Musical maturation brought a new phase in Ivan Bjeković's creativity

The Montenegrin musician continues to surprise with a new sound, says that the cooperation with Jasmin Mašić is responsible for new views on music and a harder sound

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Ivan Bjeković in the music video for "I don't know how to forget", Photo: Printscreen
Ivan Bjeković in the music video for "I don't know how to forget", Photo: Printscreen
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

It is not uncommon for musicians to change their expression during their career, and to show additional musical maturity with each new song. One of them is a Montenegrin musician Ivan Bjekovic who recently released the new single "Ne znam da gorabi".

Several years have passed since Bjeković's debut "Dosta je", and the previous single "Biću plamen" hinted at changes in Bjeković's expression, which from the beginning of his career was tied to acoustic sound. However, this time with support Jasmin Mišić who signs the music and arrangements with Ivan, a track was created that brings a slightly harder sound compared to everything he has done so far.

"This song is a reflection of musical maturation in every sense. Changes are a natural and constant phenomenon, as part of the life of all of us. They are also noticeable in my creativity through the style that I have introduced in the new track and which I will continue to build on with new songs. Musical maturation is no different from life maturation itself and it is inevitable that, when I look back at my previous work, "there" I see a boy who is just getting to know the world of music, production and various genres. Growth through creativity contributed to new works sounding much better and more mature. That boy has already grown into a very mature person, who is expanding his horizons and horizons. From this position, I cannot look at music in the same way, as I did during the period of studying different possibilities", explains Bjeković at the beginning of the interview for Vijesti, and he does not hide that in addition to maturing, a new musical collaborator also had a significant influence on the improvement of the style. and producer Jasmin Mišić.

"He gave me the wind at my back to enter the market with a harder sound and improved production. His versatile talent and understanding of my desires contributed to freeing myself even more and getting closer to the musical genre I prefer. Until now, I was limited by a certain amount of fear that I would not manage in such a role, but through the first bars of the new song and the recording of the vocals, I felt immense satisfaction, because I finally found myself on the path I had been looking for for a long time. I owe my gratitude to my wife, who gave me enormous support in making the decision to change and who initiated the idea of ​​extending my creative collaboration to musicians and colleagues from the region. In this way, I made a new step forward in my career and reached colleagues from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Jasmin Mišić from Croatia, as co-author and co-arranger and Emina Bajtarević Vimoksha from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a backing vocalist). Of course, my musical growth and maturation continue to follow Siniša Bjeković (through texts) i Renata Perazic (backing vocals)", reminds Bjeković, who never doubted that the changes would have a bad effect on the audience.

"I can already say that the audience is delighted with that harder sound, especially that part of the audience with whom I share the love for that type of music. I'm glad that this kind of sound is liked by those who are not fans of a harder sound, but they described this new song as a good project and especially emphasized the fact that the change in creativity is evident and of high quality. If not through style, then certainly through my expression and conveying the emotion that this song carries", he proudly points out.

This is, as he described it, "a deeply emotional story about love, loss and indelible traces of the past". Through his singles, Bjeković often knew how to talk about what was bothering him, and when asked whether the past is easier to get over if a person opens up, he answered:

"The song is about the phenomenon of love at the wrong time. Although the right things come in due time, the focus here is on the personal questioning of the protagonist, who is dealing with the pain of breaking up the one love he believed was 'destined'. The very act of breaking up is described by getting ready for a long journey in the night. The lonely hero goes on that journey with the desire to one day get the right answer as to why this particular love was doomed. He describes the strength of his mind and spirit with the words that he knows that he loses and that he loves and that he has gone through numerous challenges, so I see no reason to surrender in this. But even though this poem does not give a final answer, the truth is always born somewhere else. The hero finds a way to get over the past precisely by turning to honest opening and expression of emotions, because in this way he gets rid of the burden of pain and questioning".

Ivan Bjekovic
Ivan Bjekovicphoto: Aleksandar Jaredić

Ivan is also known for the fact that, in addition to music, he likes to travel, and there is a belief that fellow travelers and new people are a "window to the world". About how much his musical outlook has changed thanks to his collaboration with Jasmina, he says:

"I will be modest if I say that this step was a "window to the world". I experienced this change as the opening of a new universe and the release of a huge creative part within me. It is difficult to describe in words the moment of joy when a person feels and sees that he can do much more and better. When I add to that the compatibility with Jasmina at the level of collaboration and processing of musical ideas, then everything becomes easier. The ease with which we finished this track, as well as part of the following material, is incredible. What used to take me several months, I now manage to achieve much more simply, without the need to overcome incidental barriers. I feel like I'm on the highway of author's creativity and I absolutely enjoy it", says Bjeković, who believes that the next tracks he will release as part of the second album will show what kind of change has happened.

"If I were to graphically describe what happened, then it would be the situation when you shake a bottle of soda, then open the cap to let it all come out. Thanks to his understanding of my musical visions, we very easily reached an agreement on long-term cooperation and finishing the second album. As much as the second album seemed far away at one point, from this position it never seems closer, and I get the impression that each next one will see the light of day much faster", he is sure.

The collaborator he hasn't changed since the start of his career is his father Siniša, who is in charge of the lyrics of all the songs. At one time, he gave Ivan notebooks with numerous verses he had written, and the musician has a rich selection for each new project. Ivan says about the way he chooses the text he will bring through his music and how past and current emotional states influence the choice:

"First of all, the greatest satisfaction is the feeling of security and 'covering' the texts for a long period of time or, as our people would say: 'I am calm about this issue.' There are no rules for choosing lyrics, but each new melody gets a chance to go through these songs, and the moment I feel that there is a certain relationship in the fitting of the lyrics with the rhythm, that is, the beats of the melody, those units come together. This time the emotional state had no influence on the choice of the text, but I can't say that there weren't such moments when the soul was looking for exactly what it was and how it felt at that moment", he admits as well as the fact that when choosing to think about it - " and this could be a hit".

'Travel is a window to the world, but also to new people': Bjeković
"Travels are a window to the world, but also to new people": Bjekovićphoto: Private archive

"Certainly, when choosing music and lyrics, there is a desire for each new song to be a hit. However, many factors influence whether they will reach that position, and the influence of musicians on such circumstances comes down to the domain of good marketing and serving the song to a wider audience. As you mentioned, I got a lot of help in that part from the personal acquaintances I made around the world, during my travels, so the sounds of this song can be heard all over the world. I try to present my product on as many radio and TV stations as possible, both in the region and beyond, because that's the only way for a certain song to gain the status of a hit", emphasizes Ivan and adds that in this way, the number of views on different platforms in constant growth, and that support from all over the world is evident.

"Previous songs have already been hits of the day or month on certain radio stations, the new song 'Ne znam da gorabim' already has the titles of the hit of the day, so there are more and more reasons to be satisfied, and thus the realization of the idea that the song will be a hit gets and its realization", concludes Bjeković.

The Pluto group will always be part of his creativity

Bjeković together with a colleague with whom he still collaborates today, a guitarist Lazar Nenezić, he started his career as the duo Pluto. Recently, there is a current story again about this composition because it has been expanded. When asked if Ivan Bjeković is separating himself from that project as a soloist and whether you will publish original songs in parallel, or if the original work is exclusively related to his solo career, Ivan says:

"The story of the 'Pluto' group never really ends. Lazar Nenezić, as part of the acoustic duo, is always present in my creativity, as a friend and as someone from whom I have learned a lot about music and the instrument. We recently strengthened the lineup, so now Pluto can be said to be a more complete and substantial vocal-instrumental lineup," he boasted.

Speaking about the form of work, the group will always, he claims, be a part of his creativity, and at the same time an integral part of any public promotion of creativity and work.

"I plan to release a second album in the next year and finally present my work live to the audience in Montenegro through concerts where only my original tracks will be performed. Bearing in mind that the group 'Pluton' has become an expanded composition, I believe that the new members will also bring their original ideas, so it is not excluded that at some point the group will also present their own material. Until then, I will certainly, through my author's work and solo career, keep the group 'Pluton' with me as a part of me and my musical identity", promises Bjeković.

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