"I dalje me žele" (They Still Want Me) is a song recorded and written by

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n rappers

Gru Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

and

Ajs Nigrutin Vladan Aksentijević ( sr-Cyrl, Владан Аксентијевић; born 12 August 1977), better known by his stage name Ajs Nigrutin, is a Serbian rapper, actor and singer. Known for his nasal baritone vocals, comedic lyrical style and ecce ...

Bad Copy Bad Copy are a hip-hop trio group from Belgrade, Serbia known for their humorous lyrics and slang. The members are Ajs Nigrutin (stage name of Vladan Aksentijević), Wikluh Sky (Đorđe Miljenović) and Timbe (Rašid Kurtanović). Miki Boj, bo ...

. The song was number 1 in Serbia for 8 consecutive weeks and reached number 1 in

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. The song was nominated for the MTV Platinum Awards in the category for Best Singles.

Lyrics

The lyrics tackle Nigrutin and Gru's career, drawing parallels that people still respect their artistry after their initially rise to prominence. Similar to his previous single ''

Biću tu "Biću tu" (I'll Be There) is a song recorded by Serbian recording artist Gru for his second studio album, '' Gru 2''. The certified gold album sold 4 million copies, making it the most commercially successful albums in the Balkans. The song reac ...

'', it contained provocative lyrics about

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and issues of popularity. With production done by Andonov and Aleksandar Stanojević, ''I dalje me žele'' was recorded after Gru's 3-year hiatus, in efforts to assert fame yet again. According to a 2018 interview by Balkan Info, Andonov stated that "I dalje me žele was a step in the right direction, in harmony with the evolution of underground hip-hop".

Music video

The music video for ''I dalje me žele'' was recorded in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Pančevo Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on the shores of rivers Timiș (ri ...

and Dimitrovgrad as the dominant places where Andonov spent his life. In the scenes filmed in Belgrade, Andonov is rapping in the Vojislava Ilića 86 street of

Voždovac Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the south ...

, near the night club Excellent. In Pančevo, Nigrutin and Gru are in the Central Pančevo Club performing with Ivana Stamenković Cindy from the Belgrade-based

pop-folk Folk-pop is a broad musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been popularized by mainstream media in recent years. Music ...

recording act ''Models'' on stage. In the scenes in Dimitrovgrad, Andonov is walking through his childhood neighbourhood of Babušnica, and is performing with Nigrutin in the Hemija Dimitrovgrad Club. In the Hemija Dimitrovgrad Club, a guest appearance by Maldivian performer and model of Serbian descent Una Grujić is featured. The video was directed by Serbian director Milan Mima Babović, and co-directed by Serbian artist Uroš Kilibarda Stanić.

Reception

''I dalje me žele'' received generally positive reviews by critics. Montenegrin music critic and hip-hop veteran Zoran Jovanović described the song as "the perfect return after a hiatus, with refreshed motifs of rap, wrapped up in a modern production". Singer-songwriter and critic Nenad Baraljić credited the song in a segment in Stani na put, stating that "the song is an essential

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

rap classic, leaning more towards commercialisation than underground".

In popular culture

The song was interpreted in various national renditions of

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' ( Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series '' Soundmixshow'', was ...

. It was sung in 2013 by Serbian artists

Sky Wikluh Đorđe Miljenović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Миљеновић; born 10 December 1980) better known by his stage name Wikluh Sky (, ) is a Serbian musician, rapper, singer, DJ, and producer. Best known for being a member of Bad Copy hip-hop trio, h ...

and Sneki in first season of the Serbian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar. It made an appearance in Като две капки вода, the Bulgarian version of the reality show, where it was sung by

chalga Chalga (; often referred to as Folk-pop#Balkan region, pop-folk or ethno-pop) is a genre of Bulgarian pop music. Chalga is a folk-inspired dance music genre, with a blend of Music of Bulgaria, Traditional Bulgarian music along with influences from ...

vocalist

Azis Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (; born 7 March 1978), professionally known as Azis (), is a Bulgarian recording artist of Romani ethnicity. Azis initially rose to prominence in Eastern Europe performing songs mostly in chalga, a genre which can be de ...

in 2012, as well as the Polish version

Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo ''Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo'' (Polish: ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'') is a Polish talent show broadcast by Polsat that is based on the Spanish version of the series. The show involves eight celebrities and/or artists (singers, actors and televi ...

in 2014, sung by television personality Jacek Kawalec.

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n performer

Vaiko Eplik Vaiko Eplik (born 1 August 1981) is an independent music, independent Estonian pop-composer, record producer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. Eplik was born in Rapla, Estonia, into a music-loving family. Eplik studied music at the ...

sang the song as Nigrutin in the second episode of the Estonian Your Face Sounds Familiar in 2016." The most recent interpretation was in 2017, when singer-songwriter

Flaka Krelani Flaka Krelani (born 28 June 1989) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer. Music career Krelani started her career at "Ethet", a similar contest to Idol where she reached the final. After the show, she became one of the most popular Albanian rock singers. ...

sung the song as Gru, including

as a medley in the second season of the Albanian Your Face Sounds Familiar. ''I dalje me žele'' was included in the soundtrack for

A Serbian Film ''A Serbian Film'' () is a 2010 Serbian exploitation horror film produced and directed by Srđan Spasojević in his feature directorial debut, with Aleksandar Radivojević co-writing. It tells the experience of a financially struggling porns ...

and in the

Sergej Trifunović Sergej Trifunović ( sr-cyr, Сергеј Трифуновић, ; born 2 September 1972) is a Serbian actor, comedian, singer, politician and citizen activist.

film Samo sivi dani.Sergej Trifunović profile
imdb.com; accessed 28 October 2016. It also was heard numerous times in Marchelo's documentary Stani na put.

Accolades

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I dalje me zele Gru (rapper) songs 2010 songs 2011 singles Music videos shot in Belgrade