Written by: Velimir Cindrić Photos: Goran Čižmešija
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In her biography titled Cesta do sna – Moj put, totalno iskreno, Mia Dimšić writes about important life lessons and people who have left an imprint on her life: from her parents, her first love, her friend and manager Damir Bačić, all the way to Croatian performers and songwriters she had always admired.
It is a story of a completely (un)ordinary girl from Osijek and her meteoric rise to stardom in the galaxy of Croatia. The book is written in a straightforward, yet very insightful manner, and it deals with the challenges of growing up, her music beginnings, sources of inspiration and composing, as well as the effort required to make it in the world of music.
Even those who turn on the radio once in a blue moon have heard of the bright new star known as Mia Dimšić (31), a singer-songwriter who came into the spotlight in 2016 thanks to her song Život nije siv People all across the globe got to know her as Croatia’s contender at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, where she performed her catchy song called Guilty Pleasure.
Mia majored in German and English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, and launched her first single Budi mi blizu on October 12, 2015. Her debut album titled Život nije siv was launched in 2017, and it became the top-selling album in Croatia at the speed of light. The title track was even declared the #1 most played song on radio stations.
In 2016, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Croatia awarded the singer the title of best young performer, and in 2017, Mia won her first Porin award, and held her first solo concert at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall under the title Božićni concert za male i velike, releasing a commemorative Božićno jutro album afterwards.
Her music back then had a poppy, kid-friendly vibe, attracting mainly young listeners, but in the meantime, both Mia and her audience grew up to the tunes of more complex songs and more serious topics. Her next album, Sretan put (2019) was released just before the COVID-19 outbreak and was never promoted in concert…
After a four-year break from recording, last November she released her new album, also the first one in English, allowing us to hear and see the talented singer and songwriter in a new light. The songs are backed by an experienced team of authors who worked in unison (Mia, Damir Bačić, and Vjekoslav Dimter).
The album, obviously aiming at international audiences, is closer to Mia’s signature style (light pop melodies and sound, acoustic guitar in the foreground and so on), showcasing her much more refined storytelling and ambient music skills (frequent whisper tone).
How different is Mia Dimšić today from the girl who sang Život nije siv in 2016?
A lot has happened and changed in the meantime, but the Život nije siv song still sums up my life philosophy to the letter. I was way more carefree and naïve in my twenties, that’s for sure, but my thirties offered me a more nuanced and mature, yet fresh perspective on things, more empathy and understanding and, the most important thing – as the years go by, I’m getting better at saying no when it is necessary for me to set my boundaries.
I love my job just as much as I did before, but when I was younger, everything revolved around success and climbing the charts. Now I’ve become aware that career, just like life in general, is one giant mode mixture – and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
To what extent were you surprised by the success of the Život nije siv song? What did you make of this overnight success and how much did that moment change your life?
On some deeper level – I don’t know how to explain it – I had a feeling that this song would change my life from the first chord. And indeed, everything changed after it became a hit… It took me places I couldn’t imagine even existed just a few months earlier, and brought me closer to the people whom I had admired from afar since I was a child. And after a few years of kicking like a chorus line to that crazy pace, I moved to Zagreb since it no longer made sense to constantly be on the road.
Of course, I also went through some changes, as it was shocking to suddenly be under the magnifying glass – and dealing with that required a lot of adjustment.
Who were your role models when you started making music and how much has your taste in music changed over time?
Back when I was starting out, I was obsessed with country and acoustic music, and my first album had that sound and all that jazz. My creative collaborators were a bit taken aback when I stated that I wanted to achieve a country pop sound of Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves at the time, and the good old Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, or Alison Krauss, which have always been my role models.
Only now do I see how lucky I was to know exactly what I wanted from the very start and have a laser-like focus. We didn’t have to spend months on end on finding my voice, and our production style was quite unique for this area at the time, which helped spread my earworms across the region.
When we were working on the second label, I had already started falling in love with programming and electric guitars, so you can hear a slight transition there, while my latest album, Monologue, was my first excursion into pop, with a couple of visits to the country here and there.
Život nije siv won you a Porin for Best Music Video in 2107, and in 2018, you took home as much as four Porins, including one for Best Pop Album and Best Spiritual Music Album. What do all these awards mean to you?
Awards always mean a lot, and the minuscule Porin carried extra weight for me as a premium award in my profession. My jaw dropped when I found out I was nominated alongside some legendary musicians that were part of mine or even my parents’ upbringing.
If someone back then had asked me if I thought I would ever be nominated, I would have said I hope so, but maybe in, like, ten years.
You took a break from recording that lasted more than four years – between the Sretan put label from 2019 and the Monologue from November 2023. Why did Sretan put do worse in terms of ratings and awards? Also, will all the singles that you released in the meantime, as well as the duets with Marko Tolja and Neno Belan, be included on an album?
I think the biggest stumbling block on my career path so far has been making that second album, after the roaring success of the debut which took us all by surprise. Before that, I sang like a bird and was free like one, and then suddenly all eyes and ears were on me. The biggest challenge was actually going back to my initial zeal.
The Sretan put album is somewhere along the lines of my initial sound, with a bit more electric guitar and heavier rhythm, and the pandemic that took place only two or three months after it was released was almost the death of it. That’s why we sadly never did a proper concert promotion, and the songs were kept alive by machines for a long time.
Since I’m currently working on my next album in Croatian, the release of the older singles will surely have to wait.
Does your new album in English represent a sort of new beginning for you, and what do you intend to do with it abroad?
I had wanted to do this album for many years, but the road to it was long and hard since I always released songs in Croatian and played a lot of gigs with the beat, and it’s very difficult for me to two-track. I’d describe it as a new page in my music journal and it’s something that I will definitely continue working on, along with songs in Croatian.
I plan to market it to as many people as possible, wherever there’s a breeding ground for it. Therein lies the charm of singing in a language that most people in the world understand; you never know where someone might hear you and where it might lead.
What happened with your ambitions to record an album in Nashville? And does this new album mean you’re forgoing the country pop sound and following, in a way, in Taylor Swift’s footsteps?
The initial idea was to record the entire album in English and in America, but we faltered due to their staggering prices. If we were to record there at this stage of the project, it wouldn’t bring us anything except for a foreign producer’s credit. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that we should wait for the right moment – and now, in hindsight, I think it all worked out and I’m very proud of the fact that Monologue is a 100% Croatian product.
I wouldn’t say I’m forgoing anything and it’s hard for me to place the songs I write in a box. There are several subgenres of pop on this album, and one of them is certainly pop country since each song calls for a different approach. We could just not reduce them all to a common denominator without kissing their authentic sound goodbye.
Some compare Monologue to Taylor Swift, while others say it reminds them of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album. How would you describe your current musical style and is it endgame?
I’m more than flattered by this comparison and I consider both these female performers one – I mean two – of the best in the world at the moment. However, it’s difficult for me to talk about my current musical style without bias – I guess I’m just too involved to be objective.
As for the Monologue album, I’d say that it’s a sort of storytelling pop endeavour in general terms, which includes dreamy pop, acoustic pop, indie pop, country pop songs, and so on. But at the end of the day, these are just signposts to songs that are all over the genre map. The most important thing for me is to sing from the heart and talk about stuff that is on my mind at the moment, and the rest is history. Recording the songs at the studio is a spontaneous and natural process that answers to the quintessence of my work and what the melody calls for.
I’m fairly certain that my style and role-models will change significantly over the years, together with myself. And if my music is not a true reflection of me, it wouldn’t make much sense anymore.
How do you look at your appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest today, i.e. what were your expectations and hopes then and what did you learn from it all?
I’ve learned a lot on both personal and professional levels, and that’s why I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything happens for a reason, and the Eurovision Song Contest came at the right time. I learned that I thrive under pressure and that I am able to find the good in the most critical of situations. I also realised that good relationships are the most precious thing in life and that working on yourself is a lifelong career. I was very inspired by the numerous artists I met there – I still keep in touch with many of them; maybe I’ll even do a collab with some of them, who knows…
As for Eurosong fans and journalists, a lot of them reached out to me after my performance or posted about my album when it came out, so it’s a pretty important platform. Even years after the competition ends, one should make good use of all the spotlights that the Eurosong puts them in – I mean, dozens of millions of people from all over the world devotedly watch that contest year after year.
Which advice would you give to the winner of this year’s Dora and what do you think about the song in general? Can we really have as great expectations as the bookies suggest by placing Croatia amongst the top candidates?
I’d advise him to surround himself with people who love and support him and to listen to his heart, because both those with good and not so good intentions will want to chime in now – and this is his moment, so everything should be the way he feels is best for him.
I’d also urge him to take a breather and revel in the moment because it all goes by so quickly, even though the wonderful memories and friends we make along the way are always there, and that’s the only thing that matters.
I believe he’ll do a great job. He already enjoys great support from the fans, and I hope that the international judges will show him support as well.
