I avoided euphoria, I didn’t do what they told me and I didn’t copy others radila šta mi kažu i nisam kopirala druge Klonila sam se euforije, nisam
D uring 1967 she sang right here in Belgrade. Sometime as the 1960s turned into the ’70s, her band,“O’Hara”, disappeared from the music scene only for a duo to be born who would change the music of the former Yugoslavia and love each other until death. As a fruit of that love and collaboration, their first album emerged,“Diary of a love”, which is perhaps one of the best albums ever re- corded in this region. Karlo Metikoš hasn’t been with us for a long time, but Josipa Li- sac still hasn’t stopped. This Valentine’s Day she returned to where it all began, fifty years earlier, at a concert in Belgrade... Popularity hasn’t caused you to lose your connection with reality, nor caused you to become an un- touchable pop icon. How did you manage to achieve that? - I avoided euphoria, didn’t do what oth- ers suggested and didn’t copy others. That’s how I preserved myself as an original. That’s not a whim or an established plan, rather that’s how my brain is wired. I did not have a strategy. I followed a need to do everything my own way, to create my own unique iden- tity. That’s very difficult. False success can al- so occur, for you to fly in the sky and then fall. I didn’t allow that to happen to me. I’ve felt that when many call me today, and admire me, and praise me, then the next day nobody calls. But someone will call you tomorrow if you were good today. It’s always like that. After a remarkable career lasting 50 years, what is the most impor- tant thing for you when you go on stage today? - Neither jubilees nor figures mean an- ything to me. I would give my full heart at any other opportunity in front of the audi- ence. The main thing is for me to always bring something new and high quality on the stage, for me to progress. Time and gen- erations pass, we change... And again we meet. This is very complex, and very valua- ble. Celebrating work that endures, regard- less of the time that passes, is a beautiful and important thing. Did you have a plan B in case you didn’t succeed on the singing po- dium? - For me, there was never any alterna- tive to music. That is why I never bothered wondering about what else I could do pro-
fessionally. But, I’m limited to only being in- terested in notes. Everything interests me. Music is a wide expanse, so with my musi- cality I can also touch everything... Was it tough to accept criticism of your work? - It was an “advisor”. They criticised my stage wardrobe, my songs, my look. And they recommended that I simplify myself. But I was nevertheless guided by a desire to constantly change something. There were times when I was misunderstood, but I always had people with whom I had understanding and I advanced. Admittedly, those people were few and there was always opposition. It’s tough to succeed and even tougher to survive. I reasoned that I’m not here, in the world, for nothing, even though I am a tiny crumb compared to the whole world. The way is open to everyone; the only question is how willing we are to be ourselves and not to give up when there is trauma or discom- fort. I’ve had no declines, nor do I regret an- ything. Everything that happened had to be like that… both nice and difficult. I do not live for people to admire me, nor will I give up if they say I’m terrible. Life is a struggle and you have to have an attitude. Has love had a significant impa- ct on your notes? - I’m talented and musical, but love had to happen to me in order for me to be com- pletely fulfilled. It’s one thing to sing and talk about love, but with Karlo I lived love and adored him. That’s why I am now able to be smiling, strong, powerful, the way he would want me to be. When did you realise that Karlo Metikoš was the love of your life? - When our eyes met on one 6 th Febru- ary at a concert in Petrinja, we knew immedi- ately. We celebrated that date every year as our Day of Love. He knew much more about everything than me; he taught me a lot. It is a fantastic experience to live with someone who cares about you, someone with whom
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