Ferović-Fazlić: My 'Emina' Found Its Way to the Hearts of All People in the Balkans

Director of the Institute for Music, Theatre and Multimedia Alma Ferović-Fazlić, with her new music video in which she performs Šantić's „Emina“, has sparked enormous interest not only from the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but across the entire region.

In an interview with the Patria news agency, Ferović-Fazlić talks about the song „Emina“, her plans for the future, and the Bosnian music scene.

PATRIA: You are the great-granddaughter of the beautiful Emina, who was immortalised in verse by the poet Aleksa Šantić. What did you want to convey with your rendition of the song?

FEROVIĆ-FAZLIĆ: My wish was to leave behind a different version of Emina, who has guided me through life both professionally and personally, to try to create something timeless and beautiful to watch, and once again symbolically revive history. Both musically and visually, we wanted to evoke the beauty of Mostar and Herzegovina through different musical sounds and film shots. The script was written by the Komitet Agency from Sarajevo, and the music was produced in the studio of Deneba Pinja, the music producer with whom I also worked on the arrangement. We did not arrange all the stanzas, even though the song lasts almost five minutes, because we wanted to include instruments and rich harmonies that have not been done before, and give it a different, more contemporary dimension. Nevertheless, the stanzas we chose can be singled out because, in essence, only those two tell the whole story. The others are perhaps more suited to a male interpreter, given the lyrics.

PATRIA: The arrangement is original and different from anything we have heard so far. How difficult was it to create a blend of tradition and modernity, and do you agree with those who argue that sevdalinka should remain exclusively in its original form?

FEROVIĆ-FAZLIĆ: My rendition is certainly not just another version of Emina as a sevdalinka, nor am I an interpreter of sevdah; this is entirely a theatrical and more classical version, which only speaks the language of sevdah and is in line with my musical orientation, which is musical theatre. It is not intended as a parallel or any form of competition with anything done so far. The original sevdalinka is something most beautiful, especially when sung by Himzo Polovina, whose performance of Emina was the favourite of my late great-grandmother Emina, as well as my mother Selma, her granddaughter, and it is truly his song. I am not against arrangements and fusions with other musical genres that will not damage it, because in this way we open up to a world eager to learn about the beauty of our musical heritage, which in its original form will not disappear.

PATRIA: Who would you single out among the current interpreters of sevdah?

FEROVIĆ-FAZLIĆ: There are many wonderful young voices and artists emerging. I single out my colleague Vanja Muhović, a musicologist, whom I consider a true sevdalija of the younger generation. I recently heard his recording on BH Radio 1 from when he was ten years old, and even then he sang with soul and heart. He captivated me vocally, and I hope he will persevere in what he does and fill our hearts with the most beautiful sevdalinkas. I would love to hear Vanja singing sevdah to Emina. Also, I must mention the brilliant Latif Močević, again an operatic gem but also an excellent interpreter of ilahije, who is thoroughly building his path and deserves every respect. There are also the young hopes Lejla Čaušević and Naida Ćatić, whose work I also follow.

PATRIA: The public probably knows you best for the music video for the song Srebrenica, which you dedicated to the genocide in Srebrenica. Many years have passed since then. Why such a long pause in creating new works?

FEROVIĆ-FAZLIĆ: After returning from London, where I studied and worked for over six years, I have been involved in various things. Since my focus is musical theatre, I work mostly in this field in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, together with colleagues, try to create something we lack, namely musicals, and I have dedicated myself to that. In the past three years, Sarajevo has had three premieres of world musicals: Grease, Footloose, and Dirty Dancing, which achieved tremendous success. As for my musical works, I create them when something inspires me, especially when it is related to the history of our country. Both musical documents I have produced carry strong historical facts, are completely different, and are in no way commercial, nor should they ever be. I am not that type of performer, nor has that ever attracted me. Srebrenica, thanks to Aki Nawaz, the leader of Fundamental from the UK, found its place beyond the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was our goal, because the whole world must know about the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica, and art is a universal means of communication that perhaps transmits information the fastest.

PATRIA: What are your plans with this song, and what have the reactions been so far?

FEROVIĆ-FAZLIĆ: I have no special plans. This was simply my need, as Emina's great-granddaughter, to leave another musical document about this beautiful story. The reactions have been incredible, especially regionally. I have received many nice comments and wonderful, touching headlines in the media, particularly in Serbia.

I did not expect that in just five days Emina would have nearly 30,000 views on the YouTube channel, because this is not a commercial song nor is it for the charts, so we did not do any special campaign. It seems that it very quickly found its way, and this interest is proof that ”Emina“ is a song of the entire Balkans, loved equally by everyone regardless of religious affiliation. And that is how it should be.