With the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 less than one month away, ESCXTRA had the opportunity to ask Slovenia’s Raiven some questions about her passion for music, the story of ‘Veronika’ and Raiven’s journey towards the contest in Malmö. Read the full interview below:
Hi, Raiven. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! After three attempts in EMA; coming 2nd, 3rd and 2nd respectively, how does it feel to finally represent Slovenia at Eurovision? Was it expected or a complete surprise?
I’m extremely grateful and I’m really happy for having this. I wouldn’t say that I expected it, but I
always knew that one day I’m going to stand on that stage. I always thought that the song needs to be
right, I need to be prepared, and I feel that this is the right timing for me.
The story of ‘Veronika’ and how people can relate to the themes 600 years later…
The story of ‘Veronika’ is about Veronika Deseniška, who was the first Slovenian to be accused of
witchcraft. As a woman myself, I can relate to that modern day sense of judgement and persecution from society. What meaning does the song hold for you?
I can really connect to Veronika’s story – I feel that because of the way I look, as well as my music
style and public image, I am perceived as something I am really not. As an artist that maybe stands
out from the crowd, you can get a lot of judgement from people that don’t really understand you or
your music. Even in their everyday lives people get judged for something that you’re not, and this is
why I think a lot of people can connect to this song.
Bojan from Joker Out [Slovenia, Eurovision 2023] is one of the songwriters for ‘Veronika’. How did this collaboration come about?
Bojan is a great friend of mine. We talk a lot about music, and we were talking about collaborating for
a while. He came into the picture when the song was almost finished, and he added that hook part “Jaz
sem. Ti si. Veronika” which is now one of my favourite parts of the song, and the audience’s as well. It
just went really naturally, he just came to my house, listened to the song, and started singing “Jaz
sem. Ti si. Veronika” whilst playing the guitar, and it just felt right.
Raiven reflects on what it means to be a proud Slovenian singing in Slovene at Eurovision…
How important is it to you that the language and culture of Slovenia is represented in Eurovision?
First of all, I really wanted to do a song in Slovene, because I am telling a story of a Slovenian woman.
I am representing Slovenia, and I am very aware of the environment that I come from, so it’s very
important to me to represent Slovenia in a way that is inspiring to me.
Your performances in the EMA national selections have always been unique, ‘wow’ moments. What can we expect in Malmö?
The staging for Eurovision will be very heavily inspired by what we did in the video. We definitely want
to keep that essence. I will have my dancers from the National Ballet with me on stage, and we want
to recreate this ethereal dark vibe that the video has.
If you won the Eurovision Song Contest for Slovenia, what would be your top tourism highlights for travelling Eurofans?
I would definitely say Postojna Caves, maybe lake Bohim, and obviously our seaside and Piran.
Raiven discusses her childhood passion and talent for music and how that led to a love for the contest..
Did you watch Eurovision growing up and do you have a favourite Eurovision memory?
I did, yes! My first memory is when Lordi won. I have many favourites from previous years, but right
now I’m still a huge fan of “Cha Cha Cha” and “Tattoo”, but also “La Forza” from Estonia.
You are a trained opera singer and harpist, often embracing different alternative styles of music. Who were your music influences growing up and what inspired you to take up music professionally?
I always knew that I was going to be a musician. I enrolled in a music school when I was 4 years old,
and since then I was always completely immersed in music. It was always just very logical and natural,
and I always knew that I’m going to be a musician.
Of course, I stayed on brand and delved into our mutual love of birds!…
How did you come up with the stage name Raiven?
I’ve always been around birds, and I actually grew up with falcons, as my parents and my brother are
falconers. I’ve always found them just kind of mysterious and magical, and when I was picking a name
for myself, I thought of raven – a bird that I really admire and I hope to own one one day, and it also
sounded kinda right to me.
I noticed recently you have a pet Macaw. Does he enjoy ‘Veronika’?
You know, I actually figured that the sounds that I make in the song are a bit similar to the sounds
that my Macaw Georgie makes, so I guess he enjoys it.
Raiven will take to the stage with ‘Veronika’ in the first Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on Tuesday 7th May.
On behalf of all the team at ESCXTRA.com, thank you for your time, Raiven. We will see you in Malmö. Good luck!
Are you supporting Raiven and ‘Veronika’ this year? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see our reactions to the news throughout the Eurovision 2024 season.
