FILIP BALOŠ Interview: “It was really important for me that the song is sending a message into the world.”

Photo: Luka Stepanović

Another day, another interview, and today we are with Filip Baloš, one of the participants in the Serbian national selection for this year’s Eurovision, and a rising star on the Serbian music scene. Last year, we had a chance to get to know Filip a little, and we never left!

His music can be described as a blend of various genres as it effectively merges “modern nostalgia” with an urban sound. His distinctive vocals, commercially tinged, are among the most notable on the scene. His song “Novi plan drugi san” garnered significant attention, serving as his entry for Serbia’s national selection in 2023. Standing out as a fan favorite, this led to numerous performance invitations in Serbia and throughout Europe, including events like the Swedish and Polish Eurovision Pre-Party.

Today, we get to talk a little bit more about his experience for the past year, how things changed since his initial PZE participation, and of course, about his new song that is another fantastic addition to the PZE’s 2024 stellar lineup!

First and foremost, welcome back to ESCUnited, we are stoked that you are back with us, it feels like greeting an old friend! How are you doing?

I’m so happy to be back and talk to you again! I am great! A bit stressed out about everything that is coming, but it would’ve been weird if I wasn’t, right?

Absolutely. You have several big weeks leading up to PZE, so it makes sense, not to mention all your other engagements. Our listeners will remember you from the 2023 edition of Pesma za Evroviziju. Your song Novi plan, drugi san was well received among the Eurovision audience. It was uplifting, it was catchy, just a real banger. When you think back to your time at PZE 2023, and the consequent months, what was the most impactful thing you learned about yourself as an artist?

I didn’t know that I could have this confidence! Performing live in front of that many people watching was really a big deal. Not an easy thing! I thought I was going to be nervous and scared, but to be honest when they yelled “3-2-1, we are live”, I just got this push of adrenaline, and I was like, let me show my people what I can do! So this year I’m not scared. I’m really excited about everything and I can’t wait to show them what I can do again, but this time even better!

That’s really great to hear! But speaking about you as an artist – are there any musical trends, genres, or artists that inspire you musically? We learned last time that you’re a huge Lady Gaga fan, and listening to your music for the past year we were just curious – are there any others that were perhaps added to that throne? If so, who and what are they?

Well, yes, Lady Gaga has always been the main one. But there are a lot of other artists that inspire me a lot! From some legends like Madonna, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Elton John, to the newer generation of pop performers that include Billie Eilish and Finneas, Raye, Dua Lipa, Kim Petras, Allie X, Charlie Puth and many more! I can tell you that in the last two months I became obsessed with Madonna! Because of her celebration tour I discovered all of her old music and listened to all of her albums. I can just say that that woman really set the bar high for pop performers!

A stellar lineup! We totally agree on Madonna, though, not to mention Eurovision actually had a chance to host an interval act by Madonna back in 2019. That was such a treat! Do you remember your very first memory of Eurovision and can you tell us about it?

I think that my first Eurovision memory is Marija Šerifović winning Eurovision! I just remember going to the kindergarten the day after her win and everybody was singing Molitva!

Fair enough, that was a big deal! On the note of your own experiences, though, you were so well noticed that you were invited to the Stockholm pre-party 2023, as well as the Polish pre-party. Pre-parties usually give you a real taste for the actual contest because you get to meet a lot of Eurovision artists and also artists from national selections. How was your experience there?

It was really emotional watching Eurovisio that year because I was watching the people that I know, the people that I met and that I hung out with! In a way I felt like I was a part of it, even though I wasn’t! But back to pre-parties, it was the most beautiful experience ever! I’ve met some amazing people, made friends and great connections. I’m so grateful that I can do it again this year! The first pre-party is about to be announced really soon!

Thanks for that little hint. We’re so stoked! How did you decide to reapply to PZE this year, too, was that a motivator?

The night PZE23 ended, I was 100% sure that I’m coming back next year. I applied last year out of curiosity because I didn’t know how Serbian people would react to pop music. I was amazed by the results at the end! I just realized that there is a possibility and that if I work hard and put my all into it, people would recognize it!

What do you think about the competition this year? Is there anyone in particular you would single out as potentially your biggest rival?

I think that the competition this year is amazing! There’s a lot of my friends and a lot of people that I know. So many great songs! I’m happy that year by year it’s getting better and better. So I don’t wanna single out anyone, I think we are all each other’s rivals and we’re all each other friends at the same time and whoever wins, I will be happy for them!

I love that you feel like everyone is friendly and that the atmosphere is so healthy among you all. But, let’s talk about your song for Pesma za Evroviziju 2024. The name, Duga je noć (translation: The night is long), leaves a lot of room for mystery! The beat is catchy, your voice glides smoothly over the track and it’s a real showstopper, just like your style! What can you tell us about the songwriting process for this track, and how long has this been in the making?

I made Novi plan drugi san in about month and a half. This one took a while… I would say about seven months. It just couldn’t click until the very last few weeks. It started off as a Jymenik song. We wrote it together for her, but then in a month she realized that this felt more like my song, and then I realized that the deadline for PZE it’s getting closer. So I was like “OK, this song has potential and if I rewrite it and finish the whole idea, it might work for Eurovision!” So I rewrote some parts, kept some parts, added new parts… it was really important for me that the song is sending a message into the world, like Novi plan did! So in this one, I’m talking about the world that we’re living in right now where people are stuck in the past, or looking far into the future and nobody’s living right in the moment. I’m calling for a change, and I’m saying: “Do what you wanna do, the night is young, the night being life!”

Wow, that was quite a process. It’s important that the end result was exactly what you wanted and what felt right. What was the most challenging part in the creative process for this song, and how is it different from your 2023 entry?

Well, the fact that it couldn’t click until the very last few weeks. One of the key moments was when my dad played the rock guitar in the chorus, that is the moment when the song really got its own shape! And then in the last few weeks when we realized that we need to add the last chorus that repeats the melodies and the lyrics from the beginning of the song, because besides “the night is young”, “turn off the thoughts in your head” is another really important lyric that sums up the whole point of the song. So I kind of want to finish on that note!

From the feedback that I’ve read, as well as the crowd reactions, they are overwhelmingly positive. But we sure know that not every song will be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s human nature. Do you tend to look for the less positive reactions, and how do you normally deal with that when, if you find any?

A lot of people love the song, but then again, a lot of people are comparing it to Novi plan. Which is something that I expected and again I understand that. Last year Novi plan was something totally different than anything we have ever seen before on PZE, people were really surprised by it! So, this year people had really high expectations, and it’s always hard when you have some expectations! But I think that the most important thing is that I am 100% happy with this song, and to me, it feels more original and more mature! And I can’t wait to perform it live!

I can attest to the fact that we are all incredibly excited to see your performance. Last year you played a lot with lights and shadows, you had a couple of dancers with you and had a very interesting choreography that was visually stunning, but did not take away from your vocals at any point. It was clever! We’re dying to know, can you drop some hints of what we can expect to see in the semi final this year? Give us anything at all!

I can’t tell you much, but I’m just gonna say they were gonna do something different than your regular pop performance! It almost feels like it is a sequel to the last year!

And here I was hoping to get an exclusive (laugh). How about this: out of all PZE participants this year, is there anyone you would like to collaborate with and why?

Yesss! There are some amazing artists that I would love to collaborate with, and most of them are my friends and people that I know, so I’d love to go into the studio with them! I really like Teya Dora, Nadia, Iva Lorens and so many others!

I know for sure any of those would result in an amazing collab. And after PZE and potentially Eurovision season, are there any big plans on the horizon for you? Perhaps an album?

I don’t know about an album, that really is a big deal to me! I don’t like when people just throw ten songs on the album and call it a day, I like, when an album is a cohesive body of work, and that takes time! But again I have a lot of unfinished songs, so we’ll see! My plan is to release an EP first!

We will for sure be keeping our eyes and ears peeled for it! That said, what final message do you want to share with our readers and Eurovision fans?

I want to thank you all for all the support you have given me over the last year! It was the most beautiful year of my life and it’s all because of you! So thank you for that and I promise that I will keep you entertained because it’s what you deserve! 💗

Thank you so much, Filip, for your time and we wish you the best of luck at the upcoming PZE 2024 edition!