Balkan Pop Star Tose Proesky from Macedonia Died

Balkan Pop Star Tose Proesky from Macedonia Died

At my colleague’s farewell party last night, I met a friend of her who was Macedonian. With little knowledge about Macedonia, I asked her if they spoke the same language as Serbia, then I said “Kako si!” That was it for our initial conversation.

While fiddling with my cell phone and thinking about possible topics to talk to her about, I remembered Tose and the great Macedonian 7-beat rhythm. I turned around and asked: “Hey do know this singer called Tose? He’s very young, and I heard that he was famous in Macedonia.” The girl nodded her head, “He died yesterday.”

“Wow, what!” I thought this girl had just played a trick on me.
“He had a car accident in Croatia.” She continued.
“Are you serious?” I was in total disbelief and still believed this was some sick joke. “Oh my God! I saw only one of his music video, which he sang “Magic” with Esma, but I had an impression that he was a nice guy, not one of those superfluous stars these days.”
“Yes. He did a lot of charity concert. He was very nice. He is the only thing we have.”  The girl said. “There was a national mourning yesterday. Everybody was really sad. They would name a town square after him. You didn’t know about his death? I thought you ask because you knew.”

It was strange that I felt a bit sadness by the news of Tose Proesky’s death. He was a complete stranger from a culture I don’t know anything about; I only listen to one of his songs. Perhaps I thought that Tose and his music are ones of few things that speak the common language in an overwhelmingly nationalistic and divided of the former Yugoslavia.

To listen to his music, visit this Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2z1gKefdZlfzgnNlwZaxw