Azis
| Azis | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Васил Троянов Боянов |
| Birth name | Vasil Troyanov Boyanov |
| Also known as | Азис |
| Born |
7 March 1978 Sliven, Bulgaria |
| Genres | Chalga, Pop-folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, writer, activist, television show host |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1999-present |
Azis (Cyrillic: Азис) (born Vasil Troyanov Boyanov; Cyrillic: Васил Троянов Боянов) (born 7 March 1978) is a Bulgarian Chalga (pop-folk) singer, of mixed Turkish and Roma descent. He is known for his unusual gender expression and his flamboyant persona. Azis has collaborated with other Bulgarian pop-folk (Chalga) singers, such as Gloria, Malina, Sofi Marinova, Toni Storaro, as well as Indira Radić (a Serbian singer), and with Bulgarian rap artists - Ustata and Vanko 1. At the 2006 Eurovision song contest, he performed Let me cry with Mariana Popova, reaching the semi-finals. Azis competed unsuccessfully in the Bulgarian parliamentary election of 2005 as a member of the EuroRoma party.
Azis' childhood was spent in Kostinbrod and Sofia. In 1989, after the fall of communism in Bulgaria, he moved with his family to Germany. There, his sister, Matilda, and brother Ryan was born. Azis married Nikolay Petrov Parvanov (stage name: Niki Kitaetsa, Cyrillic: Ники Китаеца) on 1 October 2006. Their marriage is not legally recognized under Bulgarian law. Azis' daughter was born on 5 August 2007 and was named Raya. Her mother is Azis' longtime friend, Gala. In 2008, Azis and Parvanov separated amicably.
In late November 2007, Boyko Borisov, mayor of Sofia, censored billboards of Azis kissing Niki Kitaetsa, which pictured both men shirtless on the basis they were too graphic in nature. The picture was then censored in other cities in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian LGBT social movement Gemini objected to this decision.
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