Ivana Đurić was born in Sarajevo in 1984. She studied music in BiH and France. Traditional Bosnian music is a big part of her interest and work. In addition, she is engaged in classical music, theatre and film music. She lives in Sarajevo.

Why did you become an artist?

My parents recognised my musical talent and enrolled me in music school. Since then, making music has become an inseparable part of my life.

What does it mean to be an artist in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, everything is big: Sadness and joy, sorrow and pleasure, success and failure. To be serious about anything here requires extra effort than elsewhere. The energy that people in BiH invest in the simplest tasks could be used more creatively in another society. All of us who live here have to work hard to get into the starting position of someone from a more organised environment.

Ivana Đurić

What do you want to achieve with your art?

We all start from our own microcosm. I fill my own with a job that I really love. Nobody taught us in schools how to be happy by doing something. On this micro level, I try to find joy in what I do. On a slightly broader level, I’m following the path of the earlier musicians who played music from this region.

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an artist. I am more someone who offers my energy through the instrument, telling stories that are current in my life in the hope of enriching someone else’s story.

What is your message beyond your country’s borders?

The best messages are those without national borders. Music has exactly that power. It can touch someone on the other side of the world. It is borderless. We are all part of one world and we are more alike than we want to admit. Yes, we have the same basic fears and longings.

Carefully choosing the music we listen to is as important as choosing our diet, body and sleep quality. Good music is part of mental hygiene! So my message is: let’s keep it at a high level!

What wisdom drives you?

No one has outlived their life, and life is exactly what we have right now. That is why we look forward to this very moment. It will not last forever.

Interview: Mirella Sidro, Sarajevo