Ana Popovic on Finding Her Sound and Learning the Blues in Serbia | Reverb Interview

Ana Popovic is an unlikely blues guitar virtuoso. Growing up in Serbia, Ana looked up to her father, an avid blues fan and musician, and cut her teeth sitting in with his band. Ana came by the Reverb office to discuss how she came into her style. Then she demonstrated some of her tones using her trusty Fender Stratocaster and her extensive pedal board.
Read more about Ana Popovic at bit.ly/2qU0z3i.

[@TheKirby366]

My band opened for her one time, she's awesome!

[@user-gg5wv6pt3i]

Love her wisdom. Be the real creative person you are and forget anything else. Succeed or fail❤

[@Godsman1982]

I've seen her live. In a very small club. She blew us away! She is AWESOME!!

[@rpool5874]

Tom Snyder same here, less than 100 people, blew me away.

[@YugoZex]

I remember when I first heard her playing in Serbia, I was amazed and she just vanished from radio and one day she was a guest live. I was excited and listen to the show. She went away from Serbia because she had no support here. But I am glad that she found her self where they appreciate her. Good luck Ana...

[@macaholic100]

Saw Anna twice and she's better now than ever. A real class act and deserves much respect.

[@TheBoscho]

she was a fantastic player even as a teenager, i had the pleasure and honour to be at vox club in bgd couple of times when she was performing with the band all of them very young, it was fantastic, but ana was a stellar quality from the start, so glad that she made herself heard and seen world wide... end to conclude, very good example how the dream can actually get you somewhere if you work to deserve...

[@harleyriderade]

The bands name was Hush,awesome band,they have one album together

[@harleyriderade]

Hush was the name of the Band

[@tomgilman7035]

Ana is a fantastic guitarist-musician! Love her playing and personality!

[@thejackman0]

What a great history and what a refreshing woman. I appreciate her music even more now that I know her background. Always be the real musician that you are Ana.!!!

[@joeb3590]

Indeed

[@sullyb23511]

I love how she talked about loving to practice.

[@johnpauljonesgrouptv]

After seeing this. I have a newfound respect for her as a player. She's is working at being a real player. You can see this in her commitment to her gear and her ability to articulate that she does know where the music comes from and she pays respect to those pioneers many generations removed from her.

[@kitano0]

"I have no style whatsoever, it's just pure feeling"....wow, that's a profound statement...

[@samiam9059]

She plays kind of mechanical(imo).

[@predragmanov6341]

@@samiam9059 No

[@samiam9059]

@@predragmanov6341 Oh well

[@petermay5488]

What an interesting background. She has obviously worked extremely hard and it has paid off. Very talented. Love the tone she gets from the Strat.

[@aubreycalliope7355]

Saw her & her band last night, they were off the chain!! I saw her in New Orleans 11 years ago & she just gets better and better. At the meet & greet after the gig last night she was just so humble & kind. A true class act!

[@sunjamrblues]

What a wonderful human being! As a student guitarist, hearing her words of wisdom was very inspirational for me. I could never be even remotely as good as she is, but it gave me hope that if I just keep learning, maybe one day I will actually develop my own style.

[@bealivingmiracle]

What an amazing Blues workshop. Wow. I appreciate Ana Popovic so much more...

[@IRex-wm9pd]

Just saw her in Maryland last night (9/19/19) at the Amp. She was amazing. Hadnt seen her for ten years and had forgotten how good she is. Wont be losing track of her now...

[@harrisonthompsonabdullah4877]

I love jazz & blues,, basically it's such amazing way I expressed my inner soul & emotion...

[@gregm17]

I just learned of Ana very recently in comments to videos of other female guitarists. Wow! She is awesome! I am hooked. To hear other comments about how nice and sweet she is just makes me like her even more. Brava!!!

[@greatwhitewing]

Love your music Ana and will see you later this year

[@andyginterblues2961]

Just when Ana was scheduled to play at a local venue, the show was cancelled due to the pandemic. As soon as she comes around again, I will be in the front row. She is an amazingly talented blues guitarist.

[@sbadali1]

I saw Ana last week (with those two Strats) at Highline Ballroom in NYC; she rocked it!

[@gjonesii]

She is amazing! So down to earth and accomplished.

[@thedancingpostman]

She's an incredible player, I love her new yet authentic funky style

[@frankflaminio5083]

Just saw her show in Norfolk Connecticut she is a phenomenal talent with a great band and a sweet lady stayed and met fans and signed autographs after the show if she is in the area Do Not Miss Her Show Excellent

[@randyc5650]

My wife and I saw and heard her many times on the Keep the Blues Alive Cruise 4. She is very nice in person and has a beautiful family. There were 20 or 30 acts with killer guitarists including Joe Bonamasa and Ana was among the top 2. Fast or slow, she kills that guitar and her singing and lyrics are heartfelt, direct and down to earth.

[@kentissue2215]

Multiple beautiful. Thank you!

[@RahulSingh-rk5dz]

She's an inspiration...

[@joeb3590]

I was gonna say that too, she just inspired me with all those licks under her fingers, flipping brilliant

[@audiophileman7047]

What a great story. I'm learning how to play guitar right now. I'm a bit slow learning, but the fact that she was slow learning too gives me hope that I can at least play the best that I can, maybe not as wonderful as her, but good. Love the demo's she did with the guitar in this video, and it was so cool seeing the gear she likes to use. What a player! I hope to see her perform live one day. That would be thrilling!

[@williampercival7662]

You are absolutely right there when you say stop copying others and come up with your own style exactly and nice pedal setup you have 🎸

[@alfalders3020]

She’s as amazing a guitar player as anyone could ever hope to be ❤️👍🙏🏼

[@MrBlack-ze6hw]

Very Cool! I've always enjoyed Ana's music and guitar playing. I dig when she picks up the red guitar from her youth and starts jamming, she mentions Stevie Ray Vaughan & Ronnie Earl, which I can hear their influence on her. Just goes to show the trueness of the Blues and it's influence covers every corner of the world. Keep jammin' Ana!

[@realityboost4405]

Ana…Please be in no doubt that wonderful people a re watching over you…with truly the best of intensions! …Just watching over your AMAZING talent…X

[@thelaterdazebluesband9847]

Saw them last night in Jersey. Fantastic, talented performer and band 👍👍👍

[@CarlosLima-zr4ph]

Quite an artist! Love her!

[@grilledspaghetti]

She continually gets better since i first seen her. Hats off.

[@oldrocker666]

Lucky enough to catch one of your tracks on @PlanetRockRadio today! Fabulous! Thank you x

[@daviddeezmusic2313]

Great lady and a great guitarist!

[@nikolaljubinkovic6386]

bravo ana, secam te se kada si bila mlada i svirala po klubovima. dobar cd ste napravili. samo napred, pozdrav.

[@laurentldoldi840]

OMG! Can't wait to see her in Baraqueville (France) on March 30th 2024!

[@MrCrapheadist]

She's such a nice person. I met her a couple times, just a pleasure😄

[@joem1256]

I saw her open for Johnny Winter at the Tampa Bay Blues Festival a number of years back. I bought the t-shirt and got her to autograph it. And yes, I had a lot of trouble not drooling all over the table. LOL The girl can play, but lets be honest. She is also smokin' hot. :-D

[@drutgat2]

That is really nice to know. Samantha Fish also appears to be a really nice person, from watching her interviews.

[@74dartman13]

@@joem1256 I can't agree more! There's just something about a woman with a cool Strat and a wah pedal, that can play her ass off and sing too! On top of that, she's beautiful...both in looks and personality! How could you not love her?👍😎🎸🎶

[@georgefuller1868]

My background is blues and soul , thats just home to me -- hell of a quote that applies true to the dedicated music musician be it the musician or radio station broadcaster

[@jonathanrossmusic2509]

Just saw her tonight opening for Taj Mahal. Man! She stole the show!

[@Diggerdog2nd]

I have that same Boss ce2 chorus ..My ex wife for me bought in 1987. It's great & still works perfect.

[@bobbob-mq9nu]

great attitude great playing

[@jacko717]

I hear SRV/Santana influences. She's very very good.

[@rockindavebyron3960]

Great video, she is an amazing blues/rock/ funk guitarist, & I agree 100% about finding YOUR own identity!!! This is something I've always gotten a little hit from others about covers vs. originals & I would say; "remember, when you play covers, you're playing someone elves originals", so that's why my wife & I rent out venues & sell tickets to our shows, 100% self-funded, our money, our shows, our way respectfully!!!

[@mulekickhandmadeguitars8465]

Ana, I simply love to hear you play. As an American in my 70's, what I find very amusing is that there have been so many young teenage European bands who heard, and played, American blues music and brought it here to American teenagers who had no clue what it is because we Americans were fed a steady bland diet of stupid U.S top 40 pop radio.

[@simon01ize]

Beautiful tone on the red strat!

[@Zeal808]

glad she's still playing

[@rwendell0912]

love new blues players she is great

[@griiseknoen]

Her dad's band didn't have a slide player, so 12 year old Ana learned how to play slide guitar. I love how so many great musicians play their specific instruments simply because that was the instrument the family band or local band were missing when they were young... :- )

[@jameslewis9428]

Saw her 2 nights ago.She was mesmerizing

[@stillrockin7055]

I've seen Ana few times, she always puts on a good show. My favorite album is still 2001's "Hush" Would love to see her and Bernard Allison do a live version of "Bring Your Fine Self Home" There's some serious slide trading on that song!

[@74dartman13]

Such a cool lady! Her words were encouraging! It seems like no matter how bad I try and copy someone's playing, I still end up sounding like me! Maybe that's a good thing! Ha ha! I hope!👍😎🎸🎶

[@stillsupro46]

LOVE YOU ANNA!!! YOUR GREAT!!!

[@likeanuuk6612]

her guitar tone is so thick with a strat!! i love strat guitars

[@goranblazevac1978]

Najbolja si...Odusevila si me...SVAKA CAST.....GORAN❣❣❣

[@ivanisrael4442]

Wow the real deal right there. What a talent.

[@timnavarrette3274]

She is all over that guitar!!! Great player, performer.

[@MrPoodleguy]

We are so blessed that you finally came to our America & you are up there with the best of the best! ❤️💕

[@navigator3744]

She didn't get rid of the SRV influence (you can hear the Tin Pan Alley) but absolutely nothing wrong with that. She's good. Nailed the tone, the feel , all of it.

[@gRosh08]

Fantastic!

[@abchappell01]

She is awesome 😎

[@kennethmabus381]

I like the older stuff too!

[@TheRockerxx69]

Love her

[@MrJackal43]

That red reissue is awesome sounding! D-E-C-E-N-T!

[@PD-pw4wd]

Ana and KWS introduced blues to me.

[@perryjensen5585]

She is a natural blues lady. 👌👌👌

[@drutgat2]

I love that she says that it took her weeks to learn things that others assimilated immediately. That gives me hope!

[@joeb3590]

Me too

[@franckrichard8077]

I saw her yesterday evening at the New Morning in Paris. I was so close I could almost reach her pedalboard. Such a generous musician, great voice and playing, great songs and licks ! And I don't know how she can play the wah with high hells ! one of my best concert in a long time .... next time : Gary Clark ! and shame on you Eric Gales to have canceled your date in France.

[@LuckyKoman7]

I met her in a jailhouse in Holland in 2002 . She invited me to the stage to play on her guitar with her band. After the gig i advised her to try out DR Strings. She is an endourser from then on. She is a very kind person.

[@joeb3590]

DR strings? I've not heard of these, please tell me more

[@lol-pi1rt]

r/thathappened

[@MeatyController]

She's got fire!

[@blusinbarnesify]

ANA I HOPE YOU READ THIS!!! If Stevie Ray was still hear he would of doug on you hun big time!! ❤

[@cgbadtelecaster8646]

good story about your dad,,,,, thanks

[@danielemarullo6887]

Grande musicista bravissima

[@ericsalvador1081]

Rencontré par hasard sur internet , il y a a peu prés cinq ans, quelle grande artiste!! Respect total.

[@branislavnikolic5780]

Ano ! Pozdrav !

[@brusselslover9333]

This lady can play!

[@manoeljunior7863]

You are Wonderful!!!

[@msp3179]

Nos veremos en Barcelona el 27/06/24, estoy nervioso 😁

[@robertcrago4018]

Awesome

[@wheatonna]

So many notes!

[@John_Doe657]

She’s awsome

[@zundap100]

Nice sound and playing Ana

[@fredrikjohnsson8509]

I like it☺

[@thegolfnut812]

Pursue what is you..... great advice.

[@jonlennon3348]

Ana I love your no style as you put it. As you play it sounds like somewhere you do have a jazz influence in your blues. Keep doing what you are doing but I wish you would come to Rochester,ny for a concert someday.

[@greglarry11]

She's a great guitarist.

[@toddrunt]

ANA HAS A GREAT AMERICAN BAND! ROCK ON ! ADAM, LAVANDO AND JAKUBA!

[@gunny60]

Wow !!!

[@buddyollie180]

Cool strat! 👍🇺🇸

[@74dartman13]

Buddy Ollie...I love that Strat! Wondering how old it is? Seems like she's definitely putting some wear on it, which just adds to the look! Relics can look cool, but never as good as the real deal!👍😎🎸🎶

[@jeffreyholmes7216]

I cannot tell you how cool I think this women is.badass!

[@nerenahd]

Ana and Tedeschi are my favorite blues women by a long shot

[@hankthompson2003]

AP is great!

[@jovanasimic6852]

Pozdrav iz Beograda.👒👒👒

[@juha195]

That red Strato is beautiful, ..... I have it too.

[@joeb3590]

Mines blue

[@alessiovitali315]

What Vox wah is that? I didn't understand if it's a particular version or just a limited finish one

[@eddkapa6507]

Amen sister

[@kungstu22]

Wicked tone

[@TheAleta22]

Najbolja pozz iz Hrvatske