He’s a two-time FiK veteran known for serving ethno-bop realness. But this year New York-based Mirud is going in a whole new direction with the emotional and minimalist song “Për dreq”.
“I do a lot of different styles of music — I do folk, I do pop-dance, I do Balkan,” he says. “The reason why I decided to bring something different this year is that I want to show different colours of myself. And different colours of the music that I make and the kind of stuff I make.”
“The lyrics speak about a relationship that’s ended. That person meant so much to me that no matter what happened between us — even though it was a very bad ending — I will still love that person till the end and appreciate the times.”
“This is a dedication to the pain that I was experiencing during that time of the break up. I really got into the studio after FiK last year. I was going through a break up that same month. I went straight to the studio and this just poured out of me.”
He’s loving the return of the orchestra, which dovetails nicely with his background in classical music.
“It feels amazing. The thing that makes me feel really good about this year is that the orchestra is back, because I was trained classically I love to actually sing with the orchestra. Surprisingly, it’s the first time I don’t feel emotional at all singing on stage.”
FiK 60 has been special for Mirud in a number of ways. Iconic Albanian singer Besa Kokedhima runs an animal rescue, and told Mirud the emotional backstory of a puppy she’d saved.
“He was on the street and he was about to die. He was bitten by a bigger dog. She told me that story and I looked at him, I couldn’t but take him with me. I’m going to take him to another continent….he’s a beautiful creature.”
He’s still debating names, but Mirud may call him “Masala,” since he already has a dog named “Tikka.”
As for his FiK60 favourite, he’s very clear: He is all about Ronela.
“I truly want her to win,” he says. “She’s been doing this for a long time. Before we were even friends I was a fan of her.”
Are you loving Mirud’s song this year? Did you see his adorable puppy on Insta? Let us know down below!
too bad, but weak song =(
Thought that was the puppy in the inset photo for a minute ?