Introducing Sanja 

Sanja Cin is a singer-songwriter, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who grew up in Austria. Alongside her songwriting pop music projects, Sanja makes Balkan music and, since moving to the north of England, she has performed with various groups, including Manchester International Roots Orchestra, and the Rubber Ducks Orchestra. Sanja has also worked with the charity organisation, Music Action International. 

“These people, they want this music. Like, it really gives a different energy to this, maybe, to this part of the country.” 

Sanja’s Musical Life History 

Sanja was born in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but left the country with her family in the early 1990s at the outbreak of war. 

“My dad went a year earlier, because men would be asked to go to the army. And then we came a bit later, because we saw it wouldn't stop that quickly, because there was a sense of ‘Maybe it’s just short’, like, that's what my mom would say. I was four turning five in that time. And then I grew up in Austria.” 

Growing up in Austria, Sanja picked up a lot of early musical influences from her parents. 

“My dad was a musician, or is still a musician. He plays the guitar and he sings. And so it was just, like, he would always play with us. That was very present, especially like pop songs and stuff.” 

After Sanja started playing piano at the age of eight, her dad would continue to encourage her to sing and to perform. 

“When I got, like, into my late teens, 16, I started singing with him. So I got a lot of experience, I think on stage through just, you know, we would go to different things, parties, things together, weddings, whatever.” 

Her move to England to work, initially, as a German language assistant in a school in Bolton, further influenced Sanja’s musical styles. 

“In Manchester, I started making much, much more music. I didn't come here for music in particular, but then I started. I recorded in the city here. And then I also, I did a lot of Balkan music, because somehow this was more in demand.” 

“When I came here, it was suddenly, suddenly I was from two places. And I noticed how people react differently depending on what I said, where I'm from.” 

The Purpose and Motivations of Sanja’s Music-Making 

“Musically, I was engaged, like, through my upbringing, and through the chance to be, to have this repertoire of music from the Balkans. I really got a lot of chances to make music.” 

Sanja began writing her own pop songs back in Vienna, but, since living in Manchester, she has become much more involved with this. 

“That's what I'm doing mainly, and that's what I was performing mainly. I think these two, my own singer-songwriter stuff and developing that, and then the Balkan music is quite a big part, which I didn't expect before.” 

Most of Sanja’s songs are written in English, because she listened to a lot of popsongs in the English language, but she has plans to experiment further with her lyrics. 

“I would love to write in Bosnian, to find another part of this connection, Bosnia, Croatian, Serbian, whatever, Montenegro, different names for the same language.” 

Sanja found a producer in Manchester with which to make her first EP, Bees, and she appreciates the opportunities to perform that the city provides. 

“I saw on this concert, the band was playing and before this band, support was Shunya. He’s called Alan Keary, but his music name is Shunya. And I just liked what he did. I really liked the sound. And I was like, ‘Oh this sounds cool’. And then I saw he's Manchester-based and he’s a producer.” 

“The other part is the open mics in Manchester, which is amazing, really amazing.” 

Creating Music in Manchester 

“Seeing so many people being musical, creative. Just like doing it, doing it like that. It feels like there's just an attitude of, ‘Yeah, yeah, just do it’. That definitely helped me here.” 

Initially, Sanja was not enthusiastic about the prospect of living in England and she did not know anything about Manchester before moving there. It was her sister who encouraged her to give it a try. 

“My sister’s really, like, up-to-date with popular culture. She went, ‘That’s cool’. And I was like, ‘Really?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, yeah go there’.” 

The reaction Sanja receives in England differs depending on how she answers the question of where she is from. 

“Austria was like, ‘Ah, yeah’. Some people would, like, say, ‘Oh, great skiing’. And then that was it. And Austria is a European country, like kind of middle, normal. And then when I said Bosnia, some would like, say, ‘Oh, exotic Balkans’ and stuff. And I noticed sometimes it was good, because it would bring more attention to what I do.” 

Sanja sees Manchester as the right place to continue her musical journey. She also sings with musicians from beyond the city, from the south of England, as part of a new vocal improvisation project online. 

“It just feels like a good place to be. And I think there's more open, I mean, there's just a bit more openness here, than, for example, in Austria. That's how I experienced it.” 

“It's really true that musicians here are really supportive.”