VANNA COMES TO BITEFARTCAFE: AN EVENING OF TIMELESS HITS

Speaking about her concerts, Vanna once said:

“I’m looking forward to the concert, and whoever comes should get ready for us to create a real spectacle together!”

That sentence perfectly captures what awaits the audience in Belgrade on October 9. A night of singing along, songs everyone knows, and a concert that will once again confirm why Vanna remains at the very top of the regional pop scene.

1. After so many years on stage, what excites you more today — a new song or a concert?

Both, but in different ways. Creating a song makes me happiest, but once that process is over, I also have to deal with the anxiety of how the song will be received. When it comes to concerts, I feel a bit of nervousness before they begin, but then the good adrenaline keeps me going for a long time afterwards.

2. If you could remove one thing from the music industry and bring one thing back, what would you choose?

Instead of the concept of formatted radio, I would bring back the old concept of radio, one that also has a certain moral responsibility rather than being focused solely on marketing.

3. Everyone is talking about algorithms today. Do you believe a good song can still find its audience on its own?

It can, but perhaps with more difficulty and perhaps it takes longer. And maybe it won’t reach as wide an audience, because the concept of the mainstream no longer exists in the way it once did.

4. It often seems that audiences today value authenticity more than perfection. Is it easier for you to be yourself today than it was twenty years ago?

I think it only seems that way. What is being offered is very often just a replication of an established pattern of stage behavior that has already proven its reach – in other words, playing it safe. It is not that difficult to understand if we recognize that the audience you are addressing often does not have much musical knowledge.

True authenticity carries the risk of being, as people would popularly say, “too much” for some – or many. By definition, authenticity should also carry a certain degree of originality, which means being different, somewhat unfamiliar. And fear of the unknown is deeply rooted in people. What they do not understand, both in life and on stage, they first tend to judge, sometimes mock, and then wait for confirmation from someone else, someone with authority, that this “authentic” thing is actually good.

Often, neither artists, nor audiences, nor formatted radio stations, nor TikTok algorithms, nor Instagram trends have the patience for that process. As for me – I have been authentic from the very beginning. From the start, I have at least been a co-author of the songs I perform, and I adapt my musical expression to my own personal growth through the new songs I create. Even when the audience does not have enough patience to listen to what I have something new to say, I will always stand behind my older songs — but I will never stop offering my new perspective on myself and on music.

5. Is there a song you recorded that you only realized years later meant so much to people?

Oh, I’m afraid that at concerts I often don’t even perform all the songs that mean much more to someone in the audience than I ever realized. Although, the same thing happens to me when I go to someone else’s concert.

6. What do people most often get wrong about you when they meet you off stage?

Hahaha, it depends on what phase of my life they catch me in, but I wouldn’t be too far off if I said that I’m often the quietest person in the room, but the loudest one on stage. And that can lead people to all sorts of interpretations.

7. What do you listen to today when you’re not preparing for a concert? Is there an artist who has completely surprised you recently?

For example, I find the success of artists like Raye and Rosalía very refreshing. That is what I would call authenticity with a seriously strong musical and stage pedigree, accompanied by an effortless girl-power charm. I also like Teddy Swims’ transition from cover singer to an original artist and star. I also enjoy Benson Boone’s tenor-and-gymnastics madness, and plenty of other things, but that’s enough for now.

8. What inspires you today beyond music?

Movies, books, travelling, conversations…? All of the above, and I would also add sports stories that I follow and that amaze me. Sporting achievements are poetry, a sci-fi action movie, a romance novel and a drama all at once for me.

9. If you were starting your career at 25 today, would you build it the same way or play by the rules of social media?

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m not sure I would be the right material for social media success. I’m afraid I would wait too long for someone to “discover” me and become frustrated watching how easily things seem to come to others. There is also a possibility that I would simply become stubborn and find the strength to disrupt a certain pattern and draw attention to myself. Both versions of me exist.

10. What would you like the audience to take home after your concert at BitefArtCafe, besides a good mood?

The desire to come to my concert again.

11. Which song do you wish you had written?

Countless ones…

12. If you could spend one evening with any musician in the world, without a concert or an audience, who would it be?

With Prince, although I’m afraid he would be too strange in the conventional sense of socializing. I would also love to be in Dolly Parton’s company and absorb some of that sparkling self-confidence.