Hollywood: October 30, 2009
Zana Mesihovic wrote a song in what seemed like a nanosecond and nailed the feeling of the new film, The Lightkeepers. The song, “If You're Wondering,” is heard in a key montage sequence.
The song, embraced by writer director Daniel Adams and New Films International President Nesim Hason, was presented to them by New Films Head of Worldwide production, Straw Weisman.
Comments Weisman: "Zana has a rare and special gift. The song made the filmic moment magical.”
The Lightkeepers is directed and written by Daniel Adams, distributed by New Films International, and stars Richard Dreyfuss, Mamie Gummer, Tom Wisdom and Blythe Danner. This is the second film of Adams’s Massachusetts-based, turn-of-the-20th-century trilogy (the first, The Golden Boys with David Carradine, was released last year).
Already there’s a buzz as the film and the song are being touted for Golden Globes and Academy award consideration.
Zana's background alone is a whirlwind ride. She spent her early childhood in Mostar in the former Yugoslavia, learning to play piano and winning local dance contests. At the age of 11, when war broke out in Bosnia/Herzegovina, her family was forced to sell their possessions in exchange for bus tickets and flee as refugees to Sweden. Despite the upheaval, Zana resumed her music studies, and her talent soon came to the attention of world-renowned jazz pianist and vocal coach, Steven A. Garrick (Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin). He took the precocious singer under his wing, tutoring her until his untimely passing when Zana was just 13.
Undeterred, she recorded her first demo at the age of 15, and immediately landed a record offer with Sony Music Sweden. By 16, the rising star had performed in front of a television audience of 20,000 in Sarajevo. In 2006, Zana moved back to her war-shattered hometown, Mostar to work as the Musical Director at United World College.
Then early 2009, Zana relocated to U.S. to study music and expand her career. Since then, everyone who hears her songs is wowed by her talent. Her voice embodies the spirit of Balkan gypsy music and flirts with R&B, soul and jazz. Keep listening for Zana Mesihovic’s “world soul” and her song, “If You're Wondering.”