Karolina Gočeva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karolina Gočeva
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| Каролина Гочева | |
Gočeva performing in 2018
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| Born | 28 April 1980 Bitola, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
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| Other names | Karolina |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Mihail Korubin
(m. 2017) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Avalon Production |
| Associated acts |
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Karolina Gočeva (Macedonian: Каролина Гочева; born 28 April 1980), often known simply as Karolina, is a very famous singer from North Macedonia. She started her music journey in 1991 when she was just 11 years old. She performed at a children's show and quickly became known for her amazing talent. In 1992, she released her first album for kids, called Mamo, pušti me (which means Mom, let me go). In 2000, she signed with a record company called Avalon Production.
Karolina has released nine studio albums. Her music includes different styles like pop, rock, traditional folk, jazz, and world music. Her first few albums were mostly pop and rock. But later, albums like Makedonsko Devojče (2008) and Izvor (2018) mixed in traditional Macedonian music and jazz. This change made her even more popular, and her concerts sold out in North Macedonia and other countries. Her latest album, Pesni za Ljubov i Kopnež, came out in 2022. She is also planning a new pop album for late 2024.
Karolina represented North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 2002 and 2007. She has won many awards in North Macedonia and other Balkan countries. People often call her the "Macedonian pop princess" or "pop queen" because she is so well-known. Even though most of her songs are in Macedonian, she has also sung in Serbian and English. This helped her become popular in countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. Karolina is also known for her cool and casual fashion style.
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings (1980–1998)
Karolina Gočeva was born on 28 April 1980 in Bitola, a city in what was then Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Her father was a doctor, and her mother worked in technology. Karolina also has a younger sister named Aleksandra. She went to primary school in Bitola and sang in a children's choir. Later, she studied English at a university in Skopje.
Karolina started singing at age 9. She performed Madonna's song "Like a Prayer" at a local show. In 1990, when she was 10, she performed at the "Si-Do" children's festival and won an award for her singing. She also participated in the "Makfest 91" festival with the song "Mamo, pušti me" and won an award for being the most successful new artist. These festivals helped her show her talent. In 1992, she released her first children's album with 11 songs.
In 1993, Karolina performed "Zamrznato srce" (Frozen heart) at Makfest. She also became a regular at Skopje Fest, a competition to choose Macedonia's song for Eurovision. She first performed there in 1994. She continued to participate in Skopje Fest in the following years, always doing well. For example, in 1998, her song "Ukradeni noќi" (Stolen nights) reached fourth place. Karolina later said that these festival performances helped her become known step by step.
First albums and Eurovision debut (2000–2002)
In 2000, Karolina signed a contract with Avalon Production. Soon after, she released her first studio album, Jas Imam Pesna (I've got a song). Three songs from this album became singles: "Sakaj me" (Love me), "Bez ogled na se" (No matter what), and "Nemir" (Restlessness). "Nemir" was a duet with another famous Macedonian singer, Toše Proeski.
After her first album, she entered the Macedonian Eurovision Song Contest. Her song "Za nas" (For Us) came in second place. In 2002, she released her second album, Zošto Sonot Ima Kraj (Why Does the Dream Have an End). This album had 11 new songs in Macedonian and 3 in English. In 2001, she became more popular in countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia. She came third at the Sunčane Skale festival with the song "Kaži mi" (Tell me).
In 2002, Karolina won Skopje Fest with her song "Od nas zavisi" (It Depends on Us). This meant she would represent Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002. She placed 19th in the contest. She wore a special red dress and golden corset that became very popular.
New albums and second Eurovision (2003–2007)
In March 2003, Karolina released her third album, Znaeš Kolku Vredam (You Know What I'm Worth). She made music videos for songs like "Hipokrit" (Hypocrite) and "Ljubov pod oblacite" (Love under the clouds). After 2003, her music became popular in other former Yugoslav countries like Serbia and Croatia. To reach more people, she recorded songs from her third album in Serbian. Her first Serbian album was called Kad zvezde nam se sklope... kao nekada (When Our Stars Align... Like Once Before). The main song from this album was a big hit.
In 2005, Karolina performed "Ruža Ružica" (Red Rose) at the Sunčane Skale festival again, and it became an instant hit. She also released a new song called "Se lažam sebe" (I'm lying to myself). At the end of 2005, she released her fifth album, Vo Zaborav (In Oblivion) in Macedonian, and U Zaboravu in Serbian. This album had many popular songs in former Yugoslav countries.
On 24 February 2007, Karolina won the Skopje Fest competition again with the song "Mojot svet" (My World). This song is a powerful ballad about how music can bring people together. She received the highest points from every voting area, winning by a lot. This made her the first artist to represent Macedonia twice at the Eurovision Song Contest. She performed in the semi-final in Helsinki, Finland, on 10 May 2007. She made it to the final and placed 14th out of 24 countries.
Makedonsko Devojče albums (2007–2014)
On 26 June 2008, Karolina released her fifth studio album, Makedonsko Devojče (Macedonian Girl). She worked with composer Zlatko Origjanski on this album. It was an experimental album that changed her musical style. All the songs were inspired by traditional Macedonian music. "Ptico malečka" was the first song released from the album and became very popular. The album was a huge success and won the award for Best Ethno Album at the 2008 Sunčane Skale festival. It was also the best-selling album in Macedonia that year.
In May 2009, Karolina released a song called "Kraj" with Serbian artist Wikluh Sky. This song topped many charts in North Macedonia and other countries. Her sixth album, Kapka Pod Neboto (A Drop Under the Sky), came out on 29 November 2010.
On 25 February 2014, Karolina released Makedonsko Devojče 2, which was a follow-up to her 2008 album. Both albums are known for their unique sound. Three songs were released from this album: "Čalgiska", "Dve liri (ne ni bilo pišano)", and "Koj da mi zapee". Like the first album, Makedonsko Devojče 2 was very successful. People and music critics loved how it combined traditional folk music with pop. Karolina performed many concerts to promote the album, selling about 15,000 tickets in Skopje alone. She also performed in other cities and even in New York. Makedonsko Devojče 2 was the best-selling album of 2014 in North Macedonia. In 2016, English singer Joss Stone sang "Koj da mi zapee" with Karolina in Skopje, and they released a video of their performance.
Izvor album (2018–2020)
On 23 February 2018, Karolina released Izvor (Spring), her ninth studio album. The album was produced by Nikola Micevski, and Vesna Malinova wrote most of the lyrics. Before the album, she released a Christmas song called "Dzvona" (Bells) with a music video on 19 December 2017. This song was dedicated to people who are no longer with us but are still in our hearts. Fans and critics loved "Dzvona". The upbeat song "Beli cvetovi" (White flowers) was released as the second single.
In April 2019, Izvor was also released in Croatia. This album is mainly pop, but it also has elements of swing, jazz, and traditional music. One of the songs, "Ti ne dojde", won an award for Ethno/World Music Song of the Year in Belgrade. Karolina promoted the album with concerts and festival performances. After promoting the album, she took a short break from music in 2019.
Pesni za Ljubov i Kopnež album (2020–2022)
From 2020 to 2021, Karolina started working on her tenth album. This album would feature 11 older Macedonian songs from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. She worked with Duke Bojadzhiev and Ismail Lumanovski on this project. They had planned to release the album in 2020, but it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the album was recorded in January 2021.
The first song from the album, "Idila", was released with a music video on 2 June 2021. On 5 November 2021, she released "Krv da ni se stori" with Bojadzhiev and Branislav Nikolov. On 21 September 2021, Karolina performed a concert at the Pelister National Park to celebrate 30 years of North Macedonia's independence. On 8 November 2022, it was announced that the album, titled Pesni za Ljubov i Kopnež (Songs for Love and Longing), would be promoted with a concert on 23 December 2022. The album was released digitally the next day.
New music and performances (2022–present)
On 25 August 2022, Karolina released "Od nebo do dno" (From Heaven to Bottom), a pop dance song. This song marked her return to pop music after 12 years. A dance music video was released at the same time. Fans and critics liked the song, seeing it as a fresh new sound. A Serbian version of the song, "Ti si moj" (You Are Mine), was also released. On 25 January 2023, Karolina performed "Ti si moj" at the 2023 Music Awards Ceremony in Belgrade. She also helped present an award at the show.
On 31 December 2022, Karolina had a 90-minute New Year's Eve show on MRT1. She sang her own hits and performed with other artists like Pijan Slavej and Elena Risteska.
In March 2023, Karolina gave an interview on Macedonian Radio Television. On 13 December 2023, she released the song "Daj na Sunce" (Give to the sun) with a black-and-white music video. She recorded the song two months before its release. The video was filmed in cold weather on the Macedonian Bistra Mountain. She promoted the song on Serbian TV shows. Karolina also talked about her plans for a new studio album with her own songs, aiming for a release by September or October 2024. She also mentioned that she wouldn't want to go through the "stressful experience" of Eurovision again because of how much social media analyzes performances now.
In March 2024, Karolina held two concerts in Skopje and performed in Tirana, Albania. On 24 March 2024, she had her first concert in Kriva Palanka. In April 2024, she said her tenth album would include songs she wrote herself, and a third single would come out before the album. On 4 July 2024, she performed at the "Dzvezdena Simfonija" event in Bitola. In September 2024, she appeared in a commercial for A1 Macedonia, singing a new version of her song "Sakaj me". She also announced six shows in Germany for late 2024 as part of her "Best of Tour".
Artistry
Karolina Gočeva's music is mainly pop. However, she also explores other styles, especially Macedonian traditional music. Her later albums blend traditional arrangements with jazz, funk, and soul. The lyrics of her songs often talk about the good and bad experiences of love.
Karolina has said that some of her music influences include Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Coldplay, and Hurts. When she was young, her parents often took her to concerts by famous Yugoslav pop stars. Since 2003, she has performed with an 8-member band. Karolina is always involved in the creative process, helping to choose songs for concerts and arrange them.
She has also performed cover versions of songs like Mariah Carey's "My All" and Toše Proeski's "Tvoite bakneži na moite beli košuli" during live shows.
Legacy
When Karolina first entered the Serbian pop music scene, she quickly became very popular. Early in her career, she faced the challenge of listening to others' opinions instead of sticking to her own style. Over the years, she decided that she likes to try different musical styles, which she believes is important for an artist.
Karolina Gočeva is known as the most famous female pop singer from North Macedonia. Because of her popularity, people call her the "Macedonian pop princess/queen" and a "pop diva."
Private life and activism
Karolina Gočeva keeps her personal life private, even though there are often rumors about it. In September 2017, she married Mihail Korubin, an artist from Macedonia. They had been dating for about two years. Karolina said they met during a photoshoot for her album Izvor. Her fashion style is created by stylist Caci Pakovska, whom she has worked with for over 20 years. Karolina prefers her style to be comfortable and casual, especially when she performs. She also stays active by jogging and exercising. One of her favorite hobbies is traveling, and she tries to visit a new place every year to learn and grow.
Karolina has also been involved in several campaigns to help others. In 2010, she worked with other singers on a song called "Moj je život moja pjesma" (My life is my song). This song was part of a campaign to raise awareness about cancer. In 2016 and 2017, she participated in a campaign called "16 days activism against gender-based violence."
Discography
Studio albums
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See also
In Spanish: Karolina Gočeva para niños
- Music of North Macedonia
- North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
