Today on NAKID we highlight the Lucija Ivšić, also known as ŽIVA, announces the release of her debut album, ‘ŽIVA,’ which represents her journey of establishing a new identity on the other side of the world. During the pandemic lockdown, Lucija relocated to Melbourne and embarked on a new musical project, evolving from her previous role as the frontwoman of the successful Croatian post-punk band Punčke. This album showcases Lucija’s growth as an artist and producer, marking a significant departure from her previous work.
The ‘ŽIVA’ album consists of 9 tracks, with 6 of them being bilingual and celebrating Lucija’s Slavic heritage through recognizable traditional Croatian choir singing. The opening track, ‘Anything but the Night,’ sets the tone for the album, delving into themes of trust, satisfaction, and self-doubt. As the album progresses, Lucija’s sound undergoes a transition from esoteric and sensitive to a cold and industrial tone, enhancing the raw emotion embedded within her lyrics and musical influences. The singles ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Dualism’ have already garnered international acclaim.
‘Only Feeling When I’m Lost’ deviates from the intensity of the previous tracks by incorporating the traditional Croatian string instrument tamburica into a modern sound, accompanied by echoing vocals and effects. This song serves as a nod to Lucija’s heritage and bridges the gap to the personal and introspective tracks ‘Voices’ and ‘Power.’ These compositions explore themes of insecurity, doubt, and obsessive thoughts, ultimately leading to ‘Severed Flower,’ the only RnB/trip-hop track on the album and a love song.
While working on the album tracks, Lucija faced the challenges of chronic insomnia and OCD, which provided a backdrop of intensity and darkness throughout the songs. However, what sets her sound apart is the successful transition from an esoteric and sensitive mode to a coldwave, almost industrial EBM mode. This self-produced release marks a rewarding and challenging experience that pushed Lucija’s songwriting skills to new heights.
Lucija reflects on her difficult transition to Australia in 2019, facing feelings of displacement and loss of identity. She had to completely reset her way of thinking and living. With the unwavering support and guidance of her close friend and bandmate Anja Tkalec, as well as her partner and best friend Marko, Lucija found the strength to stand up and rediscover herself.
The recognizable eerie visuals and photo editorials are the work of Martin Peranović aka Hochstapler, Croatian photographer and graphic designer, also Lucija’s childhood friend.
If you love this visual story then show them some love, this is just a glimpse of the amazing stuff they have created – head over to their Instagram below to check out more from this awesome artist and support their creativity and your daily inspiration by following them!
Check out more of ŽIVA and their work here: Spotify / Bandcamp / Apple Music / iTunes / Soundcloud / YouTube / Instagram / Facebook
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