After it was known in May that the interpreter from Bosnia and Herzegovina is Sevdalinki Damir Imamovic winner of The Best of Europe award from the British music magazine "Songlines", that award was officially presented to him the night before yesterday. This most important magazine in the world music genre included Imamović in two categories - for Best Artist of Europe and Best Artist.
Next to him in the category for the best European artist were nominated: the Portuguese diva Mariza, an English troubadour Sam Lee and the French vocal duo "Cocanha", and the award ceremony took place online.
Damir's seventh studio album "Singer of Tales" (Wrasse, 2020) was a great success, and immediately after its release it was at the top of the international charts, where it spent more than half a year. This was followed by awards for European Album of the Year from the Transglobal Music Chart, then the quarterly award for Best Traditional Music Album from the German Music Critics Association and inclusion in the UK's top ten albums of 2020.
However, as Imamović claims in an interview for "Vijesti", this recognition is the most significant for him.
Back in May, it was known that the Songlines magazine award for "The Best of Europe" was going to your hands. Did the current pandemic affect the fact that the ceremony will only be held now and what changed from the announcement to the handing over?
The Songlines awards ceremony is usually held at the end of the year. I was supposed to go to London, but in September it was decided that, due to the pandemic, it would be held online. In the meantime, I played all summer and a good part of the fall. I'm very happy that despite all the difficulties with travel and restrictions, I had a wonderful tour this year. I played in Zagreb, Ljubljana, Cerkno, Sarajevo, Zurich, Dortmund, Copenhagen, Aarhus and many other places. Somehow everything managed to happen.
What does this award actually mean to you, because it is neither the first nor the last in your career, but how significant is it considering that it comes from such a prestigious magazine?
This is certainly the most important award in the world of World Music. He is coming to the region for the first time and to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time. I am very happy about that and satisfied that my work has such a nice international reception.
You are the proof that to an artist from this area, if he works hard and above all believes in what he is doing, success will come. But is that really so, because there are plenty of those who, at least in our country, are considered successful, but when it comes to a global career, they are not on the map?
I think we are very burdened by our local context. Not only us in the region but also all the people in the world. You don't have to go live in London or Berlin to build an international career. True, some things are more difficult when you come from a small country, but work is important.
Your album "Singer of Tales" (Wrasse, 2020), immediately after its release, found itself at the top of the international charts, where it spent more than half a year. Did the songs from the album "do their part" in terms of promotion, or is this award just the beginning of promoting it?
The most important thing, as always, is concert promotion. At least in this genre of music that I deal with. Most of the time, people listen to music - song by song, on the Internet or wherever. However, the albums still hold together as units that tell a story. I hope that this is the beginning of a new phase in my work, when it comes to album promotion, but also in general, when it comes to my overall activity.
Many artists may complain about the impact of the pandemic on their work. Considering the recognition and popularity of your songs, what did you miss during them?
Well, like everyone else: travel, socializing, meetings, live concerts. In addition, some restlessness, insecurity crept into all of us. For us from the region, who always struggle with unrest and instability, the pandemic has only added a new dimension. I think that it fell even harder for Western Europeans because they are used to a much safer life and business environment.
You had to cancel the tour due to the pandemic, is your return to the stage already certain and can anything be planned in this crazy time?
Well yes. I am very happy to be back on stage since the beginning of summer. Now the winter break is underway again, pandemic measures have been tightened. I will play only one more concert before the end of the year, on December 16 in Bozar in Brussels. Then I'll retire and work on a new album for a few months.
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