Goce Nikolovski

Goce Nikolovski was a Macedonian singer, born in Skopje in 1947, whose career ran from the Yugoslav beat groups of Niš to "Biser balkanski", the song that became his nickname. Over the years he sang rock, pop and songs close to Macedonian folk.

He began singing at 16 in Niš, where he lived, and won the popular television show Maksimetar. After the group Rubinsi he joined the Niš band Daltoni in 1966, replacing the singer Miodrag Rašić. Daltoni had been formed in 1963 by high school students and became known across Yugoslavia: they won the first Niš Gitarijada in September 1967, finished fourth at the Golden Guitar contest in Belgrade in December 1968 and had a radio hit with "Ruka od sna", the title track of their 1968 EP and the song most linked with Nikolovski from those years. When Daltoni split in October 1971, he went on as a solo singer.

His greatest success came in 1990. At Folk Fest Valandovo he sang "Biser balkanski" for the first time and won first prize among performers from all over Yugoslavia. The song became a big hit in Macedonia, gave him the nickname "Biser balkanski" ("Pearl of the Balkans"), and in 2000 it was declared the Macedonian song of the century. In 1992 he performed "Od majka nema pomila" at a festival in Canberra, Australia.

His other songs include "Serenada", "Prikazna za Angelina", "Zapejte site angeli", "Bisera" and "Pesna od zemja dalečna". He was especially popular with Macedonians in Australia and Canada, was made an honorary citizen of Adelaide and was given the key to the city. By the early 2000s he had largely left public life.

Goce Nikolovski died in Skopje on 16 December 2006, at the age of 59. After his death several television and radio stations honoured him with lifetime achievement awards.