Colonia is one of the most famous dance bands from the Balkans and it started to exist through the cooperation between two radio hosts and DJ’s Boris Đurđević and Tomislav Jelić while Indira Vladić (married Levak) joined them as the singer of the band. From the beginning, Colonia was the synonym of great dance music and that lasts for more than 20 years. Some of their biggest hits are “Oduzimaš mi dah”; “Za tvoje snene oči”; “Svijet voli pobjednike” and many other. In spite of changes which occurred after Indira left the band back in 2017 there were questions what will happen with the band, but the good news came as Colonia announced a new singer and continued with their work.

Hello Boris can you tell us what is the secret of great success; such a long career and great hits which are very popular even today all around Balkan region?
It is necessary to be original, steadfast and true to yourself. From the beginning, I was trying to give the audience all I honestly feel. I worked from the perspective that everything I do is first of all good and sincere to me, that energy then transferred to the audience. A lot of my songs are from my life or real lives of my acquaintances or the life stories of the people which inspired me. I never calculated or made songs just for them to be great hits. I was just doing things I love and tried to pack all of it in a modern way regarding music and production.

Colonia participated at Dora back in 1998 with the song “U ritmu ljubavi” and it came 4th, after that they never took part in Dora again until now? Why was that so and what inspired the return to Dora in 2020?
We decided to attend Dora 1998 from promotional reasons. We were at the beginning of the career and we wanted to be heard and seen by the audience and back in the time, Dora was the strongest festival. With years, our acquaintances grew and we became more successful so we didn’t need that kind of promotion. Eurovision was not an option because we had a lot of work in Croatia and abroad. We had regional and international concerts, the preparations for Dora demand lots of time which we didn’t have back then. As a composer, I represented Croatia with song “Celebrate” sung by Darija Kinzer in 2011 and after I said that I won’t be participating any more but after Ivana came to Colonia, she talked me into applying for Dora 2020 as she is a huge fan of Dora and Eurovision and with her, Colonia got new positive energy.

In the last couple of years there was a question if Colonia will cease to exist, and after a short break a new singer Ivana Lovrić joined and the album “Nova Era” was released how are you satisfied with the audience reactions?
I am transferred and once again I feel like at the beginning of my career. A lot of good things happened, that inspired my work and creativity because in the old team saturation felt for a long time and Ivana’s arrival to the group it became much pleasant to work and write new songs. Album “Nova Era” is one of the most sold Croatian releases in the last two years and our new acoustic best off the album “C’est la vie” is also doing well.

Do you think that Ivana’s arrival to the band completely changed the signature music style of Colonia?
The times have changed, acquaintances and so did music, production and lyricism. Everything is completely different so I think that with Ivana’s arrival and her energy we jumped into the modern music trend. People need to realise that times change and my goal is not to stay in the same place but to go forward. I understand the nostalgia among our fans because our old songs bring them back to some better times they had, they went through a lot listening to the songs of Colonia, but in life, everything needs to go forward, not backwards. Old songs will remain a beautiful memory and we are here to compose new. Ivana didn’t come to the band as a substitute, but as a new beginning, the start of a new era.

Could you reveal us a bit more about the song “Zidina” (Walls) and some things about the performance?
The lyrics for the song “Zidina” was written by my wife Valerija. The song has a strong message followed by emotional, dramatic and modern musical background. I wouldn’t talk much about the song and performance because we would like it to remain a surprise. We are preparing an audiovisual spectacle of a world-class.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly? What is your favourite song and what is your first memory related to the contest?
I watch it every year without exemptions. My first memories are from the beginning of the ’80s, Johnny Logan, Sandra Kim, Toto Cutugno. There are a lot of songs which I like, but I would point out “Nocturne” by Secret Garden and “Euphoria” by Loreen as some of the best.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?
After Dora a lot of work expects us, we are preparing new songs and we arranged a lot of performances and concerts.

Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for followers of escbubble?
First of all thanks for the interview. I would ask you to support Colonia and song “Zidina” because we think that we created something fantastic in which we invested our heart and our soul. Thank you!

Colonia will perform as 14th entry at Dora 2020 which is set for 29th of February with the start at 19:30 CET