Music today is often measured by clicks and trends, but the Montenegrin singer Mila Nikić remains dedicated to essence and emotion. Although she had the opportunity to release an album as the winner of the second series of the music competition "Flight to the Stars", she has built her career throughout all these years on stage by carefully choosing the songs she will present to the audience.
Her new single "Like a Spark" has recently been released, which, according to Mila, was specifically made for Montesong, and she will be performing with this song that she wrote for her. Kristina Kovač to try to win a victory that would earn her a performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.
"Kristina Kovač invited me with the clear idea of presenting ourselves at this festival and, together with a team of authors from abroad, creating a song just for me. I went to Berlin and 'Like a Spark' was created there," Nikić reveals how the collaboration with Kristina Kovač came about.
The song has been on the air for more than 15 days, and the reactions to "Kao varnica" are positive.
"It means a lot to me when I hear comments, especially from fellow musicians, that this song is 'so much me'. I love it when someone recognizes my specificity and sensibility. The song has that retro, disco spirit of the eighties, it's seductive, bouncy and was made without the intention of flattering anyone or fitting into trends and tastes. I was just myself and I think you can feel it," is the confident interviewee of Vijesti, whose song talks about freedom in a relationship between two people, passion, a moment they want to take advantage of. However, it is precisely this "now and then" that often does not provide a good basis for the "long haul", which is what most people strive for when entering a relationship. When asked how such superficial relationships are to blame for the misconception of the concept of love today, Mila answers:
"I think my song is not about superficiality, but about the sincerity of the moment. I agree that people live fast today, enter into relationships quickly, and that this can often be superficial. But I believe that the essence of love is not in speed, but in depth. Love requires breadth, depth of soul, and maturity, and when a person is superficial, he can never truly experience love, regardless of whether it happens 'right now' or lasts for years. Some people recognize each other very quickly and stay together for their entire lives, while it also happens that relationships that last a long time are empty if they lack honesty and an open heart."
Even during the "Flight to the Stars" competition, where she triumphed, Mila showed that she is equally good at all genres. It is precisely for such singers that it is most difficult to write a song because the track must have some luxury to show off vocal abilities, but also be commercial, because this type of competition requires it. On what was more important to her as a performer - to show off vocal abilities or to win over the audience with a song, she reveals:
"Singing is my starting point - emotion before ego. As much as I love my voice and know that people recognize me by it, often describing it as emotional and with character, singing in itself is never my goal. It is important to me that the audience feels the song and the emotion. If that is not there, no vocal splendor has any real meaning. I see music as art, not as a competition in technique. Often, it is simple, vocally unpretentious songs that touch people the most deeply, because they carry sincere emotion. These are often the songs that live the longest," emphasizes Mila.
The author of her song, Kristina Kovač, brought a completely different sound to the music scene back in the 90s and is always ahead of her time. She was also at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, and how much does the collaboration with the aforementioned musician and the advice she received while recording this song mean to her?
"I'm a child of the nineties and grew up with K2's music, so collaborating with Kristina was particularly emotional for me. My sensibilities are pop, R&B and soul, and I naturally recognized myself in her expression. Honestly, I was overjoyed that she even recognized me as an artist she wanted to work with," Vijesti's interviewee does not hide her delight at collaborating with Kovač and adds:
"Kristina is a person with enormous experience - both in music in general and when it comes to Eurovision. Behind everything she does is knowledge and practice, and you can really learn a lot from her. She is very direct, which I personally like very much. Her advice is clear, sometimes harsh, but always meaningful and based on experience. That is precisely why it has weight. What was most important to me was the feeling of complete security, I knew that I was in good hands and that everything would turn out in the best possible way. For me, this was a great and very important experience, one of those that shapes you and remains a good starting point for the future," Nikić points out.
The songs that will be featured in Montesong have quickly found their way, not only to domestic, but also to Eurovision fans across Europe and the world. Comments on Mila's song are positive, many say they listen to it "on repeat", and some predict her placement in the top five. Regarding the expectations, but also the hype that is being created around this competition, Mila says:
"Of course, nice comments and support are welcome, but there are also negative comments that can bring you down. That's why I think it's not good to get too attached to either one or the other. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and what you bring. I'm not someone who easily succumbs to hype, I stand firmly with both feet on the ground and I'm focused on what I can control, which is performance and interpretation. That's how I am by nature, and although it sometimes bothers me, I believe that's what keeps me going," Nikić is sure.
The songs have been on the air for about ten days, so favorites are created thanks to the number of views. However, last year showed that the number of views and the number of votes do not have to match. It is precisely this attitude towards music where everything is viewed through clicks and shares that can sometimes discourage artists.
"Unfortunately, like everything today, music has begun to be measured and counted, but I believe that in the end the essence is still recognized. Clicks and views do not necessarily mean real value. I made this song for our market, in our language, with the desire to hear it on the radio, for people to like it and maybe one day hear someone humming it. That would fill my heart. The most important thing for me is that the song lives on after Montesong because that is, in essence, the point of everything," concludes Nikić.
Bonus video:
