Donna Ares
Azra Kolaković (pronounced [ǎzra kɔlǎkoʋitɕ]; 1 January 1977 – 2 October 2017), known professionally as Donna Ares, was a Bosnian singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Queen of the Balkan Party" (Bosnian: Kraljica Balkan žurke), she was one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most commercially successful recording artists of the late 1990s and 2000s. During a career spanning nearly two decades, she released six studio albums and numerous hit singles, including "Sviraj nešto narodno" (with Halid Bešlić), "Ubila me tvoja nevjera", "To mi nije trebalo", "Idi, idi moja vilo", and "Suze moje plaču za oboje".
In addition to performing, Ares wrote and composed most of her own material, played several musical instruments, directed many of her music videos, designed her album artwork, and pursued painting.
In October 2014, Ares was diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer. She continued recording music and performing while undergoing treatment and publicly documented her experience with the disease. In 2015, she published the autobiography Soba za nikoga ("A Room for Nobody"), describing her battle with cancer. The same year, she organized a charity concert at Sarajevo's Zetra Olympic Hall, with proceeds benefiting cancer patients through the Donna Ares Foundation.
Following several years of treatment in Bosnia and Denmark, Ares died in Bihać on 2 October 2017 at the age of 40. She remains one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most prominent female recording artists and is remembered both for her musical career and for raising public awareness of cancer.
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