Margret Nikolova, Iconic Voice of Bulgarian Pop, Dies at 97

Jerusalem, 13 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – Margret Nikolova, one of the brightest and most iconic voices of Bulgarian pop music, has died at the age of 97, the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) announced.

For more than 50 years on stage, Margret Nikolova has performed over 9,400 concerts, and her rich repertoire includes more than 600 songs. For her, composer Zornitsa Popova created the music for the song “To Be a Woman” based on lyrics by Blaga Dimitrova. Other composers who have written songs for her include Toncho Rusev, Yosif Tsankov, Svetozar Rusinov, Angel Zaberski, and Petar Stupel.

She won the grand prize for Bulgarian song in the first edition of the “Golden Orpheus” in 1969 with the song “I Dreamed a Dream” with music by Atanas Boyadzhiev and lyrics by Bogomil Gudev. In the same year, she was also awarded in the “Melody of the Year” competition.

“My life is a song and the song is my life,” the singer said in an interview with BTA in 2018 , when she celebrated her 90th birthday. She noted that “in terms of her creative activity, she has experienced a wonderful, beautiful, melodic time.”

“I haven’t been off the stage for 70 years – what could be better than that? Good things shouldn’t be subject to change, but should be preserved and continued. I am satisfied with my life as a singer and I am happy,” said Nikolova

But her favorite concerts were those in the army. “So my concert activities in the army gave me many unforgettable moments, Nikolova said. “The army gave me a lot. First: iron discipline, something atypical for people of art. The army taught me to always monitor my perfect appearance – from head to toe. The army taught me to select the material – the song should, above all, have meaningful lyrics.”

She also said in the interview that nature is the magic that has recharged her for 90 years. “A good, cheerful mood, positive thoughts, positivity, goodwill, a sunny smile – all these virtues of the state of mind contribute to longevity,” Nikolova said, adding that she has always been very excited about everything that happens both in the country and abroad.

Margret Nikolova was born on October 10, 1928 in Sofia. She played the piano and sang from an early age. She received her first singing lessons from the renowned Bulgarian opera singer and pedagogue Sabcho Sabev and Elena Jovovich. She graduated from the Music Academy as a graduate of the vocal faculty.

In the period 1945-1948, Nikolova was a chorister in the amateur art collective “Lilyana Dimitrova” at the District Committee of the Bulgarian Music Council in Sofia. After completing her musical education, she joined the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVR), where she worked from 1948 to 1961. After that, she was a soloist in the Song Ensemble of the Bulgarian Radio for one year. Nikolova’s active concert activity is connected with her work in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Bulgarian People’s Army.

She turned to pop singing in 1958, when the program of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ensemble included a section for pop performances. Nikolova liked pop songs and devoted herself entirely to them. She established herself as a pop singer in the BNA Pop Group at the BNA Song and Dance Ensemble (1962-1976), bringing a high professional culture and a healthy aesthetic taste to the emerging Bulgarian pop and song art. She is a representative of the “classical” pop in Bulgaria.

Margret Nikolova imposes the Bulgarian folk style in the native music and song scene. Among her famous songs are “I Dreamed a Dream”, “We Loved and Loved”, “You Are Mother Faith” by Atanas Boyadzhiev, “My Spring”, “My Birds”, “Song of the Younger” by Yosif Tsankov, “Song for the Old Comrades” by Jules Levi, “The Old Balkan” by Yanko Miladinov, etc.

Her concert activity continued for 70 years with over 7,500 concerts and tours in Russia, Poland, Iran, Finland, Hungary, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Cuba, Algeria, England and Austria. At the Sopot Festival in 1964, she won third prize. In 1969, her duet song with Petar Petrov “We loved, we loved” (music by Atanas Boyadzhiev, lyrics by Bogomil Gudev) was declared “Melody of the Year.” In the same year, in a duet with Kiril Semov, they won the grand prize of the “Golden Orpheus” for a Bulgarian song for “I Dreamed a Dream” (music by Atanas Boyadzhiev, lyrics by Bogomil Gudev).

Margret Nikolova was awarded the title of “Honored Artist” (May 1966). She is the holder of the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Cyril and Methodius, second degree (1964), the Order of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, second degree (November 1988), and the Golden Age Award – Seal of Tsar Simeon the Great – gold (November 28, 2018).