Many young Montenegrin musicians, regardless of many years of experience, numerous singles and performances at festivals, still do not have albums. Some have been announcing them for years, but even though they are present in the media and on stage, the audience waits (too) long for their debuts. Marko Vukčević, Nina Žižić, Bojan Delić, Ivana Popović-Martinović, Marko Vlahović and Jelena Đorđević told Vijesti why.
Vukčević finished his part of the work when it comes to the debut "Tears of Verses", which will soon be released by "Goraton", and it has been 12 years since the first song "Forever" was played on the airwaves.
"I didn't live in Montenegro for a long time, so even though it was finished a long time ago, the release of the album was on the back burner. It's true that its recording also took a long time due to finances. This is an expensive profession, songs cost a lot, especially if you want that the arrangements sound right even if you involve a lot of people in the project. That has a price, but it pays off in the end," says Vukčević, who believes that the most important thing is that the work is done with quality.
"It's good that everything on my album was played live. We are aware of the fact that such hits that were created thirty years ago are still widely listened to today. A studiously made project cannot have a deadline, no matter when you release it, which would not be the case that we relied on computers and electronics," he explained.
The audience has been waiting for years
And the audience has been waiting for several years for Bojan Delic's album, which is also "finished" a long time ago. The singer, who started his career in 2003, believes that he has achieved enough in Montenegro, and that the album makes sense because of his career outside the borders of our country.
"Today, everything is disrupted as far as music and publishing are concerned. When I got into the story of recording an album, I couldn't even guess how much it all costs. I publish two songs and a music video every year, which is enough for you to be present on the small Montenegrin scene. However , with the album I will round off the story and almost ten years of work. Finally, all my songs will be in one place, which is very important when it comes to my career in the other ex-YU republics. I don't think that if they are heard outside of Montenegro , to be a better singer, but I invested so much, not only money, in my debut that I simply don't want it to be played only here," Delić explained and said:
I publish two songs and a music video each year, which is enough for you to be present on the small Montenegrin scene.
No one invests money
Ivana Popović-Martinović, the winner of the second series of Intro Karaoke, does not think that the problem is only in money and adds that the situation surrounding the release of the album has become "a bit of a vicious circle".
I don't want to justify the long breaks during which I devoted myself to family or work on songs, i.e. the album, which, like everyone, I postponed for 'happier and richer times'.
"I was based on an excellent live performance, voice, energy. But there is no big money anymore 'not even for medicine'. I don't want to justify the long breaks during which I dedicated myself to my family or work on songs, i.e. the album, which I, as well as everyone, put it off for 'happier and richer times'. I myself took big breaks because of the high criteria. I had a hard time finding good and reasonable producers. Most of them just wanted money and to get the job done as soon as possible, because there was no name behind me to guarantee more money and longer cooperation. However, today, since there is no money and the criteria have fallen, but so have the prices, it seems to me to be in 'more normal branches'. So today I have many more songs and demos in my computer, as well as musical experiments than before," says Ivana.
Single by single
And the vocalist of the group "Nuclear Mama" Marko Vlahović does not think that money is a disadvantage, but the problem is what to invest money in.
"You can record a single and a music video, appear at a festival or in a reality show, but in Montenegro, as a small market and a rather musically uncultured and uneducated area, that only guarantees a slightly higher price for stalls and a bit more stalls. Nothing like a meteoric rise, no matter how big hit or quality. That's how it is, at least from the point of view of musicians who don't deal with the folk or pop genre," Vlahović said.
Although there are more and more singers, there are fewer and fewer who "finish the job" and "complete the story".
"I don't want to say that things are so bleak, because I'm an eternal optimist, but from my rather large experience so far, the only way to success is, if you're a singer, to go solo (pop or pop rock music) and record a single single by single, video by video, you make your way through the festivals and acquaintances you have, for example in Belgrade. Proof of my claims are bands like Grim, DST, Gospode Glembajevih, VIS Gorenje, Autumn for Free, and excellent mainstream musicians like Vanje Radovanović, who have been standing in the place for a long time or, unfortunately, no longer exist," says Vlahović.
There are many problems that musicians face. Although there are more and more singers, there are fewer and fewer who "finish the job" and "complete the story". We don't know how long it will be so that it is easy to announce, but difficult to achieve. A lot is changing, and maybe "some new kids" will be faster, more persistent, more persistent... maybe they will just have more luck. And maybe the album released in the classical sense will no longer even exist.
Bonus video:
