It’s the week of “Pesma za Evroviziju 23”. The semi-finals of the show are scheduled for Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd of March while the final is set to take place this Saturday, 4th of March. Eight acts will advance from each semi-final and ahead of those we had a chance to talk with Nađa who will be competing as 3rd act of the first-semi-final. Nađa Ordagić is the youngest participant of this years “Pesma za Evroviziju 23”. She applied to the open call of Kristina Kovač, who is known to the Eurovision audience as the author of  “Čaroban” by Nina (Serbia 2011). You can find out what Nađa told us about how did the cooperation between Kristina and her start as well as her performance plans below.

Hello Nađa, first of all I would like to congratulate you for being selected for Pesma za Evroviziju 2023. How does that feel and what made you decide to take part at the show?
Hello, thank you very much. I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to compete for Pesma za Evroviziju 2023. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been watching Eurovision and imagining myself on the big stage. So, when I saw Kristina’s post on Facebook, I thought of giving it a chance.

The cooperation between you and Kristina Kovač started through social media as you wrote to Kristina’s “open call” for young artist for whom she would be writing a song. Can you tell us more about that?
I sent Kristina the demo of my singing. After a few days, she replied and said that she was interested in working with me, but she was not sure if I could enter the competition at seventeen. I then waited for almost two months for her to reply saying that I actually can compete and that she would like to write me a song. She met with Tim Gosden, an English songwriter and producer, and they wrote the song in one day.

How did you get involved with singing? How were your musical beginnings?
I started singing when I was four years old. My parents enrolled me in music school and that is where I fell in love with music. Ever since then my life is immersed in music, whatever I do music is part of it.

Can you tell us a bit about “Moj prvi ožiljak na duši “ what does the song mean for you?
“Moj prvi ožiljak na duši ” is a song about first love. It was written for all generations, no matter if you are a teenager, experiencing your first love now, or a bit older and just reminiscing about it. This song is trying to tell a very emotional story, about the first love scars. When I sing it, I try to put myself in the place of that girl from a song, so I can bring the emotion in the best way possible.

Kristina has already got Eurovision experience as she is the author of the Serbian entry for Eurovision 2011, “Čaroban” has she given you any advice which could help you win PzE 23?
Of course, she told me about how it was back then. Kristina obviously already has some experience with Eurovision. She told me that the most important thing is to be myself, concentrate on my singing and practice as much as possible. Whatever happens, this is still a great success and a very nice experience.

You play piano and guitar will we be seeing you play any of those instruments during your performance? What can we expect from it, any hints which you can give us?
Yes, I will be performing with my guitar, but I cannot reveal much more. You will have to wait for the semifinals to find out. 

How does it feel to be the youngest participant at this year’s PzE?
It is a great honour to be one of these lucky 32 people. I am very grateful that this opportunity came to me this early in life.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly, if so would you like to share a memory which you have of it or a favourite song from the contest?
Yes, I watch Eurovision every year, ever since I can remember. I have lots of songs that I love, but the best one for me is “Fairytale” by Alexander Rybak. For me, that song has it all, good singing and a very captive performance.

If you had a chance to make a duet with any Pesma za Evroviziju /Eurovision participant, who would you choose?
I would love to make a duet with Duncan Laurence, who won the competition with the song Arcade in 2019. I really like his voice and the emotion he brings to the crowd.

Do you have any music role models?
I have a lot of artists that I look up to, but as a role model, I would have to pick Taylor Swift. She also started at seventeen, she writes her own songs and plays the music that she likes but is nevertheless one of the most successful artists at the moment. I hope that one day I will be able to perform on the big stage and that people will enjoy listening to my music.

What are your plans after Pesma za Evroviziju 2023?
Well right after the contest I will be concentrating on school. Of course, I will continue to sing and I hope that new opportunities will come. I would like to record some new songs in the future

Thank you so much for your time Nađa. We wish you the best of luck at the Pesma za Evroviziju. Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for readers of escbubble?
Thank you for having me here. I hope you like the song. If you haven’t heard it yet you can listen to it on YouTube, Spotify or any other streaming service.

You can listen to “Moj prvi ožiljak na duši” by Nađa below:

If Nađa is one of your favorites at Pesma za Evroviziju 23, make sure to vote for her and your other favorites in our poll right here:

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