Sevdalinka is a traditional urban singing, monodic in its concept (in its overall entity, it belongs to an individual – a soloist), which can be performed without instrumental accompaniment (a capella), accompanied by a saz (tambura), accordion or smaller instrumental ensembles.

Orally transmitted, probably since the mid-16th century, it was thematically strongly focused on love events in the lives of individuals. The verses of sevdalinka belong to the literary subgenre of love lyrics. The richness and diversity of the tunes and the ballad-type lyrical text are united by the performance as an expression of the singer’s sensibility. Sevdalinka can exist as a melody and as an auditory phenomenon, but only then does it become what it is when sung by a real singer. Newer generations of performers, who are part of both the local and global scene, have placed sevdalinka in completely new contexts, (adding) new meanings to it.Today, sevdalinka is often perceived as a Bosnian solo song. Its preservation is additionally contributed by the great attention paid to the recording of old sevdalinka, preserved by oral tradition, which are studied at ethno-musicology and oral literature departments.