Božo Vrećo

“The artist of angelic voice, who heals the soul and opens the heart” is the image of Božo Vrećo, as described by the famous New York Times. Božo Vrećo, superb performer, author and composer of Sevdalinka, known for its traditional, heart-loving love lyrics from Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been seen by New York Times as a synonym of complete freedom. After over 50 years of time when no one has ever dared to make changes to the existing Sevdah and to write a new lyrics inspired by the centuries-old Sevdah lyrics, Božo Vrećo, among the musicians of the new generation, has been highlighted as the most interesting and best-known interpreter and songwriter of recent times. This lyrical tenor with a huge vocal range, unusual voice and visual identity triggers storms of enthusiasm and inspires his audience. One the main proofs are his sold-out concerts in a well-known concert halls and theater venues all over the world. After graduating at the Faculty of Arts in Belgrade (Archeology), Božo Vrećo, born in Foča, decides for a new beginning in which music takes over his entire life. Sevdah becomes his mission and the only goal. He moves to Sarajevo, the center of Sevdah where he manages to conquer hearts of many people using only his incredible voice. He published two albums with his first Sarajevo based band: “Halka” and “O ljubavi”. After that, Božo focused his energy in solo career which results in his own album “Moj sevdah”. This album is best known for one of the songs called “Lejlija” which was dedicated to Božo’s mother. “Lejlija” celebrates overwhelming success and creates a standard and recognizable stamp both in his writing style, as well as in the performance of his own Sevdah music, inspiring him to continually create completely new love poetry featured on his fourth, most successful yet album “Pandora”, released in Brussels, Belgium. His fifth album “Melek” was released in July 2018 and the sixth “Lacrimae” in collaboration with Edin Karamazov in September 2020, both released by Croatia Records. Božo’s a capella performance is an experience that leaves his listeners simply breathless. His first book is “Mila”. The book has been named after Božo’s mother, an autobiographical lyric novel written as a diary, in which Božo describes childhood, growing up, family, Sevdah, art and many other parts of his life. Božo Vrećo is a man and a woman, and this duality can be seen in all segments of his creation. Interestingly, his surname Vrećo originally comes from Italy and it originated from the term “Vreggio”. Božo Vrećo lives and works in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.