Batista Cadillac is a Slovenian music group, that started out as a duo, consisiting of Urban Lutman and Matija Koritnik. Throughout their career, they grew into a larger band and the current band members are Primoz Hudoklin, Jakob Zlatinsek, Sebastjan Podlesnik, Enos Kugler and of course the two founders Urban and Matija.

They presented their music to a wider audience through their participation in the 6th season of Slovenia’s Got Talent, where they even made it to the final. Ever since then, the band has grown and gained popularity. They released several songs and received awards for their music. In 2021, they were even nominated for the Zlata piščal (The Golden Flute Award) in the Performer and Newcomer category.

This year, Batista Cadillac are competing at EMA 2022 with the song “Mim Pravil”.
We got the chance to interview them about their music and their participation at the Slovenian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022!

Hello Batista Cadillac! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. We are really excited to find out more about your band, your music and your participation at EMA 2022!

First, we would like to find out a bit more about you. How was your band formed?

The name Batista Cadillac exists for some time now but we evolved to a proper band about a year ago in the desire to explore soul music far away from academic approach. This happened while recording a first album that has encapsulated these same ideas. We are looking forward to a fun period ahead of us.

What genre would you describe your music as?

Our influences speak several languages, but most of the time we say we play soul driven by whatever is on our playlists at the time. 

In 2016 you have participated at Slovenia’s Got Talent and even made it to the finals. Would you like to describe that experience in a few words?

That’s true. Founding members Urban Lutman and Matija Koritnik performed on this show while searching for the right door to gaining some attention music-wise. The show offered us a bunch of valuable experiences, it was the first time that we flirted with that level of audio-video production even though it now seems as if it happened in a previous life. We have always tackled everything with a smile on our faces and a mindset of having fun while making music. 

What was your motivation to join EMA 2022?

EMA 2022 can help achieve numerous goals of the band, but most importantly we have a song that we know has a chance of winning it. 

You’ve entered EMA with the song “Mim Pravil” – Would you like to tell us what your song is about, for people who don’t speak Slovenian?

Imagination flows best when you are not alone on the edge of the bed. The title itself would translate to “Beyond the Limits”  in Ljubljana’s dialect. 

Are we going to see all of the band members on stage?

Unfortunately, our bassist Sebastjan Podlesnik will not be able to join us this time, so we invited our good friend on the saxophone Viljem Pregelj to come along instead. 

What else do you have planned for your performance?

We plan to present our song as well as it deserves. Due to the complexity of a few vocal parts, the key to success will probably be in Urban’s singing. The rest of us will have a chance to enjoy ourselves more, I guess. We also have a specific styling and stage presence in mind, so we’re really quite invested in this year’s EMA preparations. 

What was your favorite moment in your time together as a band?

Since we are relatively freshly formed as a band and in this day and time, we enjoy each opportunity to prepare for larger events such as this one. The best feeling, however, is probably the moment you first realize and keep on realizing you’ve got the right people in the band that will have your back and vice-versa. 

Besides your participation at EMA, do you have any other projects planned for 2022?

We are planning on releasing our first album this year, which has been long over due in our minds. We want to play as much gigs as possible this year and are doing everything in our power to make it happen. 

Finally, why would you like to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022?

As Slovenians, we are proud of every given opportunity to participate in the presentation of our beautiful little country on the international stage. Of course we are aiming for a victorious outcome. 

Once again, thank you for this interview. We are really looking forward to see you perform at EMA 2022. In the name of the entire ESCBubble Team, let me wish you the best of luck for your participation and your upcoming projects. Veliko sreče!

Hvala za pogovor in srečno tudi vam!

You can listen to the snippet of Mim Pravil and all the other participants of semi-final 1 here:

If you want to support Batista Cadillac, you can vote for them in our poll for the first semi-final of EMA 2022: