THE BIG DEAL’s debut album „First Bite“ was released these days. The young band knows how to inspire with fat melodic rock/metal influenced by the 80s. With Nevena Brankovic and Ana Nikolic, THE BIG DEAL can also come up with two fantastic singers. You can now find out what singer Nevena Brankovic and guitar player Srdjan Brankovic told us about the band and the album in our exclusive interview.
Congratulations on the new album. What can you tell us about the making of The Big Deal?
Nevena: Thank you very much! The band actually started working as a trio in the beginning of 2020. It was first Srdjan, Marko and myself. Later we added Ana and Alessandro.
How did the recording of the album go?
Srdjan: We finished everything at the beginning of the summer 2021. At the end of September we had mastered songs. It was great and inspiring. We really dedicated a lot to that, we completely identified with the songs, we put ourselves in music and I hope that it gave good results.
What inspires you to write your songs?
Srdjan: I personally am a big rock / metal fan and collector. I composed an album that I would like to have in my collection as a fan of this musical style. I did what I would love to hear as a fan.
Which singers have influenced you?
Nevena: Too many… From James LaBrie to Norah Jones.
What bands are you into?
Srdjan: My roots are definitely in heavy metal. But over time, I expanded my taste to many styles … A good song is one that has a beautiful melody and chords … the music category actually makes the arrangement, whether there will be more guitars or keyboards … But let’s mention some : Maiden, Priest, Asia, Shadow Gallery…
What about live activities?
Nevena: We are a real band and we plan to play a lot. For now, we have several festivals in Bulgaria, Greece, and these days we will publish some spectacular news related to our performances. We held our first gig in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on May 28 and it was great!
Your videos are all very successful. How did the ideas and the implementation of the clips come about?
Nevena: Believe it or not, we have done and designed a lot along the way! I am so happy that you liked it.
How do you see the music business in general and can you make a living from music?
Nevena: My job is music and I make a living from music. I also graduated from the music academy and teach at the school. I think the 1980s were much easier to make a living from music – people were forced to come to a concert, or buy a tape or a CD to listen to music. Music is no longer for sale, everything is online, free. That made things very difficult. Still, my versatility has helped me to make a living from music, even in 2022.
