Tonight we are in his city", wrote Amira Medunjanin, this year's star of the 13th International Guitar Festival in Nikšić, on her Facebook profile and posted the song "Sweater for the Vineyard".
And the city welcomed Miladin Šobić with wide open arms, because as he said, they waited a long time to meet - she, the queen of sevdah, and the people of Nikšić who know how to appreciate a good interpretation.
She admitted that she had a lot of trepidation - firstly, because even though she has traveled half of Montenegro, it is the first time in the city under Trebjes, and secondly, because she is singing in the city of one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
"Šobić's songs are the songs of my childhood. Those are some good, beautiful, old times. I was lucky to grow up with good music that educated me and shaped me into the person I am today. I think that Miladin Šobić is one of the greatest singer-songwriters from this area. It honestly hurts me that he didn't give more. I know all his songs by heart. I learned them as a kid. Sometimes it hurts me when I play something of his to heaven and they ask what it is. I feel guilty and then I educate them and share on social networks his songs. I got a lot of joy with his poetry, first of all, because for me those lyrics are a small philosophy of life," said the singer after the concert.
And at the concert, where more tickets were requested, she "honored" the people of Nikšić with Šobić's song "Instead of stupidity". So solo, without the fantastic guitarist Boško Jović. A song for her and the audience's soul.
And the night was full of emotions, because when Amira sings, the air "boils" with emotions. There was laughter and tears from both the Bosnian singer and the audience.
"My deep bow. Lots of tears, but also laughter. Sea of Love. Big thanks", Amira's post on FB, after the concert.
And at the concert, and to the journalists after it, she promised - she will return to Nikšić again. He must, now that they have "found each other".
"I like to come to a city for the first time. And when some beautiful energy happens, I'm really excited. Then I remember it for that. It's love until the end. It was beautiful. Boško made me cry for a few moments. We've been playing together for eight years, and tonight it really carried me and he chose songs that quite emotionally 'crushed' me. It was a great gathering. I'll be back," said Amira, who even after the concert bared her soul in front of the press and cried when they asked her a question about Šobić.
And that sevdah is everything that has emotions and a soul, Amir has been showing that for years.
"I grew up listening to new wave music – Azra, Šobić, Ekatarina Velika, Idoli. These are the bands that marked my childhood and growing up. But, at the same time, considering that I come from the area where I come from, everything is part of me, part of my genes. No it would be normal if I didn't feel it. At least for me. However, sevdah as a musical form left the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina a long time ago. I also hear it, if you can say so, in my biggest idol, Nick Cave. It is pure sevdah. It is boundless sea of beauty".
Her performance was masterfully accompanied by Boško Jović, who made the arrangements for many of the compositions they performed. And, as the singer said, he made a playlist for the performance.
"I love Boško's sensibility and room for improvisation. It's never the same and that's great for me. I don't like repetition and every time a new emotion takes us away. I see the two of us as a meeting of two instruments. We are both at the service of the song, me with my voice and Boško with the guitar . He comes from the world of classical music, which is seemingly incompatible with traditional music, but in essence it works perfectly as long as one is broad and hears with all the senses what the song is saying. This is pure emotion. Pure song. We are not going to be 'covered' by ten of them. on the side. That kind of minimalistic approach is basically our favorite. Unfortunately, there isn't much of it".
Jović also agrees with the singer. Their cooperation has been going on for eight years and, as it turned out, they work well together.
"These are the things we like to play together. I set up arrangements that I wrote and I try to bring them in a different way every time. I left some improvised parts that I play as the audience takes me. It's a special challenge to play at guitar festivals because among the audience are my colleagues, friends, who know what I do. It's a special feeling to perform in front of them. Concerts with fewer performers are more intimate because the performers are somehow 'bare', they give everything they have. The audience accepted us well from the very beginning of the concert and saw that they liked what we were doing. It gives a special feeling when playing and we try to give it back to them," Jović said after the performance.
The guitar fest continues tonight, where multiple award-winning guitarists Yu Wu from China and Siprijen Ncai from France will perform in the Zahumlja Hall.
A song only for Jug Bogdan
Seven-year-old Jug Bogdan Lalatović from Nikšić had the privilege of having Amira, after the concert, behind the stage, sing the song "We will sing what we want", this boy's favorite song, just for him.
They sang part of the song together, because, as his mother said, "he was speechless with happiness while she was singing to him". And Jug Bogdan specially prepared for the meeting with Amir, who, as he said, "sings perfectly" – white shirt and red bow tie bow.
Bonus video:
