Bojan Delić: Nothing can be built without a clear vision

For decades, Montenegro has been recognized for festivals such as "Songs of the Mediterranean" and "Sunny Scales", where some of the biggest names in regional music built their careers.

This festival tradition is being continued today by the regional music festival "Pearl of the Adriatic", which will be held for the third time this weekend, on Saturday, July 18th. On the Summer Stage in Tivat, 25 performers from six countries in the region will present new original songs, confirming that the festival is gaining more and more importance year after year.

"This year, 164 compositions were submitted to the competition, and the selection committee chose 25 that we will hear on Saturday evening. It was really difficult and tiring for them to choose only 25 from the many compositions that we received this year, but I think they did an excellent job. I am sure that there were so many more good songs that could have been included in the final evening, but the rules are clear and must be respected," says Bojan Delić, director of the festival, in an interview with "Vijesti".

The fact that this year more than half of the finalists come from Montenegro shows how much the domestic scene has progressed. The organizers emphasize that Montenegrin performers have an advantage, but never at the expense of quality, and that the increasing number of submitted songs from year to year confirms that domestic authors and singers can compete on equal terms with their colleagues from the region. At the same time, this breaks the long-standing prejudice that what comes from abroad is necessarily of higher quality than domestic production.

"This year, more than half of the participants come from Montenegro, which has been my wish from the very beginning. I believe that domestic performers deserve to be represented at least to that extent, but never at the expense of quality. The final selection is decided by the selection committee, which works according to clearly established criteria, and I believe that those who truly deserve it were selected. Of course, I am sorry that some quality performers are not part of the festival this time, but I deliberately withdrew from the selection process so as not to influence the selection of songs. I am glad that year after year it is confirmed that our authors and performers can compete equally with their colleagues from other countries of the former Yugoslavia. This was also shown by last year's results, when Makadam and Andrijana Božović achieved notable success. We have representatives of all countries of the region in the jury, and the fact that their voices were very similar speaks best of the quality of our performers and compositions," emphasizes Delić.

Festivals have always been a place where the audience discovers new musical names, but also an opportunity for performers who have not been seen at such events for a long time to return to the big stage. This is exactly what this year's "Pearl of the Adriatic" brings. An additional charm to the competition is the fact that the songs are not published before the festival evening, so there are no pre-established favorites. Instead, the first impression that the compositions leave on the audience and the expert jury is crucial, which is why the outcome of the festival remains completely uncertain every year.

"It is especially important to me that the festival has already started to produce results and that young people who work, perform and create their own music have emerged from it. My goal from the beginning was for 'Pearl of the Adriatic' to be not just a competition that lasts one night, but a place from which something will remain and which will encourage the creation of new music in Montenegro. I believe that it is important for a country to nurture and produce its art, because only in this way can a trace of the time and people who create in this region remain. That is why it is important to me that we invest in original songs and that the festival has this creative dimension," emphasizes Delić, adding that when it comes to the winner, there are no known names or favorites.

"I cannot guarantee an award to anyone who contacts us, because the final decision is made by an expert jury. We try to gather relevant people from the region every year and for the selection to be based solely on quality. In this way, we want to show that the process is completely transparent and that the best song wins. As for publishing songs before the festival, it has its advantages, but it is more important to us that the performers create specifically for 'Pearl of the Adriatic' and that they present their compositions to the audience for the first time at our festival. It is especially important to us that this year we have great support from the Public Service of Montenegro, as well as television stations from the region that will broadcast the festival. Our goal is for 'Pearl of the Adriatic' to be recognized not only in Montenegro but also beyond, and the results from previous years show that the audience's interest is growing. I believe that with this year's edition, we will take another step forward," adds Delić.

There are more and more authors using AI applications to create music, and it is difficult to fight against such songs. Regarding the festival's stance on such compositions, given that they are sung to playback, Delić reveals:

"The competition rules clearly state that the use of artificial intelligence is not allowed. We have people and tools that check submitted compositions, so that songs that are questionable are not considered. Last year we had several such cases, and this year it is noticeable that the use of AI technology has gained additional momentum. It is increasingly difficult to recognize at first glance what was created with the help of artificial intelligence and what is the author's work, but there are still ways and expertise to detect such things. It is important to us that the festival remains a space for original creativity and that we reward people who really put effort into their music."

After a period in which the Montenegrin music scene was less active and without enough space to present new authors and performers, "Biser Jadrana" has brought new energy in the last three years and has become one of the important platforms for the creation and promotion of domestic music.

“The greatest value of this festival is that performers have begun to see it as a place where they want to belong. Young musicians already dream of appearing at the 'Pearl of the Adriatic', and that was our idea from the beginning - to create a space where new talents will get the opportunity to present themselves, while established artists will feel the respect they deserve. We want musicians to know that they are appreciated and that they feel like an important part of a big story at our festival. Nothing can be built without a clear vision and the desire to create something. We are glad that interest is increasing year after year. Some performers who participated last year sent their songs again, while some were unable to due to commitments, but the most important thing is that this story is growing and developing. We are aware that every project has its good and challenging sides, we are ready to accept them and learn something new from every experience. We owe special gratitude to the Municipality of Tivat, President Željko Komnenović, the Cultural Center, as well as all partners and sponsors who recognize the importance of the festival and whose support makes it possible that the 'Pearl of the Adriatic' gets better and better every year", concludes Delić.