Over these last few months, emerging pianist Marko Ivic has been busy crafting a fresh and distinctive direction for himself. And with plenty of praise coming in for his recent run of releases, he recently returned to deliver his hotly-tipped debut album ‘When I entered there was a room’.
So with that LP now doing the rounds, we wanted to find out more about his experiences and inspirations, as well as where he plans to take himself next.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
I grew up in Venezuela, and started getting piano classes when I was about 12. I don’t know why, but the piano was attracting me, despite the fact no one around me was a musician.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
Phillip Glass, Steve Reich and Nils Frahm, from a more contemporary perspective. Mozart, Chopin and Brahms from a more classical one. I was mesmerised by the use of rhythm and repetition present in Glass’s and Reich’s music, something I felt was like a “reorganisation” of time within music perception. Nils Frahm was the first time I saw someone so masterfully bring the piano to an electronic environment. I always had a very close relationship with Mozart’s music and the purity of his sound. Chopin and Brahms have always touched me bringing forth the most lyrically charged music ever written for piano.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
Finishing high school in Venezuela and realising I wanted to continue with music was one thing. But understanding the logical thing to do to pursue it was to leave my country and my home aged 17 is a very different one. Things get “serious” very quickly when you make a decision like that, haha.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
Its always at the piano. It’s always with improvising. I’m playing, and something happens: a chord, a melody, a line, a pattern, anything that calls for a second time. When I repeat it means I need more of it. Then I decide to stick to it, and keep “squeezing” until more is revealed in that improvised play. Depending on how that goes, sometimes the piece almost finishes itself, sometimes I get into a deeper work of articulating the music, researching options, trying them out, recording and listening and deciding. At times this process happens completely acoustically, and the effects are placed later (often changing the compositional nature as well), other times, the effects are there from the beginning and the ideas flow with the influence of the electroacoustic sound being generated.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
I never find inspiration. I just play. Sound inspires me. Have you ever played a piano? Its amazing! There’s so many possibilities. If you pay attention, the simplest chord can move your soul to the core.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I honestly don’t know. Whatever the music gives you, that would be amazing for me. If it can touch in any way, make you feel something within your own universe, that would be the nicest thing ever.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
I think being an independent artist can be very exhausting. We have great tools at hand to do things independently and that’s amazing. But then you get overwhelmed with managing many things that have nothing to do with music, and you are confronted with an oversaturated world in which attention is not abundant. So you start dealing with the fact that people will probably like your music, but they might not have time to really listen to it or get exposed to it. That can be challenging.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
To share the live moment of a music performance with an audience. And also to witness how the music you create starts to take shape. It’s like writing and realising what it is you wanted to say. It’s beautiful!
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
I try to focus on my curiosity, and the meaning I seek behind what I do. My biggest motor is to be touched by music. As much as I want to succeed, I think it wouldn’t mean much to succeed doing something that doesn’t touch me. So, it almost becomes a process of trusting yourself, trusting that what you feel you need to express is indeed the most important thing at a given moment. What do you need? What do you want to say? Keep asking those questions all the time…
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
Live shows! I would love to share the album live and I’m working on planning some tours at the moment. There are some visuals collabs coming up too, very exciting!
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
With maybe 2 more albums out? That’d be lovely! I’ve been also dreaming for a while of collaborating with a filmmaker, so I think that’s bound to happen before 2029 haha.
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Listen to Marko Ivic’s debut album ‘When I entered there was a room’ below.
