Daniel Kajmakoski
Daniel Kajmakoski was one of the first this year’s announced participants. He won one of the biggest F.Y.R. Macedonia’s music festivals, The Skopje Festival that was used as country’s national selection. Previously, Daniel performed his inspiring song Autumn Leaves (Esenski Lisja) in his native language but changed the title and the lyrics into English.Daniel (31) is a Macedonian-born pop & rock singer, composer, songwriter, and guitar and piano player living in Vienna, where he moved with his family at the age of six. He was named after Daniel Popovic, who represented Yugoslavia it the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest.
After a host of appearances in music talent shows across Austria, Macedonia, and Bulgaria, in 2013 Daniel auditioned for X Factor Adria and amazed both the jury and the audience with his unique performances which revealed a mature self-confident singer who owns the stage in a very special way.
The song he recorded for the We’ll Be World Champions movie soundtrack, topped the MTV Adria chart for weeks. Winning the Skopje Festival booked him a ticket for the Eurovision Song Contest in Austria. In January, Daniel joined a diverse team of world-famous singers for the official anthem of the Handball World Championship in Qatar.
My song Autumn Leaves remains me of…
...my first love, brings me back to my first love feelings, reminds me of my childhood, the place I was born, pure and naive but warm hearted emotion.
My lucky charm is...
...a picture of my mother I keep in my pocket and before I go on stage I cross myself and I kiss it for good luck!
The Eurovision Song Contest...
....has always been a fascinating event for me, because through music it unites people but at the same time shows the diversity of nations. I have always had big appreciation for people no matter their skin colour, race, nation, religion or political opinion and the Eurovision Song Contest is the best event ever for showing we are all the same, human people, no matter the country we are coming from!
