David Vujanic wants you to Have a Nice
Content Creator David Vujanic ‘Vuj’ discusses the Balkan influence on his popular mantra and brand ‘Have a Nice’ and its role in British football culture.
When I first got interested in British football, or soccer as I have called it all my life, all I knew was Wayne Rooney was number 10 for Manchester United and Aon was their sponsor. I only knew Aon was their sponsor because my father worked for Aon, and I convinced him to buy me a ‘Rooney 10’ jersey. A couple of years later my older brother was getting into the English Premier League and said he was following Manchester City, because as I later found out they had just won their first league title. I went to the nearest soccer shop and picked out a brand-new Man City jersey - thanks Mom.
Following the Premier League in the United States was nowhere near as popular as it is now, so at first, I began watching any YouTube shows that I could find. The first and most memorable was Copa90’s Comments Below. The show featured two hosts, Poet & Vuj, discussing football scores and fan opinions based on the comments. Popularity shot through the roof and the hosts became a staple of British football culture. After the show dissipated Vuj turned his focus to ‘Have a Nice’, a self-described “philosophical way of life”. But his life wasn’t always nice.
“My core was like viral parodies, funny videos. You know, having a laugh and just putting my personality out there.”
Growing up during a civil war is not a normal childhood experience for most, but for David Vujanic his identity was forged early from conflict and hardships in ex-Yugoslavia. Vuj attests growing up during this turbulent period in the Balkans has “given him a different perspective on the world”. From a young age Vuj’s identity has made him politically conscious, which eventually pushed him to study international relations at the University of Essex.
Being an ethnic Serbian and growing up in the Balkans made Vuj who he is today, as he explains: “I think that you find a lot of people from the Balkans and Serbia and those regions, that maybe the ethnic background, history, and collective is very strong.” He goes on to explain his attachment towards his background: “Maybe even in some way [it’s] a survival mechanism, isn’t it? You’re attached to what feels like brings you some sort of community or identity.”
This strong identity that Vuj found in his childhood morphed into a hilariously personable football culture figure that has adapted well in the content creation world. Vuj self-describes as a ‘creator’ who doesn’t stick to just one genre but dips into as many content forms as possible. It started in 2015 when Cheeky Nandos was released, a viral YouTube video that parodied a popular grime tune. Vuj started to make more funny YouTube videos and it seemingly became his pedigree: “My core was like viral parodies, funny videos. You know, having a laugh and just putting my personality out there.”
Vuj’s personality has led him to where he is today, standing in front of me on a football pitch in East London with a kit that reads ‘Have a Nice’ on a bright pink shirt.
© Paul-Hudson Erwin
© Paul-Hudson Erwin
What is ‘Have a Nice’?
Is it a mantra, a way of life, a brand, a movement? Vuj self-describes it as “a philosophical way of life”, if that clears it up for you. It’s really all of these definitions rolled into one, however, as Vuj says it’s something to live by but also something you can wear. He has so many irons in the fire that yes, he’s even created a clothing line with ‘Have a Nice’ printed on the front – which reinforces the saying as a movement as well because people are not only saying it and living it but also wearing it.
The origin of the phrase is clearer, with Vuj being able to pinpoint when he first heard the saying and how it caught on.
“It came about when I was at Copa90 with Poet, we were on the train once, and I heard what seemed like a drunk Eastern European man on the train, talking to a woman. And as he was getting off the train, he patted the dog and said ‘Oh what is this dog? What is the dog’s name?’ you know, sort of in broken English. And then, to say goodbye to the woman, he said ‘Have a nice’. Me and Poet, our brains just blew. I sort of started saying that at the end of every interview when I was in Copa90. And then it just stayed. I owe that man a lot, whoever that man is, that drunk Eastern European guy, I owe him a lot of money. I hope he’s well, and it just shows inspiration can be found anywhere.”
‘Have a Nice’ is more meaningful for Vuj than just some saying, and you can see this from the arm tattoo he has of the phrase. He says it’s about “enjoying the moment and enjoying the little things in life” but he says it in a way that he wants it to be obvious, he thinks everyone should be partaking. And he’s right, why don’t more people enjoy the little things and live in the moment? Vuj understands that life is full of ups and downs: “I think we’re here to enjoy life; we all struggle and suffer but enjoyment, you know, we all deserve a little bit of enjoyment.”
There’s this deeper meaning to what Vuj is saying, and it goes back to his own struggles being a child in such a turbulent, war-torn environment. He went through hell and still saw the simplicity in life, that it’s meant to be enjoyed and people should make the most of the moment they’re in. It’s something beautiful that not everyone sees, but Vuj has and he’s made it his mission to bring this way of life to others and push the message out there. It’s a message of positivity that has already reached people around the globe thanks to football.
Vuj projects the ‘Have a Nice’ image well, but like everyone he’s caught up in life. Recently as he’s been trying to make sense of the world having a nice is simpler: “I try to take care of myself and I think that’s having a nice, you know, taking care of who you are and your sanity.”
True to his word, Vuj sets off to stretch down the touchline and get ready for his match. He’s got an 8-a-side game in a few minutes, and I’d bet that’s how he takes care of himself and keeps sane - with football. I stay around for the first half and take some snaps of the team and even catch Vuj putting one in the back of the net. It looks like he’s having a nice.
© Paul-Hudson Erwin
© Paul-Hudson Erwin
Built with Shorthand