…the most remarkable is the voice of Backovic, which gives the music its natural warmth and colour’
Jovana Backovic is a Serbian-bor composer, vocalist and sound designer based in the UK, working across theatre, film and live performance. Her practice is rooted in the expressive power of the human voice, creating immersive sound worlds where music becomes an integral part of the dramaturgy rather than an accompaniment. Working across composition, performance and sound design, she develops collaborative processes in which sound. movement and text evolve together from the earliest stages of creation.
As the founder and artistic director of Arhai, Jovana has developed an internationally recognised body of work that reimagines Balkan vocal traditions through contemporary composition and performance. Alongside her work as a performer and composer, she collaborates with theatre-makers, filmmakers and musicians across the UK and internationally, creating interdisciplinary work that draws on memory, cultural heritage and lived experience.
Born and raised in Belgrade, Jovana has built her artistic career in the UK while maintaining a strong connection to Serbia. Her experience as a migrant artist, living between two cultures, continues to shape her creative practice and commitment to international collaboration. While studying for degree in composition, she founded, composed for and led the ensemble ‘Arhai’ in Belgrade since 1998, and their debut album ‘Mysterion’ was released in 2006 on the Serbian national label PGP . In its Belgrade incarnation Arhai was a ten-piece electro-folk orchestra that developed a fusion of traditional music from the Balkan region with ambient sounds and jazz-influenced improvisation, using classical flute, ‘cello, piano, electric guitar, bass and percussion/drums, along with a trio of female singers. As a UK resident Jovana continued to create music under the name ArHai, moving toward solo performance using live electronics. When she moved to the U.K to complete her PhD thesis, she began her collaboration with British folk guitarist and tambura-player Adrian Lever and developed the current live performance format that combines multilayered vocals with tambura, dumcimer, tarabuka and electronics. This collaborative work was generously supported by Arts Council of England in 2013. Aside from ArHai, she fronts a duo La Nouvelle Musique with releases on Fruits de Mer label - La Nouvelle Musique’s self -titled first record was released to critical acclaim and received widespread praise for both the songwriting and performances.
Jovana mainly composes music and works as a sound designer for theatre. She also works as a music producer, recording and producing music by fellow artists and helping new talent develop their unique voice in songwriting.
Jovana has completed her PhD thesis at University of East Anglia in 2014, with the subject ‘Between Two Words: Approaching Balkan oral tradition through the use of technology as compositional and performance medium’. She is also a recipient of Sound and Music C19 composers award (2021).