Rest of the UK

Mostar Sevdah Reunion

The pioneers of 21st century sevdah.
Mostar Sevdah Reunion is an exceptional collective of artists united by a single, profound passion. Some might say they live for Sevdah—that this centuries-old music is not merely their vocation, but their reason for being. Interpreting and presenting a musical tradition more than 400 years old, rooted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is no easy task. Yet despite war, loss, and countless obstacles, Mostar Sevdah Reunion has endured.

The story begins in 1993 when Dragi Šestić, the producer and founder of the band, recorded an audiocassette with a couple of tracks that were distributed in limited edition among their friends. Those were the times of war in the Balkans, and the reason for recording was just a getaway episode to momentarily forget all the atrocities and suffering. Then, they made the promise that “the whole world will know about Sevdah” – one day when the war would come to an end. They fulfilled the promise and recorded their first album, “Mostar Sevdah Reunion,” in 1998. Since that day, they have been captivating their audiences wherever they go.