Barbara Haščáková

Barbara Haščáková (born on 11 December, 1979 in Košice, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia), usually going by just Barbara, was a Slovak singer, composer and lyricist active from 1994 to 2006. Known for her participation in the group Maduar (1994 – 1995) and then in the duo MC Erik & Barbara (from March 1995), which she formed with Maduar bandmate Erik Aresta, she also had a solo career spanning several albums from 1997 to 2006. In 2000 Haščáková moved to the USA, where she lived until she passed away from a stroke on 22 November, 2023 (in Sarasota, Florida, aged 43). Haščáková started singing at a young age and started learning to play the piano at age six. She was a soprano and won the Best Female Singer prize at the 1998 Slávik Awards in Slovakia. She was also named the “non-political personality of the year” the same year. In 1999 she was awarded the Grand Prix at the 8th Majowa Nutka (“The note of May”) International Festival of Young Song Performers in Częstochowa, Poland for her song “Môj Exupéry”, taken from the album Ver, Že Ja.