With each resonating note, Marko Ivic paints vast emotional landscapes, inviting listeners on a journey of introspection and wonder in his latest single ‘Mudita’. The song’s delicate performances evoke a sense of presence, drawing listeners into its intricate melodies and enchanting harmonies. Explaining the genesis of ‘Mudita’, the composer and pianist reveals the song’s intuitive origins, born from a moment of improvisation that quickly crystallized into a finished composition. The title, inspired by Buddhist philosophy, adds an extra layer of depth to the song’s mystical aura, reflecting themes of interconnectedness and the transcendent power of joy.

As a Venezuelan artist with Croatian and Italian roots, Marko brings a rich cultural tapestry to his music, infusing his compositions with a sense of universality and timelessness. His background in classical piano and live electronics informs his sound, which blends elements of minimalism with a contemporary sensibility. But beyond technical prowess, Marko Ivic music is driven by a deeper purpose: to evoke joy and connection in both himself and his audience. Through his heartfelt explorations of the human experience, he seeks to remind listeners of the beauty and complexity of existence, inviting them to pause, reflect, and find solace in the subtleties of life.

“Mudita is one of the most intuitive songs of the album. In terms of composition, it came to life very fast. I was improvising one day when I “discovered” the melody, and within 2 days the song was finished, and remained in that shape all the way till the recording days. Other songs in the album, for example, experienced changes and corrections over a longer period of time. The title came later, when I was trying to find a suitable name for it. Since the beginning, the song had a mystical feeling for me, like alluding to something ancient, eternal, like the earth. But one day, while I was on a plane, I was reading a book with the conversations between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, when I heard the term Mudita for the first time. The Dalai Lama explained that in Buddhism, Mudita is a word used to describe a feeling of well-being because of someone else’s fortune, like the opposite for feelings of envy, or something like that. The meaning captivated me, and I immediately felt I had found a title for the song. The song has a cyclical harmonic structure, and this makes me think of interconnectedness and how joy is something we can experience even if it is in someone else’s experience. For me, to be kind to someone else is the most powerful act we have in our hands.”

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