Valya Balkanska Biography: Daughter, Age, Net Worth, Voyager, Songs, Career, UNESCO

Valya Balkanska is a legendary Bulgarian folk singer, revered as the “Voice of Rhodope” for her haunting interpretations of traditional Thracian songs, most famously “Izlel ye Delyo lele” – the only Bulgarian recording sent into deep space aboard NASA’s Voyager Golden Record in 1977.

Profile

• Full Name: Valya Mladenova Balkanska
• Stage Name: Valya Balkanska
• Born: January 8, 1942
• Age: 84 years old
• Birthplace: Arda village, Smolyan Province, Bulgaria
• Nationality: Bulgarian
• Occupation: Folk Singer
• Height: Unknown
• Religion: Christianity
• Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Mladen Balkanski
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Unknown
• Children: One daughter
• Relationship: Widowed
• Net Worth: $300,000 to $800,000

Early Life And Education

Valya Balkanska was born on January 8, 1942, in the remote Rhodope mountain village of Arda. She was raised by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mladen Balkanski, in a traditional shepherd family where singing accompanied every daily task.

Career

Balkanska was discovered in 1960 by ethnographer Todor Djidjev and began recording for Bulgarian National Radio.

Her breakthrough came in 1968 with the song “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin,” later selected by Carl Sagan for Voyager 1 and 2. She has performed at thousands of concerts worldwide, appeared on Bulgarian television, and recorded over 300 songs.

In 2002 she received the Stara Planina Order (First Class), Bulgaria’s highest civilian honour, and in 2022 was declared a Living Human Treasure by UNESCO. Despite global fame, she continued living simply in her mountain village until retiring from the stage in the early 2010s.

Social Media

• Facebook: Valya Balkanska
• YouTube: Valya Balkanska Official

Personal Life

Valya Balkanska was married to a local man from Arda and had one daughter. She became a widow many years ago and spent her later life in the same small house where she was born, surrounded by family and Rhodope nature. She passed her songs orally to younger singers and remained deeply connected to her roots until her final years.

Net Worth

Valya Balkanska‘s estimated net worth at the end of her life ranged from $300,000 to $800,000, earned through decades of recordings, state honours, concert fees, and royalties from the Voyager track – modest by Western standards, yet extraordinary for a traditional Rhodope singer who never left her mountain village.