Photo by Michael Roud
Ana Popovic doesn’t look like your typical blues artist, but few would doubt that the blond Serbian-born guitarist sounds like one. Having released nine albums, earned six nominations for blues music awards and shared stages with blues legends, she doesn’t have to prove her musical credibility. Her most recent album, “Like It on Top,” mixes blues with funk, rock and jazz, celebrating female power while landing high on the blues music charts. Here, the 43-year-old talks about empowerment, playing with the boys and getting acquainted with the blues.
Richmond magazine: Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, how were you exposed to the blues?
Ana Popovic: I was introduced to it from a very, very early age. My father … was a fan, and he had … great records. As a kid, I remember he would gather us around the guitar, and we would just sing those songs. Obviously, we didn’t know any English, but he would encourage us to sing, and he had a little jam session. So by the time I was 13, I picked up a guitar ... and then I joined the jam.
RM: How did men react to you being a guitar player when you were just starting out?
Popovic: In the beginning it was strange, and the only thing that I had in my benefit was the fact that we always had ... people wanting [to see] our show. Then, OK, maybe not every band member’s happy that I’m taking the lead, or maybe not every manager’s happy about it, or maybe not every producer’s happy about it, but if they want you as an artist, if they want you to play the shows, that’s the only thing that matters, and that really kept me going.
RM: Richmond is the former home of pioneering guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Did she influence you?
Popovic: On my latest record, I talk about women at the present time on global levels all over the world, and obviously this is all made possible by women like Sister Rosetta from way back that made the path for all of us to do what we do. But basically, I’m influenced by strong women, and the last record [“Like It on Top”] goes to them who take the lead and who are not afraid to step out and show their ideas and who demand their colleagues to follow in their steps and support them, and they’re not afraid to act for it, and they’re not afraid to be the leaders.
Ana Popovic performs at The Tin Pan on Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. $35 to $40. tinpanrva.com
