Raiven, representing Slovenia in Eurovision with her dramatic ballad Veronika, chats with Steve Holden about her opera background, love of fantasy, and her pet macaw Georgie. A surprise appearance by Joker Out’s lead singer Bojan Cvjetićanin adds to the excitement. Raiven discusses the inspiration behind her song and her passion for folklore and mythology. Bojan shares his pride in Raiven and their friendship. The podcast also touches on the band’s tour, friendships made during Eurovision, and their upcoming single “Everybody’s Waiting.” Don’t miss this dynamic duo in action!
Watch the video by Eurovision Song Contest
Hello it’s Steve here back with another episode and I do have a bit of a surprise for you today and also crucially I’ve got a bit of a surprise for today’s guest who is Raven who is representing Slovenia you will know by now her song is called Veronica I’m sure you’ve heard
It seen the video it is ethereal it is dramatic it is shouting and screaming Diva we are going to get such a performance of it in Malmo and Raven is going to be following in the footsteps of Joker out who represented Slovenia last year obviously so look who I found
To make a little Cameo appearance today hi buyan Oh Hey Stephen how are you so good to see you it’s great to see you thanks for reminding me you are here to surprise Raven aren’t you because there is a connection yeah Raven and I are very good friends and have been for the
Last two years which is not a lot of time but um I think in this age when you find someone gen and it’s like it scks and you are one of the co-writers of the song I gave my little bench of magic for the song uh I wrote the esm TC
Veronica part um so yeah but I was there just at the end of the process she has no idea you’re here oh no this is going to be so good yeah yeah so don’t don’t make a sound promise to be quiet just for the time being we’re going to catch
Up probably later uh stay there because Raven is [Applause] next it is a huge huge welcome to Raven hi Hi how are you good A bit tired but good good yeah cuz you are rehearsing right now for an opera yeah that’s the main reason reason that I’m tired I mean obviously the whole Eurovision thing is
Really um um takes up a lot of my time but yeah the Opera Premiere when that will be over everything will be much easier for me so tell us about that before we get onto your vision what are you starring in I am uh singing the
Title role of Maria de buenos irus it’s a Tango Tango Opera uh it’s a really like surrealistic and kind of modern Opera and I love it yes so you got two heads on at the minute you’ve got Opera head and you’ve got Eurovision head but
One has to take like the place of the other for the moment exactly um so for now it’s the Opera one but um after the premiere is on 14th of February so after that I will be more into Eurovision when did you first realize that you could
Sing as well as you can they enrolled me in uh like a school for music I think when I was 4 or five so I started singing really really early um and I can’t even remember a time where I was I mean I feel like I was just born a
Singer so it’s really a part of my identity yeah and you play the harp as well yeah I do I’ve actually finished the conservatory with harp so I I’ve been playing harp for 12 years like in in in a school but then I stopped because I had like horrible stage fight
I still have it so I had to I was kind of like you know what now I have to go study something and I really do not want to spend my whole life like um shaking every time before I go on stage so I I decided to study Opera that’s going to
Surprise people so much because you watch your performances and there doesn’t seem to be any of that stage right there you’re so confident and you look at the the video for Veronica amazing oh thank you so much yeah well it’s different when I sing I mean I
Still I’m not that um confident as I look on the camera I’m I play the role of Raven when I’m on stage and uh that kind of helps me a lot um who is the tattoo of on your shoulder uh that is Mia Wallace from ah from pop fiction
Yeah I I try to channel her whenever I’m on stage I feel she’s so like free and well yeah a confident person so she’s really I mean I wouldn’t really say she’s like my role model obviously you know but I really I I I always really liked her um that
Character well she’s responsible for one of the most iconic dance scenes in film history isn’t she and you know if you go people still dress up at her for Halloween or parties that’s when you know that you’ve created an icon so to Channel A Bit of her Kudos is is good I
Would say yeah I agree I really I really like her as well I mean she’s very controversial but I I kind of like that too so how are you feeling about EUR Vision I’m feeling great I I love what we did with the video I think my vision
Really came to like to life I I’m very happy with the response that I got from all the Eurovision fans but now it’s a challenge how to I think um people are expecting a lot and since we want to kind of take what was portrayed in the
Video and also put it on stage it it will be very challenging but right now I think we’re on the right path for people that don’t know you’ve tried to get to Eurovision before and this is finally happening isn’t it so how many times have you tried before I’ve been uh at
The Emma I three times so last time it was 5 years ago I would not I would not want to go with any other song than Veronica I just always thought that at least once in my life I will be on that stage I think that stage is perfect for
Me it’s if you’re a musician from Slovenia you really you don’t have a lot of stages where you can actually portray something visually as well not only you know play your your music I think your vision is perfect for me because I can really show of the I can also be a
Visual artist not only a musician the big question who is Veronica Veronica is uh Veronica danishka she was the first woman um in my country to be tried as a witch but it’s not the song is really not only about her story the song starts
With kind of her her end so I just wanted to take inspiration from her story but not fully tell the whole biography of her so she is a real person she’s a real person yeah she was a real person and do you like folklore and mythology yeah for sure I’m a very I
Think that’s like this part of me that will always I’m still kind of a child when it comes to that I love stories I love like dark folklore I love um I love elves I love witches I love everything that comes with that and I think I’ll
Love that even when I will be like 80 um I think I had that from my father um he really was telling me a lot of stories when I was little we watched a lot of U movies um that kind of had this dark ethereal theme to them so I think that’s
Where that love for kind of the almost the underworld comes from so what was the the film that you connected with as a kid that you just love I have many many many obviously I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter I was I grew up with Harry
Potter but yeah um I love Interview with the Vampire it’s not that I love that one obviously Lord of the Rings was I was a huge fan of that always um Tim Burton and um you know Coraline it’s like yeah Coraline yeah Coraline so yeah anything with that that’s like a bit
Dark uh this is going really geeky now do you like Dungeons and Dragons what’s no what was that oh it’s like you know it’s a fantasy game that you play where you can be the Elf or you can be the dwarf or you can be the Barbarian I just
Wondered whether there was that side of you as well many times people ask me if I’m into like gaming and I really think that I would be I just don’t even to put myself in that situation where I would start playing it because I would never I
Think I would just I would get too obsessed with it so and also right now you’ve got way too much going on exactly so if I start gaming now I think it’s really over for me how are you going to prepare for Eurovision do you think
Because like you said it’s not just the song with you it’s the whole performance are you going to transfer a little bit of what we see in the video onto the stage yeah for sure I really want to kind of create this space that is that you don’t really know where where the
The performance is happening I really want to incorporate a lot of movement but not in terms of dancing but more like creatures kind of I just I want to take the the essence of that video and put it on the stage for sure but as I said it’s quite hard I
Think the uh one of the things that people really remembered was the silver body paint which obviously cannot be I mean it could be done on it could but it’s very risky and also very um not just not practical uh so we kind of for now I think one of the biggest
Challenges is how to create the outfits that um kind of have the same effect but are not but that are not really really naked so can you imagine the mess at your vision if you took body paints and also I think uh like even the dancers
Were covered in corn starch um they were extremely cold because the because the cornstarch got cold and then the whole thing kind of started sticking to them and it was like they basically took off all all their all the hairs on their on their arms also is like they’re being
Waxed yeah it was like a waxing situation that we had even then it fell off everything was slimy I think the person that would perform after me would really not be happy about me doing that so yeah Raven I love that you’re doing it for your art though this is all for
Your vision like they they are cold they are being waxed they are sticky but this is my vision exactly drowning them yeah it was I was very very grateful for the dancers they were really so so such professionals and um I’m just very grateful for the for all the people that
Worked on the the video so the song itself there’s quite a special person that co-wrote it isn’t there yeah it was my very good friend uh buan from joker out I’m very grateful that he wanted to collaborate we were talking about maybe doing something together for quite some
Time but I think that was like the per the perfect um time and place to do it uh were you proud of them when they were on the stage last year I was so proud of them I was so nervous also for them I remember watching it and I was really I
Kind of got a bit te eyed I just I’m really they’re like I’m just a huge fan and um I’m really happy for them yeah really so you two are good mates we are we are okay so what’s his most annoying quality well I think I said that before but it’s
Not really annoying I kind of at the same time really like that because I know that he will always tell me what he thinks but he really he gives a lot of advice and sometimes it’s really not like I’m not even asking for advice but
He’s still giving it but I think I I really I learned a lot from him so he gives you too much advice I think you should use for sure a bit less a look who I found I’m so happy to see you yeah likewise if if his worst quality is just
Uh he gives too much advice then that’s all right yeah that I think that is really his worst quality I I can’t really say anything else bad about him oh I was completely ready to have like come in here and be like ah yeah so when did you two first meet I
Think like at my place and I think yeah you you came to my to my house yeah we had to performed together for a corporate event and we had to perform a song that I never heard before in my life obviously me as well and it was
Quite um it was quite a song it’s a dramatic experience to be honest but like like I just came to her house and we had a good chat like it wasn’t it wasn’t uh we didn’t plan on having a talk and like meeting each other it was just like
Okay let’s try and practice but I yeah I think that um we had a very good chemistry and like it it it was very clear that we’re going to stay friends from that moment on I love that you had to sing a song that you didn’t even know
No it was horrible and it was not an easy song to sing also like it’s and it’s even worse when you have to learn a song that is hard but at the same time you don’t even like it so but I also think we didn’t really practice much we were just talking
Mostly so instant connection yeah instant instant friendship so what do you think of uh Veronica the song I know you co-wrote it so you’re going to say good things but what do you think of Raven representing Slovenia she is taking on the the relay baton from you
Yeah um first I’m going to say I really don’t want to take credits for co-writing the song because um when I came into the picture the song was basically written I just came to uh Sara’s home and took the guitar because I felt like some pinch of salt could be
Added and so uh the es smtc Veronica part came I just thought that the song needed me that’s what yeah uh I just added my bit of friendship with s to the story I’m very proud of her amazing performer amazing singer she has a vision she knows
Exactly what she wants to do and I’m pretty sure that the things that she was talking about are going to come to life on stage so I’m really not afraid at all you have done the whole Eurovision Whirlwind you know how hectic it is all the rehearsals all the pre- parties what
Is your like one bit of advice for Raven of how to cope with the Eurovision hurricane don’t get too drunk on the first pre- party I think you know that I’m not like that so I don’t think uh Eurovision yeah Barcelona uh Eurovision brings out uh things about you that like you don’t
Know so you might as well just get drunk on the first pre- party but don’t get too drunk well I’ll tell you what have you two had a good night out in Liana no did we I think we spent most of the time literally just sitting in on
The couch sitting on the couch her cats and drinking tea and talking what’s your cat called I have two uh Quincy and Olaf Quincy and Olaf yeah quinc is my queen but I also have uh parrot a huge maau which buan loves no that’s that’s actually a very interesting story so if
If you have too minutes yeah yeah we’ve got all the Time in the World um Raven got this huge maau is it maau yeah maau okay and she like she called me to to hers for me to meet the maau what’s his name again yeah I don’t remember Georgie
Georgie TR traumatized so I come to I come to her place her her uh fiance comes downstairs with the maau on his shoulder and it’s like I swear it’s this big yeah it’s like a dinosaur basically and I got so frightened of it I got like it was literally as if I saw
A tiger terrified yeah because I do not know what to expect out of a maau you know it’s just like looking there and there but you know that he sees everything yeah yeah and then suddenly he just started like doing these dinosaur thing and I got so scared so
They had to lock him up because I couldn’t be in the house with it oh bless he got scared of your pirot yeah like completely scared I was so at first I thought he was joking cuz he was he was really scared he was just kind of
Standing in in between like the door the the front door and he was like he did not want to come in well the parrot was being territorial as well right the was it was really not no if you ask buan the it was basically he was like flying and
Doing these horrible things all the time like just spreading his wings in such a small space it’s horrifying I mean it it is a bit like um it really is a huge bird so I get that people get scared but yeah it sounds like you’ve got a zoo at
Your house yeah almost almost what’s the next what’s the next animal that you going to get I really want a pig have you got space for a pig I barely have the space for the cast no I mean I live in a house we have a lot of space but
Still I don’t have the time for another animal obviously yeah I would just love to work at a zoo like I so yeah I’m I’m a huge animal lover that is your alternative career someone told me that pigs are almost as clever as dogs they’re they’re more clever I mean I
Don’t know how you really measure the IQ of animals but I think they’re like top five most intelligent animals yeah have you been to a joker out gig this is actually embarrassing I have not been yeah she has not been this is no but it’s just I kind of really hate
Crowds I I think that’s the main reason I’m like I really support them I listen to a lot of their music I but I cannot go to the concert get have you saved that new single yet saved uh yeah I think I have I think I to she’s
Checking and have you ever seen Raven in an opera I have actually yes because I am a friend who supports her his friend no I’m kidding I went to see her at the premiere of an opera and I also went to see her um for the last opera that she
Did oros in Hell uh I went to the last rehearsal I believe actually that was really a true test of friendship because you you were you were watching the whole like rehearsal the whole General rehearsal with had we it was really not that interesting because it was stopping
The whole time so I really appreciate that you like kind of endured that I really want to see the parrot now the terrifying parrot show him yeah he’s there do you have like time but okay so I have to go upstairs get the parrot are you going
To talk like I need a minute yeah yeah yeah that’s fine yeah yeah okay I’m nervous the camera she’s actually bringing the parot yeah and it’s huge I wasn’t expecting to see a par on this podcast we’ll have to describe it because obviously people can’t see it is
This going to be really triggering for you actually I am a bit nervous to be honest like I’m a bit on edge because I I kind of have a feeling that he remembers my face and he wants to kill me for some reason let’s just hope he
Can’t work out Electronics yeah oh there he is oh my goodness terrifying right beautiful absolutely he’s gorgeous over the camera beautiful oh my goodness for the people that can’t see the par obviously because this is a podcast can you describe who we are looking at right
Now Raven so this is Georgie he’s a MAA uh I think in English it’s called the uh yellow winged or something like that maau and he is one year old so he will grow a lot bigger yeah you know what’s amazing I’ve just noticed so he
Is got this yellow chest and blue wings what are the colors of Sweden where you are going to represent Slovenia at Eurovision he’s this is this is all fate this is a sign it is but he’s so nice now I don’t know why are you so calm I’m kind of
Also a bit like scar he knows he has the power over buan he’s like ah there’s that guy I scared I don’t know if you I don’t know if he even noticed you does he talk well yeah he says hello but I I don’t think
He will hello hello oh he is Luke black par hello hello he is he’s too busy eating a nut at the minute to talk he’s like oh you can’t make me perform on camera um he is so beautiful thank you so now I can put him
Back in his cage I hope that you’ll teach him all the words to Veronica as well so that he can sing it yeah I mean I was just I was having such a hard time this morning with him he was screaming like crazy so I don’t think I have the
Patience to to teach him the words they have but you have to understand like now he looks so cute because he’s on a distance of a few thousand kilometers like when he’s next to you you see those claws you know the biting force of that
300 kilos yeah of a biting Force so he can literally bite your finger off yeah you have to make a friend with that yeah that parot cannot be your enemy I think you should bring him to Mal honestly yeah he’s your mascot slovenia’s unofficial mascot I’ll just put him back
In his cage right back honestly that is beautiful it is absolutely gorgeous I wasn’t expecting to talk about pigs and parrots with boyan and Raven on the podcast today but that’s that’s the fun of Eur Vision thank you so much for chatting to us I know it’s really really
Busy at the minute and it was so nice to get this meeting between you and boy and I hope it wasn’t too much of a shock no I’m I just wanted to say I’m so happy that you got him on the podcast as well I think
We’re all so busy that we don’t even have time to chat like I think in the last month yeah I feel really lucky that I have a friend that also knows you know how this whole uh process works so yeah are you going to be checking in I’ll be there for
You uh we’re all warm in the heart now right yeah uh Raven good luck with Veronica good luck with transferring that Vision onto the stage no body paint because it’s too messy something else thank for having and good luck with the Opera as well thank you so good to see
You good to see you too bye bye you boy an Raven’s so nice she is one of of the nicest people I’ve ever met she seems like she’s got her head screwed on she she knows what she wants she knows how to be a performer it sounds like
She’s just going to like crank everything up for your vision you know definitely um everything in her is based on what a good person she is honestly and how much she loves what she’s doing so I know that she will give her 10,000% for this and she deserves it absolutely
And I cannot wait for May to see it I’m still thinking about the power the the power was so good George is so scary sorry um how are you anyway I’m very good thank you for asking I’m currently in London with my boys um we are writing the material for
The new album and we’re doing very very well we are partying meeting new people it’s very aspirational and inspirational for us and you’re sharing a house of course we’re sharing a small house it’s a three-bedroom apartment so who is sharing bedrooms uh NATA and Chris and
Yura and Jan are sharing and I have my own room but it was like of course I mean yeah it was kind of like um when our producer comes to London in a few days someone has to sleep on the couch and we agree that the person who gets
Their own room is going to sleep on the couch when the producer gets here so basically for the next two and a half weeks I’ll beep sleeping on the couch uh is there much fighting between you five in a small house or are you actually all
Right with each other to be honest like Five Guys in a quite small house with a very small living room and one toilet bathroom we’re doing very well like zero fights have erupted which is crazy who’s the messiest um I prefer not to answer you I I actually wouldn’t I I I
Don’t think so to be honest it is am amazing what you’ve done in the last year you went you’ve been all around Europe you’ve been gigging everywhere you’ve been seeing all your mates from Eurovision as well you know you did that jeel tour with wild youth uh it’s
Amazing how many like real friends we met during Eurovision um the the bubble um was such a cool meeting spot all the pre-parties of course so yeah basically wherever we went uh we met with the with our friends from Eurovision so it’s kind of crazy how many people but we managed to see
Again in one year what’s the what’s the Highlight from that two weeks in Liverpool what sticks in your mind I will most cherish the moment when we hung out with Y after it was over because somehow I think like even though we had a really good connection and a
Strong friendship um throughout the whole thing I think that night like made us come even closer um so when we gigged Finland last time actually Y and KH yeah told me yeah um took time off for 4 days they like I think they like canceled on everything they had and they literally
Joined us on tour through Finland and stayed with us for the four for four days and was so good I just spoke to Y because we’re going to Finland um it’s our first stop on the tour in March on the second and third of March we’re playing Helsinki and yet was already
Writing to me uh if we have like space on the tour bus I I interviewed him just before Christmas and we talked about your pants on the podcast which ones the ones that you’ve left at his house oh yeah so the thing is I left the whole
Bag of my dirty underwear from after the concerts horrible in in a plastic bag so they were just cooking there in a plastic bag all like 10 days horrifying and he washed them for you yeah he did like he could have just thrown them away
But he washed them true friend this is a true friendship it is a true friendship I have to say I did not get them back no I said to him I was like where are they he’s like they’re still at my house yeah they are they are so I expect to get
Them back I guess when I come to housing well in a month’s time yeah yeah you guys were so brilliant at Eurovision you made I just remember you guys from the pre parties always so friendly always putting in 100% just adding to that Feelgood factor of Liverpool oh absolutely like it’s a competition
That’s for sure but like in the end the only thing that stays with you are the memor re and are the connections that you made um it’s the only genuine thing you can get out of it so we are happy that we actually do consider ourselves winners of Eurovision because we got out
Of Eurovision everything and more that we ever could have dreamed of like we made so many new friends we got so many new fans we’re suddenly touring Europe we’re going to go for the world very soon so um yeah it’s it’s just honestly 2023 and the decision that the RTV made
To send us to your vision was a blessing and you got a new song by the way we should mention that oh yeah uh we have a new song coming out on 16th of February and it’s called everybody’s waiting so I hope that people on the other side of my
My microphone are also waiting uh you are very free to pre-save it to listen to it share it if you feel like it it’s a very deep song actually it’s the biggest Deep dive I’ve ever done to myself people who have went through times of self-doubt or anxiety or kind
Of stuff like that will feel close to it uh buyan so good to see you thank you for coming to surprise Raven keep doing what you’re doing thank you so much for having me man
Video “Episode 5: Raiven & Joker Out’s Bojan Cvjetićanin (The Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast)” was uploaded on 02/08/2024 to Youtube Channel Eurovision Song Contest