: "Last Saturday I had to open the party with one of Mišo Kovač's most beautiful songs, who unfortunately left this life. He is a man who left us many hits, songs, emotions and lyrics!" — a tribute he later repeated on stage.
Club packed, audience sang along
The concert took place in a well-known Skopje venue that was full to capacity. Ilievski reported more than 300 guests attended, and the atmosphere, he said, was so intense that the owner joked the place would still be too small even if it had a second floor.
Young fans in particular joined Ilievski in singing Kovač’s hits, turning the night into a mix of tribute and high-energy celebration. According to Ilievski, he performed for the whole evening without taking a pause.
Earlier this month Ilievski also moved many followers with a rendition of the traditional Macedonian song "Ima li pesna," a number previously associated with Tose Proeski and Naum Petreski. That emotional repertoire and his recent homage to Kovač underline why he remains a rising figure on the regional pop-folk scene.
The singer’s tribute added a personal, regional note to the mourning for Mišo Kovač and showed how his repertoire continues to resonate across generations in the Balkans.
Photo: press material from the event
