U, la, la, la! If wiwibloggs is all about attitude, then Dunja Jelicic is the right person for us: She simply radiates self-confidence!
Our William had a chance to talk to Dunja at the JESC 2016 opening ceremony. And when you hear her sing a capella, you’ll quickly understand where her self-belief comes from.
Dunja Jelicic interview at the opening ceremony
Dunja, who has been learning English with the help of the Disney Channel, was laid-back and self-assured during the interview. She knows who she is, and she ain’t changin’ for no cameras — or her music video. “That’s who I am,” she says of the video. “I’m trying not to be fake on TV. I’m trying to be myself as much as possible.”
She co-wrote “U, la, la, la”, but hearing the final product still floored her. “I thought it was just wonderful. I was really happy about it. It’s the message, the beat, everything. It was full of something magical that I knew the crowd would like. It’s kind of a universal language. Everyone can sing ‘U, la, la, la’!”
“The message [of the song] is that all the people are pretty much the same and music is the thing that is actually connecting them, everywhere, in the whole world.”
JESC is her first big contest and Dunja is proud that she is participating in it. But what she enjoys the most is hanging out with the other contestants.
“I’m meeting a lot of great kids, I’m making a lot of friends and that is just the best part of all because I can learn their traditions, what their cultures are like. And I love it!”
One of her new friends is Macedonia’s Martija Stanojovic, with whom she bonded over their mutual love for Justin Bieber. And she’s spent a lot of time swimming with Lucija, the daughter of Leontina Vukomanovic, who co-wrote “U, la, la, la” with her.
Does she have a message for Europe? Absolutely.
“Make songs that have sense. Make songs that are catchy, that are fun, that are just great. I wish you all to have something about music and yourself, because music is the best thing in the world. Music should be a part of you everyday. There is no such thing as a person that doesn’t sing at least once a day.”
On Sunday, Dunja will perform in 12th position. Serbia has so far participated in the JESC six times and missed the top ten only once, in 2012, when they placed 12th. Can Dunja continue this impressive streak? Let us know below!
Ok, I was wrong. It is Leontina’s daughter. Vladimir has a son. And I guess, the daughter would be best being with her mother.
“And she’s spent a lot of time swimming with Lucija, the daughter of Leontina Vukomanovic”
I think she meant the daughter of the composer of the song, Vladimir Graic (sp?). I don’t think Leontina Vukomanovic has children of her own.
Also, it looks like Serbia didn’t want to spend the money on dancers but Vladimir’s daughter gets out of school for a free vacation for just being his daughter.