After taking part in the very last Eurovision selection of Serbia & Montenegro, and the only Montevizija until now in 2007, Nina Petkovic is back in the run to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest, this time with the only song in the Contest written by authors from outside of the Balkans.

We had a great pleasure to chat with Nina, and in between other things, we asked her about “Operacija Triumf” where she was one of the finalists, her previous Eurovision national selection entries, her career, and of course – “Disem”, the song she is competing with this year. Get to know her better and find out more about her entry in this interview right here:

Hello Nina! Thank you for taking your time out for talking to us! For the start of this interview, what can you tell us about your music career so far?

I can tell that from the very start of my career everything was going so slowly, but I am very happy about this because I get to do what I love – singing, writing lyrics, and even composing every once in a while. Perhaps it’s even better that it goes slowly, step by step 🙂

You took part in the talent show “Operacija Triumf”, where you sang quite often Eurovision songs, in duets with the Eurovision starts, like “Mojot svet” with Karolina, “Oro” with Jelena Tomsevic, “Lane moje” with Zeljko Joksimovic, “Neka mi ne svane” with Danijela… Which of these artists was the easiest one to collaborate with?

After performing “Lane moje” with Zeljko, everything was easy hahaha 😀 I made a mistake which was sort of a ‘wakeup call’, and made me work much harder. I think I might have needed this to happen (it wasn’t pleasant even to me listening to myself singing that 😀 ). If you ask me which my favorite one is, I can’t decide… Every single one of them was unique in its own way. Danijela’s song reminds me of my childhood. “Oro” was a big challenge and it was a style I haven’t tried myself out in before, and I loved it a lot. And “Mojot svet”… that was a special experience, because my grandmother was Macedonian, and my father was born in Skopje. I learnt how to speak in Macedonian when I was a child, I feel it as my own, and the same goes for the Macedonian rhythm. I really loved singing this one <3 

How did you decide to enter Montevizija this year?

Starting from 2007 up until last year I wasn’t even thinking about it. I made this decision after consulting my colleage, and the co-author of the song. In the meanwhile I received an email from Michael, who I was already in touch with from last year. This time when I started listening to the song, the one I loved the most was the song called “Life Saver”. As soon as I heard it, I didn’t want to listen to any of the other ones. I accepted the challenge and to work together with Michael, and of course all of this in an agreement with my team here in Montenegro.

What was your first reaction when you found out that you made it to the top five of Montevizija?

I was very happy of course, same as Michael. I was hoping it would make the top five, because the song is really beautiful <3

What can you tell us about your song? How would you describe it, and what sort of a song can we expect?

Let’s say that this song is a bit unusual, and that I love it. I think this is the best description of it. I don’t think that songs can be told like stories. Music is listened to, it needs to be felt. We can describe the feeling we have whilst listening to a certain song. My feeling when I listen to this song is like having butterflies in my stomach 🙂

You already tried to represent your country in Eurovision in the past. Do you think that taking part in these festivals would mean some kind of an advantage for you, and also what memories do these festivals bring back to you?

Considering that the last “Montevizija” I took part in was back in 2007 if I’m not wrong, a long time ago, I feel as if I was applying for the very first time. It could also be due to the fact that the last two times I took part was together with my band Dan Poslije, and I can tell you that there is a big difference if you take part alone or with a band. We tried to introduce our work and our genre to the public, and we really made an effort about the styling and everything, especially in 2006 when we took part with the song “Koraci”. We qualified for the Finals of Evropesma/Evropjesma, and I don’t remember where we placed in the end. We didn’t win obviously, but it was a great experience. And every experience one needs to cherish.

Do you have some ideas for your performance for this year? Do you already know how everything is going to look like?

I have a couple of ideas for my performance, but I keep changing things on a daily basis, up until all the pieces fall together.

What would it mean to you to represent Montenegro in Eurovision this year in Portugal?

Representing your own country is a great honor. It is also a big responsibility. For an artist, as well as for the authors, it’s a great honor and a great success.

What inspires you normally?

People do.

What type of music do you normally listen to in your free time?

In the past month whenever I have free time, I mostly listen to “Disem” 😀 . Normally I listen to something that I like in that specific moment. At times I keep one song on repeat for like forever. And currently whenever I drive, I listen to John Mayer.

When you are not performing, what do you like to do?

I love to hang out with my friends, and go to a concert. When I’m at home, I write lyrics, I play the piano, something I also draw. And if it’s summer time, then I’m swimming the sea all day long. 😀

Did you watch Eurovision in the last couple of years, and also do you have your own favorite Eurovision song?

I watched it, of course! In last year’s Contest the song that got my absolute attention was “Paper”. Loreen’s “Euphoria” is clearly one of the best ones, and I also like “Only Teardrops” a lot.

Thank you very much for your time, and we wish you the best of luck in Montevizija!

To keep up with all the latest news on Nina Petkovic, make sure you follow her on Facebook. And whilst we are waiting for Nina Petkovic’s performance of “Disem” in Montevizija, give a listen to her entry from 2006 – “Koraci”: