Croatian blues rocker excited for ‘special’ Rory Gallagher Festival performance

Croatian musician Vanja Sky said performing at the Rory Gallagher International Festival on her first trip to Ireland will make the occasion “even more special” for her.

Vanja Sky and her band will make a debut performance at the Rory Gallagher International Festival on June 1 at the Festival Big Top. Described as a “serious Rory Gallagher fan”, the Croat guitarist always salutes Rory in all her performances.

“I’m very excited, as much as I can be, I’d say,” said Vanja. “It’s also my first time travelling to Ireland. That makes it even more special to go to the Rory Gallagher International Festival first.

“Rory Gallagher, for me, was one of the best guitarists there ever was. You can’t top it. He performed with such power and love that you can’t really describe it. 

“I didn’t have the chance to see him live unfortunately, because of the age gap, but even just seeing him on videos made a huge impact on me. It’s also a privilege to keep his music alive.”

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Described as Croatia’s answer to Sheryl Crow and Norah Jones, Vanja’s career has developed rapidly. Five years after learning to play the guitar, Vanja recorded her debut album ‘Bad Penny’ with well-known artists from the international blues scene. 

These days, Vanja has concerts lined up all over Europe, including countries like Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Czechia. 

When asked to describe her music and what audiences could expect in Ballyshannon, Vanja responded: “I guess it’s a mix of all kinds of stuff. I have always played with passion, but when it comes to genre, I’d say rock with blues elements. You should come and check it out for yourself. 

“I’ll have a special guest for my performance, but I won’t tell any more, otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise.”