In 2004 Macedonian Radio Television chose Toše Proeski to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest, held that May in Istanbul, Turkey. The song selected was "Angel si ti" ("You Are an Angel"). On the Eurovision stage he sang its English-language version, titled "Life".
Before the contest
It was not his first brush with Eurovision. At Skopje Fest 2000, the national selection, his entry won the television vote but finished third overall behind Karolina Gočeva and the winners XXL. In 2003 he won Beovizija in Belgrade with "Čija si", which would have been Serbia and Montenegro's song had the country taken part that year. By 2004 he was the obvious choice. Before leaving for Turkey he received the blessing of Archbishop Stephen of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
On the night
Fans remember the white, embroidered long coat and the staging with dancers that photographs from the rehearsals show. In the final Macedonia finished 14th out of 24 participants, with 47 points. The performance introduced him to a European audience beyond the Balkans.
Why fans still talk about it
- It is the most widely seen performance of his career outside former Yugoslavia, and clips of it remain a starting point for new listeners.
- The Macedonian original, "Angel si ti", stayed a fixture of his concerts, and fans often prefer it to the English version.
- The same year he released Den za nas and became a national UNICEF ambassador, so 2004 is often described by fans as the year everything came together.
If you want to follow the full arc, read our festival timeline first and then the fan-board thread on the road to Istanbul.
A practical note for collectors: official contest recordings and broadcasts belong to the broadcasters and the European Broadcasting Union. This board links to nothing unofficial and does not host audio or video.