Biography

Flute-playing folk-rocker Tinkara Kovač was already an established talent with no fewer than eight studio albums under her belt when, in 2014, on her fourth attempt, she finally won the right to represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest. Debuting in 1997, her heavy, folk-tinged pop-rock strongly appealed to Central European tastes of the time, and she became a great success. Born on September 3, 1978 in the coastal city of Koper, Kovač tasted musical success early when, at the age of nine, she was joint winner of the children's radio talent contest Veseli Tobogan. Inspired from a very early age by her parents' Jethro Tull records, she was already an accomplished flautist, and was offered a gig by famous jazzman Bojan Adamič. However, because of her youth, her parents objected and she was forced to pass up the opportunity. Undaunted, she continued to persevere with music, and ten years later was awarded "Most Promising Singer" at the Melodies of the Sea and Sun Festival in Portorož. Her winning song "Veter z Juga" ("Wind from the South") was later released as her debut single. Following her win, she signed to the ZKP RTV label, a subsidiary of the national broadcasting corporation, which released her debut album Ne Odhaja Poletje ("Summer Doesn't Bid Goodbye") in 1997. The album went gold and its 1999 follow-up Košček Neba ("A Piece of Sky") went platinum. She then moved to EMI subsidiary Dallas, which released her next three albums. Her fourth album, O-Range, was the first to receive an international release, and her fifth, Enigma, featured songs in four European languages. 2012's Rastemo ("Growth") featured covers of hits from the former Yugoslavia, and Zazibanke, released in 2013, was a collection of traditional lullabies. In 2004 she fulfilled a life-long dream by playing live with her idol Ian Anderson, who presented her with a specially engraved flute which she went on to play in the Eurovision final. She also collaborated with, among others, Robert Plant, Mike Peters of the Alarm, and Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez, and performed for 185,000 spectators as guest soloist with the Vatican City Symphony Orchestra in St. Peter's Square. In 2013 she came full circle when she participated again in the Melodies of the Sea and Sun Festival, this time taking home the top prize. Shortly thereafter she won the public vote to represent her country at Eurovision. Her song "Spet" ("Again," retitled "Round and Round" for the contest) eventually finished in 25th place. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi