How does it feel to be part of the national selection with your song “Alive In Every Way”?
Regina: Thank you. I am very happy to be one of the ten chosen artists. Although I have performed on EMA in the past – this year I will be performing for the eight time, it is still amazing and I look forward to it. To me, every performance is very special and every song is like my own child.
Who had the idea that you could participate in the Slovenian national selection and who decided “Alive In Every Way”?
Regina: I didn't really plan to enter the contest. The main idea for the song was created in the summer, but there wasn't really any clear motif to finish it up as soon as possible. When my husband and I heard the talented young Jon Dobrun, who is our son’s best friend and school mate the song really began to come together. We have collaborated with Jon Dobrun on “Ljubezen beži (Runaway love)" but not as authors. After that Jon wanted to write something for me, for my voice and he did. The song began to develop and expand with emotion and when I sang it for the first time we all knew that that was it. That the song needs to be heard by a larger audience. That it deserves to be on stage of EMA and Eurovision. The message of the song is so beautiful, powerful and important in the times we live in.
Regina: The message of the song is that we are all confined in an imaginary box which prevents us from seeing and accepting the beauty of the world around us. Have you ever admired a sunset while going home from work or on your way to the store? Or saw mountains in the horizon and decided in that moment to go there the very next day? With this I want to remind people to open their eyes and accept something more than monotonous life style regardless of who they are, how old they are and where they come from. Just
stop for a moment and try to feel alive ...alive in every way. These are not just empty words, they carry deep meaning if we choose so.
Can you tell us something about the beginning of your career?
Regina: I must admit I don’t really perceive myself as having a career. Music, singing and dancing are a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Being a singer and performer is more of a natural development of everything I am than a choice to have a career. However, I became more publicly exposed in Duo Regina. In 1988, I participated in a very famous festival, called Pop delavnica where I sang the song “ Wem (I know)” for the first time. Later that year I released my first solo album and things just developed from then on.
What are you expecting in the national selection “EMA 2016”
Regina: I hope that it will be a fair selection without any plots and preferences in advance. I hope the jury will focus on music and nothing else. Otherwise I am looking forward to it very much. Especially because it will be an amazing opportunity for my young coauthor Jon Dobrun. It really makes me happy that the song he was working on will be presented to such a large audience.
How do you prepare yourself for the show?
Regina: Practice, practice, practice. It is important to me to give my best at every performance. My styling is done by designer Jasmina Gregurič who also did Karl Michael’s styling. Coreography is done by Željko Božič from dancing school Kazina. Besides this I believe that our national television RTV Slo will do its part to round up this beautiful performance. I have distanced myself from reading any comments because I want to go on stage without any concerns. I believe in this song into which I have put so much work and emotions and this is what really matters to me. I hope the audience will feel this too.
Are you a Eurovision fan?
Regina: Yes. And as I have explained earlier I have been a fan since I was a little girl and will continue to be a fan in the future. I only wish that Eurovision would focus less on the competitive part and more on being a celebration of music which it really is.
Which are your favorite Eurovision songs and what is your favorite from
Slovenian history?
Regina: Eurovision has a long tradition and there were so many good songs it is hard to pick a favorite one. However, there are two that are special to me personally. One is “Puppet on a string” which I heard and sang as a little girl and the other Slovenian “ Dan Ljubezni” from 1975, which is still very much alive and popular today.
Regina: Eurovision has really been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is hearing “Puppet on a string”. I was too little to sing the lyrics, so I only sang the melody la,la,la. I still have the recording and I remember dreaming I would one day perform my own song on that stage.
What are your plans for 2016 beside the Slovenian national selection, are you working on a album?
Regina: Currently I am focused on this song only. First it will come out as a single with a video, then I will record a Slovenian version and so on. After that I will continue to work with the new material and see where it takes me. I like to leave certain aspects of the creative process to develop spontaneously and in their own time because I believe that in this way I make music that is really alive and that can be felt by the audience.
What was the most excited moment in your life?
Regina: There are too many to choose from! I don’t even know where to begin or end the list. My first performance, graduation, my first love, getting married, giving birth to my son....performing on Eurovision, my upcoming performance on EMA...
If people outside Slovenia never heared about you before – what should they know about you?
Regina: I love life, I love people and I love to socialize. It means a lot to me. I am also very emotional and always look for good in every situation and in every person I meet. Sometimes people want to take advantage of me and that makes me very sad. But I have music and I express all my emotions through my singing. Music is and always has been a big part of my life. Not only when I am singing, but also otherwise. It always has an influence on me, on my mood. When I am not singing I dance, and when I am not dancing I just let it take me to its own world. Music has helped me through all the challenging times in my life. It helped me feel alive and it still does.
Why should the Slovenian audience vote for your song to represent Slovenia at Eurovision 2016?
Regina: Because my song has a strong and most beautiful message. It is different, fresh with the combination of guitars and electronics. Because it is a bridge between generations as it was composed by my husband and my son’s best friend. Because it is alive. :)
Do you have a message for “Join Us on Eurovision” readers and your fans?
Regina: We live hidden behind masks. Our lives are directed by fear, anxiety, prejudice. It is time to get rid off the masks and live. It is time to take a deep breath and exhale everything that is holding us back from really living our lives. All is so very transient and short, but life is beautiful and we are ALIVE! I hope you will enjoy and really feel my song. I love you all.Thank you so much for answer those questions. Good luck for you and your song in the Slovenian national selection and maybe we see us in Stockholm!
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