Meet ILIJA | Musician, Contemporary R&B Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with ILIJA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ILIJA, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Making music and sharing it with the world. Seeing other people connect to my music in any way is priceless. Also my family, friends, my dog and lots of coffee.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a singer/songwriter, originally from Belgrade, Serbia. I was born in Pristina, but grew up in Belgrade in a family where there are no artists. I started expressing my passion for music as a young kid, which was very interesting to my parents since no one in my entire family was ever an artist of any kind. I started my music education at the age of 8 when I enrolled into a primary music school. My first instrument was cello. As a kid, I was constantly singing, it was very hard to make me stop singing or just make me be quiet in general, haha. Growing up in Serbia, I wasn’t always surrounded by the music that I was most interested in and that inspires me the most. As someone who is mainly inspired by the black American music styles (Gospel, R&B, Soul, Jazz, etc.), it was crucial for me to get to know the cultural background of these styles and the people who have created it, in order to be able to understand and feel the music on a more spiritual level. Which is why I applied for the only Jazz Music High School in Serbia, as a vocalist. I was admitted, and I have spent 4 years studying jazz singing, the culture and history of jazz and its forerunners. I have been a part of a lot of big music festivals, competitions and TV shows such as The X Factor (Balkan edition). I competed in the X Factor when I was 16, and made it all the way to the finals (top 10). While in high-school, I have performed a lot, collaborated with some of the biggest artists from the Balkans, traveled, but at the end realized that the music industry back home is not where I can imagine myself long-term and that I wanted to go somewhere where the music I want to create is going to be received by larger audiences. I always strived to build an international career that will allow me to travel, meet new people, educate myself, immerse myself into new cultures, and share my music with people. At the age of 18 I got accepted to my dream school. Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA). Shortly before I moved to the States, I had an opportunity to meet and perform for one of my musical heroes, Grammy awarded artist Robert Glasper. After Glasper’s workshop in Belgrade, I was invited to the stage to perform one song with him and his band live at his concert in Belgrade. I moved to the States in January 2018 and started my education at Berklee, concentrating in Performance & Songwriting. While at Berklee, I was surrounded by people with the same interests, but different backgrounds. I have learned a lot, both from my mentors and professors, and my fellow students who I have connected and collaborated with. It was definitely not easy, especially coming from a developing country like Serbia, but I had my family’s support, and was awarded several scholarships and awards that allowed me to keep on studying and challenging myself to grow, explore and work on my artistic development. I built some lifelong friendships and have had an opportunity to meet and perform for some of the most influential artists from the music industry such as Grammy Awarded vocalists Kurt Elling, Lalah Hathaway, Emmy Awarded composer James Newton Howard, Sir Ringo Starr of The Beatles, etc. I have just graduated from Berklee (2022) and am extremely excited to finally present myself as an independent artist by releasing my original music. My first original single, titled “Can’t Tell Me What To Do” is coming out August 5th, and I am beyond excited to share this project and finally introduce myself and my original work. I am currently in the process of finishing up my first original album and moving to LA where I am planning on releasing the entire project.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmmm, Boston is a very beautiful city with VERY intense weather. It has beautiful nature that should definitely be seen, but if I wanted my friends to go out and have the best time ever, I would probably take them to New York. It’s not far away from Boston, and there are way more options. I feel like New York is a place where anyone can find their spot and have fun. Boston is beautiful, but it’s mainly a college city, so some of the best parties I have attended were house parties hosted by numerous artist friends of mine, those are always fun because they always end with people singing and making music together. In terms of favorite restaurants and coffee shops- there are several, but being a great chef that I am, I prefer cooking for my friends myself.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely give most of the credit to my parents. If it wasn’t for them and their hard work, support and selflessness I wouldn’t be able to move to the States and start building my career internationally while also studying at the best music school out there. I am also grateful to all my mentors and incredible artists I have had a chance to work with and learn from throughout my education.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilijaofficial/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVsljeph3YPOqQN__Lkz9fw

Other: TikTok: ilijaofficial – https://www.tiktok.com/@ilijaofficial

Image Credits
First two images (In pink outfit) Photo by: Marko Sovilj