Croatian pop singer-songwriter has released a covers album 'Negdje u ravnici', a tribute to her Slavonian roots, and openly spoke about growing up in the public eye and the price of authenticity in the music industry.
Mia Dimšić, one of the most recognizable Croatian pop singer-songwriters, has presented her latest project, a covers album titled 'Negdje u ravnici', an intimate tribute to her Slavonian roots and the music she grew up with. In an extensive interview with Tportal, Dimšić revealed how ten years of career and five original studio albums have changed her view of public life, as well as of herself.
The idea for an album of tamburitza classics is not new.
"The first conversation about the album 'Negdje u ravnici' took place seven or eight years ago, in the period between my first and second studio album,"Dimšić said, adding that the key question was:
"Have we said enough as songwriters to now 'interrupt' with a covers album?"After five original studio albums in less than ten years, the answer was yes. At the end of 2025, Dimšić and her creative team gathered a band, selected songs, and recorded the album, which she describes as a welcome breather.
The album includes covers of classics such as 'Zbog tebe' by Zlatni dukati, and the song 'Nemoj noći brzo proći' stands out, where Dimšić blended Slavonia and Dalmatia through a duet with Tomislav Bralić. She describes the process of covering iconic tamburitza hits as both challenging and liberating. The most important criterion in selecting songs was her personal connection to them, not their popularity.
"I am happiest when people comment that they didn't know a certain song before, and because of my cover they discovered the original,"the singer-songwriter emphasized.
In the interview, Dimšić openly addressed the challenges that come with recognition. While she once dreaded others' opinions, her career quickly confronted her with much tougher scenarios.
"Before I became a public figure, I regularly worried about what someone would think or say about me, but when I overnight faced scenarios involving not just insults, but lies and distortions, I simply had to quickly develop skills to deal with it,"she said. She describes this process as a series of hidden blessings that taught her to judge people, set boundaries, and filter what truly matters in life.
In an industry that rewards noise and scandal, Dimšić has consciously chosen a different path. She says she understands the mechanisms of clickbait and sensationalism, but such an approach does not appeal to her.
"It's okay to get tired, fade away, and not be around sometimes, especially because silence is very important for creativity,"she explained. She believes that long-term success does not come from a craving for fame, but from sincere love for music itself.
One of the most important life lessons Dimšić has gained over years in the public sphere is trust in her own intuition. She says that in the past she ignored the inner voice that warned her about bad relationships and situations, and that was a mistake.
"The most beautiful side effect of aging for me is precisely that this little voice becomes more dominant and we ignore it less, and it is the best compass we have,"she concluded. Additionally, she tells young performers she worked with on talent shows like The Voice and Zvijezde that the audition result is not a measure of future success, and that a playful approach to life and music is more important than the burden of expectations:
"Whoever doesn't have many expectations has already won."
Dimšić began her music career at the end of 2015 with her first contract with Croatia Records, and in 2025 she signed a new contract. Despite everything she has been through, from Eurovision to international tours and albums in English, she says her essence has remained the same.
"The girl with a guitar who enjoys life and sees this whole journey as an adventure is always there... maybe a bit more cautious and reserved, but always there."The album 'Negdje u ravnici' is thus not just a music project, but also a kind of return to herself, to the music that shaped her, and to the values she brought from home.
