In an emotional interview with InMagazin, the singer revealed how her father Ivan reacted when she told him at 14 that she wanted to make a living from music. His words have stayed with her as a guiding principle.
The concert in Kaštela was not just another hometown performance for Danijela Martinović. It was an emotional return to the area that shaped her childhood and early musical steps, and this time, her parents, Ivanka and Ivan Martinović, were cheering her on from the audience.
It was on this occasion that the singer opened up to InMagazin, recalling the crucial conversation from her teenage years when, at 14, she decided to share her dreams with her father. The family lived modestly back then; her father Ivan worked the land tirelessly, while her mother Ivanka sold produce at the local market.
Aware of the difficult situation, young Danijela made a bold decision. She could no longer work in the fields, and she saw music as her path and a way to help her family. She addressed her father directly and without hesitation.
'Dad, I see how hard you work and how much you struggle to raise us, but I can't work in the field anymore. I'm going to be a singer, and you won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll take care of you,' Danijela recalled telling InMagazin.
Although she describes him as an authoritative figure, her father Ivan didn't hesitate for a moment. His response was brief, clear, and full of support, and it has remained etched in Danijela's memory ever since.
'Sweetheart, that's fine, no problem. Just one thing I ask of you: don't bring shame on me,' her father told her then.
Those words became her inner compass. 'For my whole life, it's been like a neon light shining. These are truly significant things. Only after some time do we realize that if he had said, 'No, you're too young, you can't,' who knows what would have happened and where we'd be now,' the singer said.
The promise wasn't just empty words. At just 14, Danijela began singing in the church band Dominik in Split, marking her first serious musical steps. From then until now, her parents have remained her biggest supporters, and she has often referred to her father as her 'superhero' on social media.
She also fondly recalled her father's attendance at her TEDx talk in Zagreb. He traveled from Split just to hear her speak. 'I was there, I saw you, and I heard you, and that's what matters most to me,' Danijela recounted his words from that encounter, confirming how much his presence and support mean to her, even when it's not a musical performance.
