Pesma za Evroviziju, one of the biggest Balkan festivals and the Serbian national selection for the Eurovision representative, is fast approaching. RTS has released all songs, and the audience has had the chance to dive into a wide variety that the broadcaster grouped together into what is shaping up to be an exciting national final week!
One of the numbers that stood out among the Eurovision chatter is Novi plan, drugi san by the young singer songwriter Filip Baloš.
Filip is an up-and-coming Serbian musician, born and raised in Novi Sad, Serbia. This fresh face comes from an artistic family and has always had an affinity for music, but he started writing and producing on his own in 2017. Filip’s music is filling the gap in the Balkan music scene with his electro pop sound, and in 2019 his talent was noticed by an online competition Play zvezda. His numerous hits such as Provereno, Idemo do mene and Nema kraja are undoubtedly and surely earworms.
His entry for PZE, however, is as fresh as you can get in one song. It’s uplifting, catchy, managing to strike that nearly perfect balance between the highs and lows; all of this neatly packaged and presented to the audience in a quintessential electric storm that has major potential to do well in Eurovision.
Filip, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a warm welcome to ESCUnited! We are very excited to have a chance to speak with you today. How have you been doing lately?
Thank you very much! I am very glad to be here, and to talk with you! I’ve been doing great! I didn’t expect this amount of love and support I’ve been given over the last few days… I am very grateful!
We would also like to give you a chance to introduce yourself to our international audience, and tell us a bit more about yourself! Any details you’d like to share, musical influences?
Hi everyone, my name is Filip Baloš I am a 21 year old singer, songwriter, and music producer from Serbia. I come from an artistic family. My father is a music producer, and together with my mother, they run an acting school. So, art has always been present in my life while growing up. I’ve been singing and painting since I can remember, but the moment I really started expressing myself through art was when I discovered Lady Gaga back in 2009. She inspired me then, and continued inspiring me throughout my whole life! And she definitely is my biggest music influence! But there are a lot of other artists that I admire so much! I love artists that write their own songs, that are artistically involved in creating their whole image. That’s what I do, and even though it’s much harder to do it all by yourself, at the end of the day there is that feeling of being proud of yourself because you’re pushing the boundaries every day and learning something new.
Pesma za Evroviziju is gaining in popularity with each coming year. How did you decide to apply, what was the motivation behind that decision?
I have always loved watching Eurovision with my family when I was younger. And I’ve always had that big dream of singing on that stage. 2 years ago, I made a song that was supposed to be sent to the Pesma za Evrovizijiu 2022 competition, but in the end that didn’t happen. And I’m happy that it didn’t, because this year I have a better song, and I feel mentally and physically more prepared.
Yes, it seems like sometimes the right time is when we don’t expect it to be. Given the amount of entrants this year, new faces such as yourself, shoulder to shoulder with some of the biggest stars in the region, is this something that intimidates you in some way?
Not at all! I am really happy to be here, and I can’t wait to show people who I am and what I can do! And I can’t wait to meet everyone.
Your song, Novi plan, drugi san, has garnered quite a bit of attention. Twitter is sizzling! How does that make you feel?
I can’t even begin to describe how grateful I am. As I’ve mentioned, I really didn’t expect this kind of love and support. It was just me in my room all by myself writing this song and recording it in the wardrobe, and now people are singing it, dancing to it, sharing their favourite lyrics all over Twitter… It feels amazing to be recognized after years and years of writing and producing in my small room. This is what I live for!
You composed, wrote and arranged the song all on your own. That is more than impressive. Can you tell us a bit more about the process of creating this song?
Yes, I did it all by myself. This is the first song I put out, that I wrote and fully produced on my own. And I am really proud of myself. I think sometimes we should take a step back and look at the full picture and realize what we have accomplished. Sometimes we work so hard all the time, that we forget to do that! It was clear to me that I needed to have a song with an important message! This songs speaks about a heartbreak and how hard it is dealing with one. But at the same time it has this motivational message. In the chorus, I say “Let it be the end”, “I have a new plan and a different dream”. We always have to go straight ahead, without looking back on the things that have happened. We need to forgive others, because that is the only way we can feel at peace.
Many young artists are taking back the power and putting out their songs independently these days. Can we also expect a music video for Novi plan, drugi san? Or perhaps a different arrangement? Acoustic would be interesting to hear with a song like this.
I love being independent! But being independent also means not having a big label budget. I would love to a music video, but right now, the main focus is on the performance. But making an acoustic version is something I have been thinking of! So stay tuned, that might happen!
I can attest to the fact that we are all incredibly excited to see your performance. Can you share a bit of what we can expect to see in the semi final?
I can only say that we are going to do something that is not expected. There will be no dancers. Just me and a mic! 😉 You’ll see!
That sounds intriguing. Since Eurovision is such a big thing across Europe and a few other countries, I have to ask – was it always your dream to find yourself on the grand stage?
Yes, it was always a big dream of mine to represent my country at the Eurovision. This year I feel ready! But again, if that doesn’t happen, I am coming back stronger next year!
I love your positive attitude and your drive! That’s very motivational in every sense of that word. After the PZE experience, what are your plans moving forward? What can we expect to see and hear from Filip Baloš?
I have a lot of finished and unfinished songs in Serbian! I would love to put out an EP, so that the listeners can get to know me on a deeper level. But then again, I’ve always wanted to write songs in English, so you can look out for that too!
In closing, do you have a message you’d like to share with our ESCUnited readers?
Thank you for all the support some of you have given to me! This is just the beginning! Remember my name because this ride has started!
Filip, thank you for spending the time with us and our Eurovision buzz, we will surely be enjoying your song. We also wish you the best of luck in the upcoming competition, and in all of your future endeavors!
Filip will be performing Novi plan, drugi san at PZE’s semi final 1 on March 1 at 21:00 CET. You can follow his Instagram for updates here.
What do #YOU think about Filip and his song? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our Discord, or on our forum page!
