RIP Džansever (also Cansever), the intriguing Macedonian Roma singing star, who died on 8 August 2026 aged 59 while undergoing treatment for leukaemia in Germany, where she had been resident since 2007.
Džansever was born in 1967 in a tent by a road outside of Veles, Macedonia, into a Turkish-speaking Roma family. She was the youngest of 7 children.
Tragedy marred her life. She lost one eye due to a stick thrown by children on the street when she was just 12 years old.
Her first big break was in 1992 with the release of her first album Kemano bashal e romenge, immediately elevating her to superstar status among Roma throughout the Balkans, primarily for her otherworldly voice.
Her budding career almost came to an end in 1994, when she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, causing her to live bent over and in constant pain. She was finally cured of this condition in 2009 after a difficult operation in Germany.
Word of Džansever’s amazing talent eventually reached İbrahim Tatlıses, one of the biggest stars ever of Turkish Arabesque music. Džansever singing the Yemeni folk song Kara Çadır on his variety show Ibo Show in 1997 launched her highly successful Turkish career.
Džansever became known to western World Music audiences when she was one of the featured artists on the 1999 CD release Flammes Du Cœur Gypsy Queens.
The first time I heard of Džansever was in 1997 on a long bus trip from Skopje to Istanbul. One of the many Roma on the bus very proudly stated he had Džansever's latest cassette on him, which caused much excitement. They convinced the bus driver to play it proper Balkan style through the speakers on the bus while we were making our way. What struck me was the uniqueness of her voice.
Personally, it’s this Džansever song, that I encountered on a compilation cassette simply titled “Romani Hits” I bought from a cassette stall in Skopje’s Bit Pazar in 2000, that I feel truly displays Džansever’s remarkable talent, with the lush Turkish Arabesque orchestration complimenting her amazing voice.
Rahmet na dushata! Allah rahmet eylesin!
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