Pop star, a favourite of the millennials and the girl whose name guarantees heaps of views and likes on the internet, discusses the MTV Adria nomination, the way in which social networks changed the international pop scene and her new project that she has been working on these days.
MTV Adria nomination for your hit „I don’t have time for that“ is still a hot topic. We don’t know how many views your reaction to it got on Insta Story, but it was definitely one of the most charming posts of its kind in a long while. To what extent do you think this will change your career?
I feel like a child of MTV. I grew up watching that channel. I think MTV had a major influence on me as a performer, but also on my music taste in general. Through shows and concerts that were broadcasted, even as a child I was building the idea of what a perfect performer should be like – a good vocal, but also putting on a good show, which meant good choreography, set design, acting, dancers… I am not saying all signers should perform like that, but it is what I have been striving for from the beginning of my career.
That morning, we saw that the song „I don’t have time for that“ passed four million views on YouTube. I called my associates to tell them we needed to celebrate and then the news on the nomination for the best regional performer of MTV Adria came in. I thought my heart would literally explode, I was that happy. Every performer likes getting recognition, but for me, recognition from the MTV is something special. I am especially glad that this happened at this particular point in time, when I feel most comfortable in my music. I think that „I don’t have time for that“ marks a turning point in my musical history, as it is a song that allowed me to shake the label of a participant in some talent show and a little girl that was, perhaps, a little lost in all that.
Ever since you can remember, you’ve been following the pop scene and I know you have quite a good analysis of popular music. Could you draw a parallel between the pop music our generation grew up on, with the songs that were top-of-the-charts in the nineties, and today’s world trends?
I think that attracting attention is the largest problem of the 21st century. Not just because of the social networks, which changed the information flow entirely. There are so many TV stations, shows, radio stations, internet spaces, social networks… it is such a huge expanse, allowing everyone the possibility of doing almost whatever they can think of, for their concert, video…
What used to shock the public, beginning with Madonna is now like… Ok, so what else is new? This is true even of the most sensationalistic performances. Even that doesn’t work anymore, especially with new generations, practically born holding mobile phones, bombarded with information from their earliest days. I think the performers are starting to lose it, obsessed with attracting attention. This struggle to grab attention, which is so much more difficult to get these days, is the key difference that you mentioned.
What are your special places in Belgrade?
I really love the Quay. Water relaxes me and I love it. I am so happy that I live near the river, I go there to run or for a walk, but also to have a cup of coffee or for an evening out. Also, I especially love Gardoš, the old neighbourhood of Zemun. Belgrade is full of wonderful places. Sometimes, I will be walking down Knez Mihailova, where my Faculty building is – meaning, I walk there all the time – and I will discover some phenomenal building I had never noticed before. Then you’re a bit ashamed, because you have all this beauty that you just walk by every day, without stopping. When you go somewhere as a tourist, this doesn’t happen.
In addition, my work has allowed me to get really well acquainted with Serbia in recent years. When I go to shows scheduled out of Belgrade, I always get there early and sleep in that town. I am sure that many people are completely unaware of the beauty Serbia offers. I recently discovered tourist travel tours in Serbia, which are quite adventurous and lead you to discover the natural beauty of this country. This is something I am very attracted to and in the upcoming period, I would love to go on at least one such adventure.
This has been a very successful year for you. What are you working on at the moment?
Just like anyone who achieves any kind of success in their work, after immense joy, I also found myself in that moment of fear, asking myself „What’s next?“ Back during the summer, we began recording new songs in the studio; still, something happened in the studio a few weeks back. When I heard this song, my intuition stirred and I knew it had to be my next song. In the meanwhile, an awesome concept for a video emerged, it will be quite artistic. We are just working on it now and I am very excited. You will see what we are up to, soon.
By: Miljana Nešković
Photo: Dragan Mandić
Stylist: Vladislava Joldžić