Six years ago, as a toddler, he won the hearts of the audience in the region at the "Pink Stars" competition. It was an excellent foundation on which to build today Drazen Baković hard at work building a music career.
The young Montenegrin singer released four tracks in the last six months: "Dukati tuđine", "Još ovu noć", "Tragovi minulih dana" and a duet with Sarom Asanović "Don't give up".
His previous experience meant a lot to him, as did the support of stars from the regional scene, especially a Montenegrin singer.
"The experience of competing in 'Pink Stars' and 'Grand Stars' was extremely important for my artistic development. This allowed me to gain valuable experience on stage, learn how to fight with public pressure, but also to shape my unique artistic style. There were many phenomenal moments, but the support I received from Sergej Ćetković it was something that meant a lot to me. Once, after a performance, Sergej came up to me and said: 'You have a beautiful voice, don't ever give up on music. You have a great career ahead of you!'. Those were the words that gave me strength in moments when I doubted myself", recalls Baković in an interview for "Vijesti" and adds that he also received great support from Mirza Selimović.
Thus, the young musician had the privilege of already gaining an audience outside of Montenegro, and he says that he often performs at events that bring together the Montenegrin diaspora.
"I enjoy socializing and strengthening ties with our people who live around the world, and at the same time I have the opportunity to present my work to a wider audience. I perceive every invitation to perform abroad as a chance to show that real music is still not forgotten," he points out.
The mentioned singles are just the beginning of the path towards the realization of Baković's dreams, and his dreams are big. The musician wants to leave an indelible mark, like the lyrics of his song "Tragovi minulih dana" which, he says, were tattooed by a guy he met in Belgrade.
"I realized how much of a mark we can leave - music that becomes a part of someone's skin, that's real magic. Every positive comment gives me a boost and confirms that I'm on the right track. My goal is not to create a fleeting hit that people will forget after one summer. I want to create music that touches hearts, music that has depth and that will be remembered and loved by a generation," explains the singer.
Until now, his songs were predominantly ballads. Baković says that he focused on tracks that best express his emotions, but that he will not be limited by genres.
"I don't want to blindly follow current trends, but I will try to create music that is authentic and of high quality," he points out.
Next in line is cooperation with Saša Milošević Maret, who is best known to the public as the author of "Molitva" Marija Šerifović. And that is only part of Baković's plans for the next period.
"We are preparing a big hit, which I hope to be able to present to the audience by the end of this year. He supported me from the very beginning and I believe that together we will create something that will leave a deep mark. Getting to know our famous writer and journalist Svetislav Vuković it was especially inspiring for me. Although he was in advanced years in 2017, his joy at meeting a young and talented musician from his home village was obvious. I plan to revive some of his forgotten lyrics, with the great support of his family. In addition, we work with an orchestra in the studio Peđo Nedeljkovic on the texts Mihailo Damjanović. I am also looking forward to the planned recording of a duet, which will be a real treat for the audience," revealed the young singer.
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