Vesele Štajerke

Vesele Štajerke are a Slovenian narodnozabavna band from Štajerska and the first all-female band of the genre in Slovenia, playing a line-up that until then had only been seen with men. Their story began in 1994, when the girls met as young performers at the talent show Pokaži, kaj znaš in Dobje pri Planini.

Jože Žlaus, the father of guitarist Loti Žlaus, noticed them there and suggested they join forces as the first girls' folk-pop ensemble. They started as a trio, and a fourth member joined about two years later; the line-up as it is known today has played together since 1997. Mojca Črešnar plays the accordion, Loti Žlaus the guitar and Marjana Hercog the bass, with Vida Sadek completing the four.

One of their first recordings, "Smo tri vesele Štajerke, tri deklice navihane", became their signature tune, and hearing it on the radio was, as they recall, the first sign they were on the right path. Concerts, private parties and village festivals followed, then television, and they have toured widely abroad. Their best-known songs include "Pesem za prijatelje", "Za vsak slučaj", "Če verjameš ali ne", "Pomladanski veter", "Nikoli več", "Lahko noč veter moj", "V očetovem naročju" and "Štajerke se ne damo". With Navihanke they recorded "Navihane Štajerke".

After a break for family life the four came back to the stage, and in 2025 they celebrated thirty years together with the new polka "Polka je v naših srcih", written by Igor Podpečan and Igor Pirkovič, and an anniversary concert in Oplotnica on 22 March.