#Štefica Stipančević

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2007 - Number 29 - Steffy & Donald Trumpet - "Zadel si me v živo"

Throughout 2007 the pairing of Steffy and Donald TrumpeT played festivals all over Slovenia. Quite exactly why or what was going on here I haven't yet found out why this collaboration or why 2007, but the temptation is to think it might have had something to do with Slovenian national Melania and Donald getting married in 2005. However I'm doubtful this was anything other than someone using a humorous stage name.

Steffy is Štefica Stipančević (later Grasselli). She's recorded many songs for children in the early part of her career, although since 2005 she's partnered up with the song-writing team of Marino Legovič and Damjana Kenda-Hussu to enter songs in various Balkan music festivals notably Melodije morja in sonca. In 2007, they added Donald TrumpeT to the mix, who does appear to be a real person although I don't know who he is behind the pseudonym. Or maybe that's the name of the whole band.

Zadel si me v živo (You Hit My Mark) is an intriguing use of a traditional Balkan brass band in a song - there's no other instrumentation. There's a comedic element going on expressed through the antics of the band on stage and their playing, but what stands out here is Steffy's voice. It's so strong and stable, competently expressive - a cut above what most pop singers are normally capable of while performing live on stage.

The song itself is a humorous take on the staple falling in love story. Steffy's in love with someone who is not a great speaker or looker, but who has stolen her heart. Their look strikes her in the centre of her heart and for some reason, her Achilles tendon. Luckily she says she's not flammable otherwise she may catch fire, she's so hotly impassioned.

At EMA, Steffy and the band qualified easily from the second semi-final, then in the final finished tenth of the fourteen songs.

As far as national finals go this was Steffy's first and last - after this she switched to singing classical music. She was already studying at the Ljubljana Academy of Music at the time she performed at EMA, and by 2012 she was performing solo roles at the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana in several productions. She also still works with Marino Legovič who has written several songs for her.

Here is Steffy singing in 2023 with the winner of the 2023 edition of Melodije morja in sonca, Gregor Ravnik