Earlier this week we had the chance to speak to Pesma Za Evroviziju semi finalist Ana Ćurčin from Ana & The Changes, who is hoping to represent Serbia at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Brinem’.

Among other things, we discussed how living in different societies affected her artistry, the jury’s role at Eurovision and what we can expect from her upcoming PZE performances.

Ana & The Changes will perform in the first semi final of Pesma Za Evroviziju 2025, on Tuesday 25th February. Check out everything she told us about her upcoming performance:

Hi Ana, thank you for taking your time out for talking to us. For the start of the interview, can you tell us who you are as an artist and what makes you the artist that you are?

‘I am a singer-songwriter based in Belgrade. My music blends folk, rock and pop traditions. I perform as a solo artist with the band Ana & The Changes and lately, with a version of the Changes band trio called Tri Lepe. I have been writing songs for ages, but I started actively playing to the public in 2012. I have a few albums in English behind me, and my next album, “Sabiranje” (Compiling), in my native language, will be released this spring.’

You were born in Iraq and lived in Russia. Did your experience living in different countries contribute to different phases in your artistic journey?

‘Indeed, I believe I started writing songs in English first as I was looking for freedom to express myself. I grew up in a country where I was learning and living in a different language than my native one, and I’ve always felt like a foreigner. I also listened to music mainly in English, and would play the songs I love, so that was probably a natural start. Growing up in Russia impacted me culturally and shaped my musical style and thinking. There’s a lot of that sound in my early song “Alone” for example, from the first album “Sketches of Belonging.” It has also been many years since I came back to Serbia, and I’ve had to make a decision to start singing in Serbian. I had lost the feeling of singing in my native language so throughout the process of rediscovering this habit, it has become a musically inspiring and an explorative experience when it comes to singing as well. So I love where it took me.’

Most of your songs are in English and for Pesma Za Evroviziju you are singing in Serbian. Do you feel that at Eurovision it is more optimal to sing in English or in your country’s native language?

‘I don’t think it really matters as the right song and performance find their way. While language can affect how people understand a song, at the same time – it can really be relevant, and we have had many opportunities to evidence that.’

Are you a Eurovision fan? And if yes, which songs do you look back on and have good memories of?

‘I periodically tune in and can get drawn into some songs. For example, “Molitva” of Marija Serifovič was impossible to ignore. That song was simply capturing everyone and everything with her voice and performance. With Konstrakta’s “In Corpore Sano”, something incredible and new happened with the Serbian audience. We experienced this incredible refreshment and new wave of engagement as it’s been an alternative scene invention from our perspective.’

Serbia is often a country that gets overlooked at Eurovision especially by the jury vote. Do you think the juries treat Serbia unfairly and vote due to what they think of the country more than the song and the performance?

‘I hope that’s not the case, as it should be a song contest, as the name implies. While it’s hard to be “objective” as we are always affected by our tastes and opinions, which the jury should not be. In terms of public voting, this is also hard to devise. Sometimes, people’s hearts are simply moved by a performer’s energy, performance, or song; perhaps that’s all there is. I think one could debate thoroughly on what you have raised in your question, but I simply am not too well informed to open this topic in more detail.’

What inspired your song at this year’s Pesma Za Evroviziju?

‘A couple of things: I think I wanted some kind of a challenge but the same time – PZE is the most-watched music show in Serbia, and I’ve wanted to promote the new song and upcoming album. So, I was pleased when the jury selected my song to be part of this year’s contest.’

What can we expect from your performance without revealing too much?

‘We are hoping for a sincere and emotional performance. Our society is now in the fourth month of protests led by the students, which we and many members of our community are supporting. This year’s PZE has already been affected by these events, and I believe the festival will reflect much of this.’

Finally, away from the results, what do you hope to take with you from this experience?

‘I do hope we will learn something positive from this experience and that we will also enjoy the process. A talented and dedicated team surrounds me, and preparing for this type of event is a beautiful and exciting process. This will bring some new perspectives into my experience as an artist.’

Thanks so much to Ana and the team for putting together this interview!

Check out Ana & The Changes’ PZE entry below: