My flying reporter Robert had a very
private interview with Kaliopi as the icing on his fantastic cake of
work he did for me and for you readers in Baku. It is long, it is
deep, it is fun. In one word: it's a treat! Sit back, have a cup of
coffee and enjoy:
Thank you Kaliopi for this interview. I
have been trying to get hold of you all week and finally I have you
here, just in time before I leave back to Amsterdam!
I hope it's not because I'm such a big
Diva! No, no... It has been so busy and you know now we have the
pleasure to be alone! Without other people around :-) No
journalists, just you and me here in my hotel having coffee and tea or
chai... isn't this nice?
Yes indeed. But let's get to business.
Maybe not all readers know you very well so how would you describe
Kaliopi? What are your qualities? What do you find important in life?
Hmmm, it's always difficult to talk
about yourself but I try to be honest. It's very heavy to be honest.
I'm 45 now so maybe I have learned something in my life? I can only
say that I'm always a little girl who has a dream about her life. I
started by career when I was 9 years old and sung live with a big
orchestra. That moment I knew it's my life. I'd like to do only this.
And that never changed. And I'm one very happy woman! I'm living my
dream. And I always try to be honest not only with other people but
to myself, too. I can wake up every morning, look at myself in the
mirror and say: Ok, this day can start becasue yesterday was a good
day!
I also have a feeling that you are a
very sensitive woman?
Yes, I am! I feel a lot. The best thing
I ever did was when I stopped expecting things from myself of the
others. The best thing is when you give without expecting nothing
back. You are happier that way.
You have told before that in Macedonia
everyone's musical and everybody sings. What makes you stand out of
all those people?
It's true, Macedonians are very
musical. We express everything in the music; happiness, sadness,
everything. I was born in a very talented family musically even if no
one is in the music business. My mother was a teacher, my grandfather
also and he plays violin very well. I remember as a kid when I used
to wake up to the sound of my grandfather playing violin.... And when
we all sat in a lunch table and my father started to sing a
traditional song and everybody joined him! I can tell my sister has
the most beautiful voice I have ever heard but she's journalist! She
didn't have the ambition to be on stage. I'm the one who has that
ambition to be on stage and to give people something of myself. My
sister tells me I said to her and my brother when I was small: One
day I will be a popular star and you will be a journalist and write
about me, and you my brother will be a famous photographer and take
pictures of me. And that happened! Ha ha ha!
So you also a fortune teller! Ha ha ha You are a big star in Macedonia. How
did you reach that position?
It has happened very naturally, slowly.
In 1985 I was in the biggest music festival in Opatija, Yogoslavia
for the first time with a band I was fronting back then. I was only
16 and I was there with all the biggest Yogoslavian stars! Nobody
knew anything about us but we created a real media fuss. In the end I
won the journalist's award for the best interpretation and the award
for the best performance and for us it was like winning the first
prize! That's how my career started in Yogoslavia! There were also
people from the Sanremo festival and they were saying I'm the
Yogoslavian Gigliola Cinquetti! Ha ha ha!
What is your career highlight so far?
The biggest hit of my career, which is
already an evergreen to many generations, Bato. It means
brother, Rodjeni in Serbo-Croatian but people now it as Bato.
From 1988. It was from the best album we did with the band Kaliopi.
It was the year before the war, before we left Yogoslavia and went to
Switzerland. We had our last concert in Skopje in 1989 and then
1990-91 was the war. We felt the change coming but no one expected
the war. It was so sad. Montenegro was not in the middle of it but I
had many friends in Bosnia, Serbia... it was so sad. That was my
country. I was born in Yogoslavia and now I can't tell anyone how
beautiful country it was. The younger generations don't know it. And
so much happened, we can't be together anymore as we used to. But we
need each other still, we're connected in many ways, musically and
culturally. We have so much to share with each other.... sigh... :-(
Let's go to the next question. Maybe
not so easy one either. You tried to get to Eurovision already in
1996 but didn't get there and lost your voice and all. Now 16 years
later... Why now and can you deal now if you don't reach the final? I
don't want you to lose your voice again! :-)
I wasn't prepaired for so many bad
things at the same time then. In 1996 I had a divorce, I was alone in
Switzerland without my family and friends, I lived an anonymous life
there and I wasn't singing. My sould was hungry for this touch with
music and Macedonia. After all so many bad things and feeelings I
entered the Skopje festival and won and it was like food for my soul.
I believed in it so much and then... it was destroyed! So many people
believed in me and my song and then.. nothing! I couldn't go to
Eurovision. Sigh....
Did Macedonian people blame you for
that?
Actually I don't know. I was still in
Switzerland that time and I wasn't there to feel it. That was maybe
good for my sensitive character. Everything happened so fast and I
wasn't prepaired. For my new life, because I didn't learn to love
myself. I lost myself in this story. And it effected first my voice.
It took me eight years to get it back, thanks to one of the best
doctors in this field in the world and he told me before my operation
”I can save your voice but I can't save your soul”. He gave me
good tips for the future and now I'm prepaired for every good or bad
thing! Also for not reaching the final on Thursday. Because I'm
living my life without expecting things. Of course I would be very
happy to see Macedonia in the final but if it doesn't happen I take
it as my moment and make it count as well. I'm another Kaliopi now.
:-)
And what are your plans after
Eurovision?
We will record a new album, my
ex-husband Romeo (Grill Ed.note) will write all the songs and it will be very
interesting as this is the first time in 15 years we work together
again. We have become friends again :-) It's very beautiful to work
together again as we both have our own experiences here between in
all those years.
I'm looking forward for hearing this
album!
Me, too! Ha ha ha
I know that you also do some
humanitarian work besides singing. Can you tell us a bit more about
it?
I never really talk about my
humanitarian work. I do it but I don't talk about it. If I sometimes
make propaganda for it it's only because that way I can help more
people. But I don't want any credit for it or use it to image
purposes like ”Look at Kaliopi, she's such a saint!” I have even
received Mother Theresa award but for me it's more important when I
visit and help a Macedonian family with 16 children living in bad
conditions in some remote village. I don't need to read about it in a
paper the day after. It means much more when this mother says me
”You're my 17th child!” :-) I'm like a good fairy or
the godmother to those 16 children. Sometimes it's enough to share a
few words with someone for hope. The hope is the most important
thing. Also here in Eurovision.
Who is your biggest support, your best
friend?
My best friends and my closest family;
my parents, my sister and brother, my son. He'll be 21 in June. Also
my ex-husbands, first and second both. We have a very good
relationships. They also help me a lot, even now for the Eurovision.
My best friends are also prepaired to tell me the truth in my face
always. I feel a very rich woman for that!
What's your favourite Macedonian
Eurovision song?
Life by Tose Proeski. I was in love
with Tose's voice. Also Elena Risteska, I think it was the best
performance in Eurovision.
Ok, the last question: Can we expect
you to be back in some 30 years with your girlfriends as the
Macedonian grannies?
Ha ha ha ha! Never say never! I might be
back in 2035! You never know what's going to happen! Ha ha ha! If I
will look like Sophia Loren then, then why not?! I will come back one
more time! Without the scream!
Thank you Kaliopi for this interview
and good luck tomorrow for the semifinal and see you in final!
(Special thanks for the sung greeting,
kisses and hugs. Made my day! Ed.note)
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