Vinko is a Croatian singer from Čapljina. He won the third season of The Voice Croatia and has performed with the band Talvi Tuuli for a while. Now as a soloist he is in a pursuit to win the Croatian national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with his entry “Lying eyes”.

Hello Vinko, you rose to fame among Croatian audience as the winner of The Voice Croatia season 3 how was that experience for you and in which way has it prepared you for Dora?
It was a wonderful experience; I applied hoping to reach the blind auditions, but ended up in the final and won. All those events helped me a lot for the continuation of my career. I experienced a big stage, the best musicians in Croatia, top-notch production, and significant media attention. I’ve kept bits of all that for the start of my original career.

What inspired you to take part at this year’s edition of Dora?
The desire for an international career inspired me. I’ve always loved writing and singing songs in English. After a few years on a break, I wanted to try fulfilling that dream through Dora, as I believe it’s the best platform to propel me forward. Plus, we’re aware that it attracts a diverse audience from Europe.

Can you tell us a bit about “Lying Eyes” how did it came to life and what does the song mean for you?
It came to life last year in May. During those days, I was seeking inspiration in my home studio. One evening, the melody for this song emerged, and I instantly liked it. When I moved on to adding lyrics to the melody, I let my imagination run wild in the first attempt. Without overthinking, the verses and chorus in falsetto were created. Honestly, I felt that the song was good and had potential. Thankfully, here we are talking about it.

You perform with the band Talvi Tuuli, will they accompany you on the stage of Dora 2024?
This time no. In our upcoming career, we continue without that name. From now on, we will be represented by the name ‘Vinko’ only. Instead of the band, I will share the stage with the excellent keyboardist Petra Šošić, whom you have the opportunity to hear in the recording of the song. We will strive to create energy and evoke emotions as if the whole band were on stage, haha.

What can we expect from your performance at Dora 2024?
You can expect an honest performance. I hope to inspire everyone listening and watching to delve into their emotions long concealed. We’ll try to capture the atmosphere from the music video with a few additional surprises to elevate the live performance to another level.

You won a Croatian music award, Porin for the best rock album “Na putu”. How did that affect your further career?
I believe it’s the best award in Croatia. When you receive such recognition from a professional jury, it positively influences your confidence from the start. After that, you gain broader attention and the motivation to continue working because your efforts are acknowledged. Of course, awards aren’t the most important, but they mean a lot for moving forward.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly, what is your favourite song from the contest?
In the past few years, I’ve been following Eurovision more regularly. I really liked the song “Voila” from the French representative Barbara Pravi and, of course, Måneskin left a good impression.

If you could chose a musician to record a duet with who would it be and which style of the song would the two of you perform?
I prefer alternative rock, pop-rock, folk-rock, and indie rock styles, leaning towards singer-songwriter. It might sound arrogant to list names for a duet, but we shouldn’t be afraid of dreaming. Paolo Nutini, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon – these are musical influences I regularly listen to, respect, and follow to help me in my songwriting and performance. Mostly, it guides me in how I approach writing songs and how I behave towards them during performances.

What do you do when you are not creating music and singing? Any hobbies?
I enjoy playing video games, especially Football Manager. Additionally, I love following various sports, reading books, watching series and movies, and spending time in nature. I’m a big fan of winter and snow, in particular.

What are your plans after Dora 2024?
I plan to continue releasing songs in English, striving to build an international career and perform with my music. I’m open to an international career just a few kilometers from home, haha. On a serious note, my main goal is to keep making music with the same passion.

Thank you so much for your time Vinko. We wish you the best of luck at Dora 2024. Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for readers of escbubble?
Thank you for the interesting questions. I enjoyed it, and I’d like to highlight that this is my first interview in English, so thank you for the opportunity once again. I don’t have any specific messages; thanks to everyone who takes a few minutes to read this article and listen to my song. See you at Dora 🙂

Vinko will perform as 7th act of the first semi-final which will take place on Thursday 22nd of Febraury. You can listen to “Lying Eyes” below

Let as know how do you rate “Lying eyes” and leave your impressions about it in the comments and at our social media @escbubble