"The new generation today has a lot of the same problems the generations from the 1930’s had. We’re all people with people problems and the blues speaks to that. You feel you’re not alone and let those emotions run wild when you listen to the music. I think that the blues is the best way for someone to cleanse their soul of these problems and hopefully my music can and will be able to do this, at least to some extent."

Jadran Mihelčić: A New Blues Star is Born

Pianist and singer Jadran Mihelčić is a young and promising artist from Zagreb, Croatia that gives a new vision to the flame of Blues that will fly us the moon! Jadran says: “My music philosophy is a really simple one. I write what I know, what I’ve been through, what I hope to do and what I feel. And I do my best to make the people listening feel that as well. I listened to a lot of old school delta blues and one of my all-time favorites is Memphis Slim, because he was a man who could make you understand exactly what he’s telling you, with just his piano and his voice.”

(Jadran Mihelčić / Photo by Roko Pavlinušić)

Zagreb, Croatia based pianist, Jadran continues: “The Blues community in Croatia is small, but strong. We’re a country that’s been through a lot and the blues flourishes in those environments. One of the key happenings that keeps the blues very alive in Croatia is the Thrill Blues Festival. The artistic director, Boris Hrepić (Hrepa), is a man who truly loves the blues and he and the organizers of the festival bring some of the most amazing musicians to that small Croatian town. The festival and the workshops for young musicians like myself inspire people to listen to the blues, to play the blues and to keep the blues alive.”

Interview by Michael Limnios        Special Thanks: Boris Hrepić & Jadran Mihelčić

How has the Blues influenced your views of the world?

The first legend of blues I ever heard was Ray Charles. When I was really young my parents showed me a film about Ray Charles, “Ray” (2004). This was my introduction to blues, gospel, soul and all of the great American genres I love so much. Besides the fact that the film taught me to never get into drugs, I also began to realize how much hardship you can overcome with the power of music. No matter the circumstances in life, the music is always there for you and if you channel all your problems, dreams, hopes and worries into music, you turn all of that into something beautiful.

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

When I was younger, I was a metalhead. I’ve come to find that metal, rock, actually all western music is at it’s core, rooted in the blues. Which is why I think it’s so important to preserve it. The blues itself is probably the most honest music, because it doesn’t have to glamorous, it doesn’t need too much. It’s a feeling and that feeling can be expressed with as little as a voice and a harp. But it’s important for all musicians to know and love the blues if they want to make good music of any kind. The blues teaches you that music always has, or at least it should have, a soul.

"The first legend of blues I ever heard was Ray Charles. When I was really young my parents showed me a film about Ray Charles, “Ray” (2004). This was my introduction to blues, gospel, soul and all of the great American genres I love so much. Besides the fact that the film taught me to never get into drugs, I also began to realize how much hardship you can overcome with the power of music. No matter the circumstances in life, the music is always there for you and if you channel all your problems, dreams, hopes and worries into music, you turn all of that into something beautiful." (Jadran Mihelčić, Thrill Blues Festival 2023, Trilj Croatia / Photo by Roko Pavlinušić)

How do you describe your sound and music philosophy?

My music philosophy is a really simple one. I write what I know, what I’ve been through, what I hope to do and what I feel. And I do my best to make the people listening feel that as well. I listened to a lot of old school delta blues and one of my all-time favorites is Memphis Slim, because he was a man who could make you understand exactly what he’s telling you, with just his piano and his voice.

What's the balance in music between technique and soul?

I think technique is just a tool to express the soul of the music. It’s important, but I don’t think it should ever become the main focus of a song or performance, in fact it can sometimes kill the music and make it boring. And think that’s the biggest crime. A song with soul is enough to make you feel, a song with technique is enough to make you wowed, but a song with both can change you.

Why do you think that the Blues music continues to generate such a devoted following in Croatia?

The Blues community in Croatia is small, but strong. We’re a country that’s been through a lot and the blues flourishes in those environments. One of the key happenings that keeps the blues very alive in Croatia is the Thrill Blues Festival. The artistic director, Boris Hrepić (Hrepa), is a man who truly loves the blues and he and the organizers of the festival bring some of the most amazing musicians to that small Croatian town. The festival and the workshops for young musicians like myself inspire people to listen to the blues, to play the blues and to keep the blues alive.

"I think that music nowadays has become industrialized and processed. Every new pop hit is basically the same product in a different package. It’s almost like is produced in factories. I wish musicians would put more of themselves into music, even if it means it’s at the cost of profit. I hope that more artists will follow recent trends to write more music they love, rather than fueling the mass production machine of shitty music. But in the worst case, I’ll follow the advice of Michael Roach: Play commercial to live and live to play the blues." (Jadran Mihelčić with Boris Hrepić, Michael Roach, Saso Gjorgjevski and Nikola Petrovski, Thrill Blues Festival 2023, Trilj Croatia)

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you?

The most important meetings for me have been the Thrill Blues Festival in Croatia and the Little Steven’s Blues School in Notodden at the Notodden Blues festival. Both have helped me grow as musician and person and gave me more experience than I could ever hope for at my age. And I want to especially thank Boris Hrepić and the European Blues Union for making those experiences possible.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I think the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten was from my mother. She told me to always stay true to myself and never let anyone get in the way of my integrity. This always resonated with me in my music, and I often think about this when I write my music, but it’s also been the greatest life advice anyone’s ever given me. Without my mother I wouldn’t be who I am, nor where I am today, and without that piece of advice, my music wouldn’t be so honest and true to who I am.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

There’ve been many moments that changed my music life. Each of them contributed to me as a musician in their own way, so it’s very hard to pinpoint only one. I would say that among some of the moments I’ve already mentioned before, the beginning of my classical music education, which I study currently in Zagreb, had a big impact in my life and further increased my love for the piano.

"I think blues is on the rise again. A lot of my friends my age has been really supportive of what I do and some of them even told they want to play the blues as well." (Jadran Mihelčić / Photo by Roko Pavlinušić)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I think that music nowadays has become industrialized and processed. Every new pop hit is basically the same product in a different package. It’s almost like is produced in factories. I wish musicians would put more of themselves into music, even if it means it’s at the cost of profit. I hope that more artists will follow recent trends to write more music they love, rather than fueling the mass production machine of shitty music. But in the worst case, I’ll follow the advice of Michael Roach: Play commercial to live and live to play the blues.

What could that be the impact of Blues music on the new generation? How do you want the music to affect people?

The new generation today has a lot of the same problems the generations from the 1930’s had. We’re all people with people problems and the blues speaks to that. You feel you’re not alone and let those emotions run wild when you listen to the music. I think that the blues is the best way for someone to cleanse their soul of these problems and hopefully my music can and will be able to do this, at least to some extent.

Do you think there is an audience for blues music in its current state? or at least a potential for young people to become future audiences and fans?

I think blues is on the rise again. A lot of my friends my age has been really supportive of what I do and some of them even told they want to play the blues as well. I think my generation of blues players has the job of tearing down some of the wrong stereotypes about blues by going back what it always was. You sit down at home, or a bar, or even a big stage, play with your friends. You complain about your problems, and they complain about theirs’, and you all have a real fun time and go home feeling better than you did before.

(Jadran Mihelčić & Odin Sokač, Thrill Blues Festival 203, Trilj Croatia / Photo by Roko Pavlinušić)