A quality song can live indefinitely

Oliver Mandić's big hit, the song "Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime" from 1985 from the album of the same name, got a new version performed by Croatian singer Darija Hodnik Marinković. The musician spoke to "Vijesti" about this single and the album she is preparing, explaining why she opts for quality songs, even at the cost of them not being commercial.

"'I feel like screaming your name' we usually perform at gigs and over time my band and I have come to love it as our own. I think that this timeless classic deserves to be heard and known by younger generations as well. The song was ahead of its time, and so it is today. Oliver Mandić's great music and Alka Vuica's very emotional text always give me goosebumps, as well as the audience listening to it," reveals Daria.

Mandić was one of the first to hear the new version.

"Thanks to our great friend and producer Voja Aralica, he heard the song in the studio and was immediately delighted with our version. He even gave some of his suggestions and suggestions for the arrangement, which we immediately adopted and he was really right. There was even an idea to appear on the last chorus, but unfortunately we didn't manage to match the timing, so maybe we'll realize that idea another time", says the musician, adding that she also had the "green light" for this single from the author of the lyrics.

"I have been working with Alko for many years and she looks forward to every song and collaboration as if it were her first. That is why I am especially glad to be able to interpret her text. Through the years of her work, she has shown that she is an exceptional lyricist and a real connoisseur of the female heart and soul", believes the "Vijesti" interlocutor.

As the musician herself emphasized, the song "Dođe mi da vrisnem tovje ime" was very modern for the mid-eighties when it was published, and her husband Dalibor Dado Marinković made an effort to make a completely new arrangement of the song.

"I think it's always better and good when you cover a song that everyone already knows in the original version. The original can't be beat and it would be absolutely stupid to try and match it. What is important here is a song that is absolutely timeless, and with the arrangement we only breathed new life into it, rejuvenated it and presented it in our own way, as we knew best. Of course, the musicians who brilliantly played it also greatly contributed to that. It is interesting that these are top jazz musicians, whom we took to the pop world and it seems to me that they did very well", Daria is proud.

This is not the first cover of a well-known song that she has recorded. Namely, she previously sang the hit of Bijelo Dugme - "Bitch and Princess". When asked how it feels to sing old hits, he answers:

"'Bitanga i princessa' is a duet with top vocalist Mario Huljeva, who quite by chance heard our cover and immediately agreed to the idea of ​​singing it together. And lyrically, we were able to switch the lyrics of the song to a female-male version, and that's what's definitely new in it. Good songs are always good to sing, because music has no age or number, and a quality song can live forever", Daria is sure.

During her career, she had the opportunity to sing as a backing vocalist for the biggest stars of the region, including Oliver Dragojević, Džiboni, Zdravko Čolić, Dino Merlin, and in recent years she has been successfully building a solo career. She has already published several singles, the debut album is, as she states, in the final stage.

"We are currently mixing the last two songs in the studio. The release will be a combination of my original songs and covers of already known tracks. I think everyone will find something for themselves because it's about our little trips and explorations through all musical styles. I think we owe it to ourselves and the audience to bring it all together in one place and, well, we plan to release the album at the end of March or April," she reveals.

Darija belongs to a group of singers who can sing very demanding compositions with their voice, and about how difficult it is to find a good song, she says:

"It's always a challenge to perform a song well and convincingly, so that the audience believes you. I think it is not so important whether you will show all your technical skills and what you can do with your voice, but you should interpret the text and music as faithfully as possible, as a combination of emotions that come from you. There are a large number of performers who, for example, had a small voice range, but left behind superb interpretations. And a good song is always a plus. As a long-term studio and concert musician, I believe that I have the task of nurturing good and high-quality music, at the cost of its weaker commerciality", concludes Daria.

Art should be supported, rewarded and nurtured

In today's era of hyperproduction, it is increasingly difficult for good singers to stand out only with their song and voice, the interviewee of Vijesti is also aware of this.

"It's difficult for the song and the singer and the band, because there is too much of everything and everything is available in two clicks. Perhaps the charm of the old days has been lost when new material was awaited for months and people stood in lines to get a new record and a new song. Technology has advanced tremendously and you can sing and play without a voice and without an instrument, but in the end the situation somehow clears up and people recognize who is honestly and truly engaged in music and lives for it. Art should be supported, rewarded, nurtured, and music is so wonderful that we must hold it like a drop of water in the palm of our hands. I think that's the essence of a good performer and a good song, and it's only right to stand out like that," believes Daria.

I look forward to every tone, new city, collaboration, gig

Despite the fact that she has been successfully building a solo career for several years, Daria continued to sing backing vocals for her colleagues. All these obligations, he claims, are not difficult to harmonize.

"It seems to me that my job, if I can call it that, has long since become my life and my peace, through which I experience everything good, everything sad, everything bad and everything happy at the end, because without music and the pleasure it gives me, I would have given up on everything a long time ago and done something else. Even after many years, I go to the studio, record, travel to concerts with the same enthusiasm, because that's who I am. That way, it is not difficult for me to balance all the obligations and I don't look at them that way. I sincerely look forward to every tone, every new city, new collaboration, gig and song, because music is exciting and challenging. I hope that we will 'challenge' each other for many years to come", says Daria.