KULTURA / CULTURE
with just a few drops of water, to revive itself and bloom again after being completely dried up and per- ishing. It is a symbol of resurrection and is also called the Serbian phoe- nix flower. It is also a fact that the Ramonda is a sacred amulet in many countries that protects against evil and misfortune, but also that it be- came a symbol of suffering and vic- tory in World War I. These were all reasons why I considered that this plant deserves to be sung about and for young generations to learn about it. I recently heard the statistic that, in Serbia alone, more than a million people searched for the word Ra- monda in just one month. And that has already shown me how much im- pact a song can have on people re- membering their history or caring about their natural heritage, which is also one of the goals of my song. That’s because the Ramonda is an endemic species, a rare flower that it is forbidden to pick precisely be- cause of this, and this is one way for us to remember that we should always protect nature, and particu- larly endangered species of plants and animals.” Do you like planes and how do you prefer to spend your time during flights? “I really love travelling and most- ly travel by plane. I have adored them since childhood, because I often flew to Larnaca, Cyprus, where my dad worked. My mum and I had won- derful fun on those flights. There was no direct flight between Serbia and America when I left to study in Boston in 2010, so I had to transfer. But since Air Serbia established its direct Belgrade-New York flight, I’ve literally enjoyed travelling that route often. Despite it being a long flight, I enjoy it because I watch some good film and sometimes read a book, but I certainly listen to good music and observe the clouds – for me, that’s always an experience that elevates the human spirit to a higher lev- el, particularly when it’s a daytime flight and there’s plenty of sunshine that causes the sun’s rays to break through the white clouds that the plane’s flying above...”
and innovative ideas. I gained com- plete freedom to deal with the art that I feel inside me. The lecturers were world-famous musicians and I collaborated with many of them. I sang backing vocals for Patti Aus- tin, Jerry Allen and Valerie Simpson. They are top stars of singing and I learned a lot from them.” Why did you come back to Serbia, assuming that you could also have forged a ca- reer in America? “When you deal with art, you or- dinarily don’t have to be stationed somewhere – you build your career wherever you find inspiration. After graduation, I relocated to New York, which is a divine city with energy that doesn’t allow you to be still. When I received an offer from director Miloš Avramović to compose songs for the Serbian TV franchise South Wind, after living in America for 10 years, I decided to stay in Serbia for a bit longer, writing compositions for our performers, while I also liked work- ing with music producers in Serbia.” The song Džanum brought you great success and even caused Spotify to crash “When my Serbian language song Džanum experienced world- wide success, that was a big chal- lenge for me. I had been thinking
that it is much easier to delight the world by singing in English, which almost the whole world understands and which is generally the language of world music. The success of Džanum further contributed to me realising that my life’s mission is partly to pro- mote around the world a language like Serbian, which is spoken by so few people. And it’s really very precious to me when I read comments from India or Namibia or Alaska, of any part of the world, when they say that they find the Serbian language beau- tiful and when they learn every word of my song in Serbian. That proves to me personally that I’ve succeed- ed in conveying to other people the deep emotions that I nurture with- in me, and if that song really com- forts people when they are in trou- ble, when they are lonely and sad, when they feel abandoned, unhap- py, discouraged, it instils in them a sense of hope because they aren’t the only ones suffering in the world...” Why choose the Ramon- da as the subject this time? What symbolism does this beautiful flower hold for you? “The Ramonda has existed for millions of years and we today know for certain that it has survived thanks to its extraordinary ability,
58 | Evrovizija » Eurovision
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