FIVE years ago, the name Beloslava would hardly ring a bell. These days, however, it seems to have topped all music charts and conquered the hearts of music fans.
Last Friday, the singer was nominated in two of the highest-profile categories for the prestigious Annual Music Awards for 2003, given away by the Bulgarian music channel MM. She might very well snatch the awards for Best Performer and Best Rap Song. Don't be misled, Beloslava is not a rapper. She was featuring the catchy chorus in a song by a famous Bulgarian rap trio, which would be crowing Bulgaria's Top 100 for weeks on end.
For the same song, Beloslava has also been nominated for the Annual Music Awards 2004 of BG Radio, a radio station broadcasting only Bulgarian music. She has three additional nominations for Best female singer, Best lyrics and Best live performer for the song "Listen to me," the pilot single to Beloslava's upcoming album.
It has been a tough road though to make it to the spotlights. Singing in clubs in front of three people at the most would have had a demotivating effect on anyone, but not Beloslava, because for her making music has been a necessity that comes from within.
"It has been always there for me, accompanying me throughout life. It is not even connected to specific events, rises or falls. It is like I hear an inner voice telling me 'You are going to do this now.' Making music is simply something that happens and is not rational, I cannot analyse it," she told The Echo.
The style of Beloslava's music will also give you a hard time analysing it.
"I cannot define the music I make. I know by intuition that this is my music. I have many times thought there are songs I wish to sing, but I simply can't, I do not understand them. Thus, there is music, which I do not understand and my nature, kind of, refuses to deal with it. Still, if I have to define the style of my music I would say it is more like acid jazz, because it comprises many styles."
Perhaps the rich palette of musical veins gushing out in Beloslava's songs are in some way connected to the many countries she has visited.
"This has of course influenced me, not so much as a musician, but as a person. There is no better experience than travelling, changing, seeing, smelling, feeling, being open to different worlds. Only then is when the musician steps in to choose among the positive emotions."
Beloslava is inspired by the bright side of life. The dark side can tear her down and this is why she would rather not see all bad things. Perhaps this is why she believes that she can change everything though music.
"I can change everything for those who wish to change. You see, this helps me a lot. I can see that people need music mostly for the love it gives them. At this stage of my life, I am making music in order to be able to unite the music, love and people into one. This is how I see it."
Beloslava believes that music always carries a message, only at a very subconscious level. "Take John Lennon who wanted to bring it home to everyone that music had one mission and that was love. Depending on people's points of views, music has so many faces. It touches each and every secret place of our heart, of our life and our thoughts. It is too simplistic to say music is just for entertainment, because music is a universe, which everyone can interpret in their own unique way."
As of late, Beloslava has added up a new dimension to the message of her music. She has become the voice of the campaign "Love is dangerous" launched by Face to Face-Bulgaria - a non-governmental organisation fighting trafficking in women and forced prostitution. One of the priorities of Face to Face is prevention education for young girls.
"Women's emotional nature is unique. It is the vitality that makes us women. Yet we can act infantile making mistakes because of our love for the people close to us, who can sometimes mislead us. So we can talk about how far our devotion should go to avoid the worst. This is the way to help each other," Beloslava says explaining why she joined the campaign of Face to Face.