Evolucija Interview
By Keith Clement
Greetings from Metalheads Forever Magazine, How are you today?
Ilana: Thanks, we are doing very well! We enjoy the summer in Serbia. We have a lot of sunny days here and the temperature is mostly over 30 degrees Celsius.
Can you please tell us about Evolucija, how the band started?
Dragisa: In 2007 I founded the band “Evolucija” in Switzerland. In the same year Evolucija had published its first album “Baklja slobode” (“torch of the freedom”) which appeared at “TIOLI” Records, Serbia. In 2010. we changed the singer and so Ilana came to the band. Right away we recorded for the German film “Die Templerherren” (“The Templars”) the soundtrack “Pale Rider”. In 2012. Ilana and I decided to move to Serbia. In Serbia we had to find members for the band, Stevan joined us right away, and Igor and Alexandar joined us after a few lineup changes. We recorded the album “Igra pocinje” (“the game begins”) in Serbian language, which was released in 2016 at “TIOLI” Records. The first album in English language was published on the 30th of March 2018 under Pure Steel Records (Germany).
The band was started back in 2007 in Switzerland, and the Lead Vocalist Ilana moved to Serbia, how does things work for the band being in two different countries?
Ilana: In 2012, Dragisa, who became my husband, and I moved to Serbia together. In Switzerland we have been a “patchwork family band”. The sons of Dragisa played with us on guitar and on drums. In Serbia we had to look for new band members. At the moment all band members live in Serbia. We are still deeply connected with Switzerland, I’m a Swiss and Dragisa lived in Switzerland for 30 years. In November of this year, a mini-tour to Switzerland is planned again. We are very happy!
How is the musical life for Evolucija, how are things working out in terms of tour and fan support?
Stevan: After the release of the album “Hunt” we played almost every weekend in Serbia and the region, as well as Switzerland. At the moment we are busy with recording our new album. Nevertheless, live performances are important to us, they are the greatest part of music for us. So we played some shows this year too, we just got back from the Goat-Hell Festival in Pula, Croatia. Before that we were on the road supporting “Necronomicon” from Germany. We keep in touch with our fans from all over the world using social media of course. We try to answer all messages, our fans are very important to us! It’s because of them we won the Innocent Award for “Best Album of the Year 2018” organized by German Cute & Dangerous Magazine , competing with 120 other albums. Over 15,000 readers/users/followers voted. So once again, huge thanks to our fans!
What are the next plans for Evolucija?
Dragisa: Our plans are fairly simple, we want to push the band as far and as hard as possible, making songs that people can relate to, being on the road, making new friends, that kind of stuff.
Tell us why you chose to join Alpha Omega Management, how things are working for you guys?
Ilana: We always wanted to be able to focus primarily on our music, without having to worry about business part of things. When it comes to promotion activities, we need the best support possible. Therefore, nothing makes us happier than being part of Alpha Omega family. Their dedication, passion and professionalism are legendary, and we are looking forward to working with them, and learning from them. Very special thanks to Roberto, Tarja and the team for all his advice and help. There are plans for the autumn, which will be announced soon. We are very pleased 🙂
How successful things have been for the band since now, and how does the band look into the future in music?
Stevan: In terms of performances the highlights from Evolucija: Montreux Jazz Festival (CH), Karneval Vrnjacka Banja (SRB), Beer Fest Belgrade (SRB), BARF Festival Belgrade (SRB), Swiss Metal Attack Z7 Prattlen (CH), Support Band Necronomicon and Goat-Hell Festival (HRV).Our album, which is our first album in English, has won 2 awards, in Germany and Austria. Media from all over the world started paying attention to Evolucija. Reports, interviews and reviews in print and online magazines were published about us, which is still hard to believe, at least to me.
Becoming part of Alpha Omega family means that we expect great thing in the future 🙂
Do you have a message for the readers and fans?
Ilana: Of course, live shows are the best and most important thing for us. Being on stage, sharing the energy with the audience and feeling connected is a true enrichment and a fulfilling experience for us. Therefore, come to our concerts and let’s rock the stage together :-). Get ready for more songs from Evolucija :-). We are currently recording in the studio.
Dear Metalheads Forever Magazine Team, thank you for your great support and interesting interview questions!
MHF Magazine/Keith Clement
