"Without any doubt, TAKT was the best place for me to present my songs", says Bogdan Spasić. This year, the festival will take place from September 17-18 in Šećer & Soul cafe in Novi Sad. The festival has been promoting the original, acoustic music of young performers and bands for five years.
Young, talented musicians can apply simply by completing an application form by September 10. This is an opportunity for young musicians to win fantastic prizes, have memorable experiences, and build creative friendships.
Upon launching the fifth edition of the festival, we talked with talented Bogdan Spasić, last year’s TAKT winner, about his valuable experience on the festival. Bogdan has a degree in literature and has been playing music for years, performing in cafes and clubs in Novi Sad. He developed and cherished his love for music through the musical influences of great musicians and bands, such as The Beatles, Steely Dean, Arsen Dedić, and Bob Dylan.
This is how he reflects on his participation in the festival last year:
Without any doubt, Takt was the best place for me to present my songs. The founders of the festival were driven by enthusiasm, the belief that they were doing the right thing, and that means saying no to compromises, or in other words, saying no to a crowd-pleasing taste in music. At the same time, although there has always been plenty of room for musicians of different genres, it was essentially based on acoustic sound, a kind of chamber, intimate performance. This, so to say bare interpretation makes it easier to evaluate and judge a song as it is, as objectively as possible. These are the reasons why participating in the festival meant so much to me. First and foremost, in terms of gaining self-confidence.
Why do you think artists should apply?
For the very reasons I just mentioned. To put it simply, TAKT is an amazing place where you can express your emotions through music without hesitation. It’s that kind of atmosphere. The hosts are friendly, the audience is fantastic and mostly made of people who like good music. Actually, people who have a good understanding of music.
As this year’s jury member and last year’s winner, would you like to give any advice to this year’s participants: how to achieve the best results?
I wouldn’t like this to sound like a cliche, but: be genuine, with your music, and especially with lyrics. Regardless of what the song is about, it's an underlying idea. Whether it’s a love song, socially engaged, cynical, optimistic, or dark, it doesn’t matter, it’s important to be genuine. And being genuine at Takt is easy.
Don’t miss this chance to show your art and talent! Apply for performing at this year’s TAKT!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
