Mila Nikić: The song "Bitan" and I recognized each other at first listen

Montenegrin singer Mila Nikić won second prize at the recently held regional festival "Biser Jadrana", with the song "Bitan".

As she says, the recognition means a lot to her because it comes from a festival that year after year nurtures festival tradition and preserves space for new pop music and original songs.

"I am happy that the festival spirit is returning to Montenegro. I think we need festivals like this because they nurture the pop scene, give new songs the opportunity to find their way to the audience, and encourage authors and performers to create," said Nikić after the festival.

Nikić, who is an economist by profession and has successfully combined her professional career with music for years, released the single "Ništa tužno" in 2023, and in 2025 she participated in Montesong with the song "Kao varnica". Her new song "Bitan" is by Dušan Alagić (music and lyrics), who also made the arrangement with Dušan Krsmanović.

In an interview for "Vijesti", Nikić talked about the recognition she received at the "Pearl of the Adriatic" festival, as well as her further plans regarding her musical career.

At the beginning of the interview, the singer recalled how the collaboration with Alagić came about, how the song "Bitan" found its way to her, and the moment when she felt that it was the right song for her.

"Dušan sent me a song that he called, in his own style, a 'burnt song', because he believed that I was someone who could convey such energy, story and character. He was right. I think 'Bitan' and I recognized each other on the first listen. The song won me over with both the story and the atmosphere. I don't usually choose songs easily, but there was no dilemma here - I immediately felt that it was the right song for me," she recounted.

When asked if he expected an award at the "Pearl of the Adriatic" festival, Nikić answered in the negative.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting an award, which is probably why it made me so happy. I guess that's what happens when you don't expect anything. I have to admit that I was really 'overjoyed' with myself those days," the interviewee of "Vijesti" states with a smile, and then she reflects on how important such recognitions are to her, in relation to her audience ratings.

"Such awards are important to me, because they mean that people from the profession, members of the jury, have recognized the quality of the song and confirmed that what you do has value. It is a great motivation to continue creating and to believe in your music even more. However, the biggest judge is the audience. The festival lasts one night, but the song should live on after the festival. If people continue to listen to it, sing it and return to it months or years later, I think that is the greatest award a performer can receive," she concludes.

Nikić did not hide that they applied for the "Pearl of the Adriatic" festival at the urging of their mother and singing teacher Renata Perazić, and now she reveals why she did not consider that option herself and what made her decide to listen to them.

"Honestly, I'm not really a fan of festivals and competitions. Not because of the festival, but because I don't like myself in the process (laughs). I always create drama for myself, burden myself more than I need to and make preparations a much bigger problem than they actually are. And then, as usual, everything turns out much better than I expected," Nikić answers honestly.

"It's interesting that in the last little over half a year I've performed at two festivals with original songs and both experiences were wonderful. That's why I'm glad that festivals are returning to Montenegro. I think they're important because they bring together authors and performers, and from these meetings new collaborations emerge, and ultimately new songs," she continues.

"I have to thank Professor Renata Perazić, my mother and Andrijana Božović. All three were more persistent than me. When I lose faith a little or start to question myself, they have it for me too. If it weren't for their advice and encouragement, I probably wouldn't have even applied to this festival," emphasized the singer, who plans to film a video for the song "Bitan".

"Of course. 'Bitan' deserves a video and we're starting filming soon. If everything goes according to plan, it should be in front of the audience in about a month. Although I often hear advice these days that videos are no longer that important, I still believe that the audience loves it when a song gets its own visual story. I hope the video will nicely round off the story that 'Bitan' carries," emphasized Nikić, who answered affirmatively to the question - whether the audience can expect more new songs in her performance in the coming period.

"Yes, but knowing myself, I can't promise anything," the singer admits with a smile.

"I would like to release another original song by the end of the year. I'm not someone who records often and I think everyone knows that. I would simply rather wait for the right song than release just any song. In the end, I believe that the audience always recognizes when you really stand behind something," she believes.

As she says, she now has a nice and busy period ahead of her when it comes to performances.

"I have a lot of performances during the summer, and I'm especially looking forward to the concert on August 21st in Cetinje. I'm also very glad that we're at "Onyx" in Budva every Saturday during the summer. In addition, I continue to perform with the band and work on making my original songs come to life live as much as possible. I think that only on stage does a song gain its full dimension," emphasized Nikić, who is an economist by profession, and reveals how demanding it is to balance a "regular" job and a musical career.

"It's not always easy, but honestly I wouldn't change either one. Music gives me emotion and freedom, and work gives me stability and the opportunity to learn something new every day. It's these two different worlds that make me the person I am. Sometimes I go straight from the office to a rehearsal or a performance, weekends are mostly work, but when you love what you do, you somehow always find the time and energy," she explains.

"However, as I answer these questions, I can only say one thing - I can't wait for the holidays," says Nikić with a smile.