Croatian popular music
Encyclopedia
Croatian popular music is the popular music
of Croatia
.
Prominent mainstream pop
artists include: Danijela Martinović
, Severina, Gibonni, Toni Cetinski
and the patriotic band Thompson
. Croatia is known for the specific Dalmatia
n sound performed at various festivals along the Adriatic coast with Oliver Dragojević
being one of the most eminent artists. A highly acclaimed singer-songwriter
is the chanson
-inspired Arsen Dedić
. Internationally successful singer and songwriter Ivo Robić
is a representative of the Zagreb
school of schlager
. Some of the most successful and long-lasting rock music
acts include Parni valjak
and Prljavo kazalište
, while the underground music
scene include Let 3
, the punk rock
band Hladno Pivo
and many others.
was one of the first acclaimed popular music artists in Croatia during the existence of the former Yugoslavia
. He emerged in the late 1940s and later launched a very successful international career as well, closely cooperating with the famous composer and Polydor producer Bert Kaempfert
, whom he convinced to produce the then upcoming act The Beatles
after seeing them performing in the Top Ten Club
in Hamburg
. Robić is the author of the famous schlager
that was later popularized by Frank Sinatra
as Strangers in the Night
.
The Croatian rock music
began in the 1950s, and one of the first classic rocknroll performers was Karlo Metikoš from Zagreb
. He moved to Paris
, France
where he started a successful international career under the pseudonym Matt Collins. He recorded for Philips Records
and had an opportunity to meet legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis
and Paul Anka
.
During the 1960s many prominent groups emerged such as: Delfini, Crveni koralji and Roboti. The latter featured Ivica Percl, who after leaving Roboti in September 1966 because they were too loud, became a protest singer-songwriter
influenced by the acoustic sound of Bob Dylan
, Donovan
and Joan Baez
. In the same year, the internationally acclaimed Croatian chanson
-influenced singer Tereza Kesovija
represented Monaco
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966
. Another notable female vocalist who emerged in this period was Josipa Lisac
(later Karlo Metikoš's wife) who still enjoys huge popularity in Croatia.
The 1970s saw the emergence of artists who espoused hard rock
, progressive rock
and other styles. Notable artists of that decade included Dado Topić
's Time
, Atomsko sklonište
and many others. Other important group formed in this period is Parni valjak
led by Aki Rahimovski. The late 1970s were marked by the punk rock
explosion. The group Paraf
from Rijeka
was one of the first punk bands in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia
in general, and later they moved on to post-punk
. From punk rock emerged the New Wave
, and Croatia developed a successful scene of its own called Novi val (meaning New Wave).
The scene included some the most notable Croatian artists such as Prljavo Kazalište
, Azra
, Haustor
, Film
and Aerodrom
. This period of the Croatian rock is covered in the rockumentary
Sretno dijete
released in 2003. Following the decline of the Novi val scene, many new artists emerged during the 1980s: the Art-rock and New Romantic
bands such as BOA
and Dorian Gray
, the latter led by Massimo Savić, and also the synthpop
duo Denis i Denis which featured Marina Perazić, originally from Rijeka, who later became a solo pop
artist.
In another city on the Adriatic coast, in Split
, a notable heavy metal
group was Osmi putnik
, formed in 1985, which featured the now popular solo pop singer Gibonni. Another popular act from this city was the pop group Magazin
, while one of the most popular mainstream pop acts in the country was Novi fosili
, initially with Đurđica Barlović on vocals, later replaced by Sanja Doležal
.
Late 1980s popular act was Boris Novković
and his band Noćna straža. He is a son of the prominent Croatian composer of popular music Đorđe Novković. During the existence of the former Yugoslavia with SR Croatia as its constituent country
, the Croatian music scene contributed a lot to the federal Yugoslav pop and rock. The Croatian candidates were very successful in the former Yugoslav national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest
called Jugovizija. For several consecutive years, Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest
was represented solely by Croatian artists: Doris Dragović
in 1986
; Novi fosili
in 1987
; Srebrna krila
in 1988
, and finally the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
- the Croatian group Riva
.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990
was held in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
in Zagreb, where again, Yugoslavia was represented by a Croatian artist - Tajči
. An important person behind most of these successful Croatian Eurovision acts was the prominent popular music producer and composer Zrinko Tutić.
many Croatian musicians gathered to record humanitarian or tribute albums for the Croatian forces. Such projects included Hrvatski Band Aid
and Rock za Hrvatsku
. The latter included the famous anti-war
song E, moj druže Beogradski (Hey my Belgrade comrade) by Jura Stublić
, the frontman of the group Film
. Following the proclamation of Croatia as an independent state, many new Croatian artists emerged. One of the most notable hits in this period was Tek je 12 sati by the dance-pop
group ET (Electro-team). Croatia's national music awards, Porin
s, were established in 1994..
Croatian independence also introduced a new generation of performers such as Daleka Obala
, Thompson
and pop act Baruni
..
n folk music
sound which mixed with various forms of popular music
is represented at the festivals held on the Adriatic coast, such as the Split Festival
and formerly the Opatija
Festival. This style of music is similar to the Italian
Canzone
and the Sanremo Music Festival and some of its most notable act are Oliver Dragojević
and Mišo Kovač
. One of the most notable festival solo singer was Vice Vukov
, who represented former Yugoslavia
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
and 1965
, before being accused of croatian nationalism
during the Croatian Spring
and subsequently persecuted by the Yugoslav authorities. Other eminent festival performers include: Tereza Kesovija
, Doris Dragović
, Jasna Zlokić, Meri Cetinić and formerly the group Dubrovački trubaduri
. The latter featured elements of the Dubrovnik
renaissance music traditions.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Prominent mainstream pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artists include: Danijela Martinović
Danijela Martinovic
Danijela Martinović, known artistically as Danijela is a popular Croatian singer with success across all of the Balkans.-Biography:...
, Severina, Gibonni, Toni Cetinski
Toni Cetinski
Anthony Cetinski is a Croatian pop singer.Today, he is one of the most popular male singers in Croatia and he is also popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.-Biography:...
and the patriotic band Thompson
Thompson (band)
Thompson is a Croatian rock band. The group was founded by Marko Perković "Thompson", who is often identified with the band itself, "Thompson" being his stage name. Perković is the songwriter and lead vocalist...
. Croatia is known for the specific Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n sound performed at various festivals along the Adriatic coast with Oliver Dragojević
Oliver Dragojevic
Oliver Dragojević is one of the most popular Croatian pop singers. A native of Vela Luka from the island of Korčula, he emerged onto the music scene in the 1970s thanks to the popular Split Festival, one of several musical annual events which began in the former Yugoslavia and still is being held...
being one of the most eminent artists. A highly acclaimed singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
is the chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
-inspired Arsen Dedić
Arsen Dedic
Arsen Dedić is a Croatian singer-songwriter who has been prominent in the Croatian as well as former Yugoslav music scene. Dedić writes and performs chansons as well as film music...
. Internationally successful singer and songwriter Ivo Robić
Ivo Robic
Ivo Robić was Croatian singer and songwriter.-Domestic career:Robić began his career as a soloist with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra, while studying at the same time in Zagreb...
is a representative of the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
school of schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
. Some of the most successful and long-lasting rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
acts include Parni valjak
Parni Valjak
Parni valjak 1975 is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav Rock scene, and currently one of the top rock-and-roll bands in Croatia.-Biography:Parni valjak was founded in 1975...
and Prljavo kazalište
Prljavo kazalište
Prljavo kazalište is a rock and roll band from Zagreb, Croatia. Since its formation in 1977, the group changed several music styles and line ups but remained one of the top acts of both the Croatian and the former Yugoslav rock scenes.-Beginnings:Prljavo kazalište was formed in 1977 in Dubrava,...
, while the underground music
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
scene include Let 3
Let 3
Let 3 is a modern rock band from Rijeka, Croatia formed in 1987. The band frontmen are Damir "Mrle" Martinović and Zoran "Prlja" Prodanović. The band is popular in Croatia and other former Yugoslav republics due to their original approach to rock music and their obscene live performances...
, the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Hladno Pivo
Hladno pivo
Hladno pivo is a Croatian punk rock band. It is one of most popular rock bands in Croatia.-Early history:The band was formed in Zagreb. It initially consisted of four members: Zok, Tedi, Suba, Mile...
and many others.
Overview
Ivo RobićIvo Robic
Ivo Robić was Croatian singer and songwriter.-Domestic career:Robić began his career as a soloist with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra, while studying at the same time in Zagreb...
was one of the first acclaimed popular music artists in Croatia during the existence of the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
. He emerged in the late 1940s and later launched a very successful international career as well, closely cooperating with the famous composer and Polydor producer Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
, whom he convinced to produce the then upcoming act The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
after seeing them performing in the Top Ten Club
Top Ten Club
The Top Ten Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany owned by Peter Eckhorn. The address in Hamburg area St. Pauli was 136 Reeperbahn.-Musicians who have played here:...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Robić is the author of the famous schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
that was later popularized by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
as Strangers in the Night
Strangers in the Night
"Strangers in the Night" is a popular song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It was originally created under the title Beddy Bye as part of the instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed...
.
The Croatian rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
began in the 1950s, and one of the first classic rocknroll performers was Karlo Metikoš from Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. He moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he started a successful international career under the pseudonym Matt Collins. He recorded for Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
and had an opportunity to meet legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
and Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
.
During the 1960s many prominent groups emerged such as: Delfini, Crveni koralji and Roboti. The latter featured Ivica Percl, who after leaving Roboti in September 1966 because they were too loud, became a protest singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
influenced by the acoustic sound of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
. In the same year, the internationally acclaimed Croatian chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
-influenced singer Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Ana Kesovija is an internationally acclaimed Croatian singer, one of the most recognisable figures on the Balkan music scene, renowned for her wide vocal range and operatic style and one of the most important artists of the former Yugoslavia. She also had a very successful career in France...
represented Monaco
Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest
Monaco first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959. The country's first and only win in the contest came in 1971, when Séverine performed "Un banc, un arbre, une rue". In 1972 Monaco was expected to host the contest, but declined...
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966
Eurovision Song Contest 1966
The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition and was held on 5 March 1966 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. This was possibly created due to the 1965 Swedish entry, "Absent...
. Another notable female vocalist who emerged in this period was Josipa Lisac
Josipa Lisac
Josipa Lisac is an eminent female singer.-Biography:During the 1960s she was a vocalist of the group named Zlatni Akordi...
(later Karlo Metikoš's wife) who still enjoys huge popularity in Croatia.
The 1970s saw the emergence of artists who espoused hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and other styles. Notable artists of that decade included Dado Topić
Dado Topic
Adolf "Dado" Topić is a singer who sang the entry from Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 together with the band Dragonfly. He is one of the most popular rock musicians of Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band...
's Time
Time (rock band)
Time was a rock band from Yugoslavia that was formed in 1971 by Dado Topić after leaving his previous band Korni Grupa. The original lineup consisted of, in addition to Topić, Tihomir Pop Asanović , Vedran Božić , Mario Mavrin , Ratko Divjak and Brane Lambert Živković...
, Atomsko sklonište
Atomsko sklonište
Atomsko sklonište is a Croatian and former Yugoslav hard rock band, formed in Pula in 1977. The band is known primarily for its strong anti-war lyrics.-1977-1987:...
and many others. Other important group formed in this period is Parni valjak
Parni Valjak
Parni valjak 1975 is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav Rock scene, and currently one of the top rock-and-roll bands in Croatia.-Biography:Parni valjak was founded in 1975...
led by Aki Rahimovski. The late 1970s were marked by the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
explosion. The group Paraf
Paraf
Paraf is a punk rock and later post-punk band from Rijeka, Croatia, known as one of the pioneers of punk rock in the former Yugoslavia.- Punk rock years :...
from Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
was one of the first punk bands in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
in general, and later they moved on to post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
. From punk rock emerged the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, and Croatia developed a successful scene of its own called Novi val (meaning New Wave).
The scene included some the most notable Croatian artists such as Prljavo Kazalište
Prljavo kazalište
Prljavo kazalište is a rock and roll band from Zagreb, Croatia. Since its formation in 1977, the group changed several music styles and line ups but remained one of the top acts of both the Croatian and the former Yugoslav rock scenes.-Beginnings:Prljavo kazalište was formed in 1977 in Dubrava,...
, Azra
Azra
Azra was a rock band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner . The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine...
, Haustor
Haustor
Haustor was a rock band from Zagreb, SR Croatia, a member of the Novi val movement, and an important act of the former Yugoslav Rock scene.- Biography :...
, Film
Film (music group)
Film was a Croatian rock group founded in 1978 in Zagreb. Film was one of the most popular rock groups of the former Yugoslav New Wave in the late 1970s to early 1980s.- New Wave years :...
and Aerodrom
Aerodrom (band)
Aerodrom is a Croatian rock band from Zagreb. The group was active between 1979 and 1986, releasing five studio albums in that period. Aerodrom saw its greatest success in the early 1980s before launching a comeback in 2001...
. This period of the Croatian rock is covered in the rockumentary
Rockumentary
The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....
Sretno dijete
Sretno dijete
Sretno dijete is a documentary film directed by Igor Mirković, and produced by Rajko Grlić, an Ohio University professor of film, in 2003...
released in 2003. Following the decline of the Novi val scene, many new artists emerged during the 1980s: the Art-rock and New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
bands such as BOA
BOA (band)
BOA is a Croatian music group, which was especially prominent during the 1980s around the former SFR Yugoslavia.-History:The band's early history started in Zagreb, then SR Croatia in 1974, when its founding members Mladen Puljiz and Slavko Remenarić, switched their interest from classical music to...
and Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray (band)
Dorian Gray was an 1980s Yugoslav music group which achieved great prominence in the former Yugoslav rock scene for its artistic and extravagant style and stage performances. It was led by Massimo Savić, who later started a successful solo career...
, the latter led by Massimo Savić, and also the synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo Denis i Denis which featured Marina Perazić, originally from Rijeka, who later became a solo pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artist.
In another city on the Adriatic coast, in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, a notable heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
group was Osmi putnik
Osmi putnik
Osmi putnik is a Croatian and former Yugoslav hard rock/heavy metal band.-1985 - 1989:...
, formed in 1985, which featured the now popular solo pop singer Gibonni. Another popular act from this city was the pop group Magazin
Magazin
Magazin is a Croatian pop band from Split.Founded in the 1970s under the name Dalmatinski magazin , the band quickly began to make a mark on local pop music festivals with its songs influenced by Dalmatian folk music...
, while one of the most popular mainstream pop acts in the country was Novi fosili
Novi fosili
Novi fosili was a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in former Yugoslavia.The group was formed in Zagreb in 1969. Their first successes came in 1976 when the composer Rajko Dujmić joined the band. That same year Novi Fosili played at the Split Festival, where their song...
, initially with Đurđica Barlović on vocals, later replaced by Sanja Doležal
Sanja Doležal
Sanja Doležal is a Croatian singer and television host.She is best known as the singer in the band Novi fosili, between 1984 and the 1990s....
.
Late 1980s popular act was Boris Novković
Boris Novkovic
Boris Novković is a Croatian pop singer. Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the former Yugoslavia, his interest in a musical career was cultivated by his family background, with a mother who taught music, and a father, Đorđe Novković, who was a leading Croatian songwriter and music manager...
and his band Noćna straža. He is a son of the prominent Croatian composer of popular music Đorđe Novković. During the existence of the former Yugoslavia with SR Croatia as its constituent country
Constituent country
Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a part Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts...
, the Croatian music scene contributed a lot to the federal Yugoslav pop and rock. The Croatian candidates were very successful in the former Yugoslav national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
called Jugovizija. For several consecutive years, Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Yugoslavia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 27 times, debuting in 1961 and competing every year until its last appearance in 1992, with the exceptions of 1977–1980, and 1985...
was represented solely by Croatian artists: Doris Dragović
Doris Dragovic
Dorotea "Doris" Dragović is a Croatian singer-songwriter. She represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song "Željo moja", finishing the 11th with 49 points, and Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Marija Magdalena", finishing fourth with 118...
in 1986
Eurovision Song Contest 1986
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...
; Novi fosili
Novi fosili
Novi fosili was a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in former Yugoslavia.The group was formed in Zagreb in 1969. Their first successes came in 1976 when the composer Rajko Dujmić joined the band. That same year Novi Fosili played at the Split Festival, where their song...
in 1987
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kim's win the previous year. The presenter was Viktor Lazlo. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song "Hold Me Now"...
; Srebrna krila
Srebrna krila
Srebrna krila was a Croatian pop band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia.The band was created in 1978, with Vlado Kalember as the lead singer...
in 1988
Eurovision Song Contest 1988
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 30 April 1988 in Dublin. The presenters were Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca...
, and finally the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
- the Croatian group Riva
Riva (band)
Riva was a pop rock band from Zadar, Croatia, then Yugoslavia, in the late 1980s.The group debuted on Zagrebfest 1988. Their song "Rock Me" won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 in Switzerland, with a score of 137 points. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor in The Eurovision Song...
.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990
Eurovision Song Contest 1990
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990, the 35th in the series, was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on 5 May 1990. The presenters were Helga Vlahović Brnobić and Oliver Mlakar. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song "Insieme: 1992"...
was held in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall is a large concert hall and convention center in Zagreb, Croatia. It is named after Vatroslav Lisinski, a 19th-century Croatian composer. The building has a big hall with 1841 seats and a small hall with 305 seats. A large lobby doubles as an exhibition...
in Zagreb, where again, Yugoslavia was represented by a Croatian artist - Tajči
Tajci
Tajči Cameron is a Croatian singer; she has since taken up citizenship and residence in the United States.- Career :As a pop star in the former Yugoslavia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, she won the national selection of RTV Zagreb, SR Croatia and represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song...
. An important person behind most of these successful Croatian Eurovision acts was the prominent popular music producer and composer Zrinko Tutić.
Independence
With the outbreak of the Croatian War of IndependenceCroatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
many Croatian musicians gathered to record humanitarian or tribute albums for the Croatian forces. Such projects included Hrvatski Band Aid
Hrvatski Band Aid
Moja domovina is a Croatian patriotic song originally recorded in 1991 as a charity single by a supergroup called "Croatian Band Aid" featuring a number of prominent local musicians from all musical genres. The song was arranged by Nikša Bratoš while the music was composed by Damir Lipošek,...
and Rock za Hrvatsku
Rock za Hrvatsku
"The Best of Rock za Hrvatsku" was a popular compilation album of anti-war and patriotic songs released in 1992 during the Croatian War of Independence. Some of the contributing artists had been popular across the then recently defunct federation of Yugoslavia, namely Psihomodo pop, Jura Stublić,...
. The latter included the famous anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
song E, moj druže Beogradski (Hey my Belgrade comrade) by Jura Stublić
Jura Stublic
Jurislav "Jura" Stublić is a Croatian singer and songwriter.-Biography:In 1961, he moved with his parents Tomislav and Vesna to Sesvetski Kraljevec near Zagreb. His father was from Sesvetski Kraljevec and he too was a singer. His mother was a tailor.In Zagreb, Stublić studied philosophy, but he...
, the frontman of the group Film
Film (music group)
Film was a Croatian rock group founded in 1978 in Zagreb. Film was one of the most popular rock groups of the former Yugoslav New Wave in the late 1970s to early 1980s.- New Wave years :...
. Following the proclamation of Croatia as an independent state, many new Croatian artists emerged. One of the most notable hits in this period was Tek je 12 sati by the dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
group ET (Electro-team). Croatia's national music awards, Porin
Porin (music award)
Porin is Croatian music award founded by Croatian Phonographic Association, Croatian Musicians Union, Croatian Radiotelevision and Croatian Composers' Society.-Lifetime Achievement Award:...
s, were established in 1994..
Croatian independence also introduced a new generation of performers such as Daleka Obala
Daleka obala
Daleka obala is a Croatian rock band based in Split. The band is composed of Marijan Ban, Jadran Vušković, Boris Hrepić and Zoran Ukić...
, Thompson
Thompson (band)
Thompson is a Croatian rock band. The group was founded by Marko Perković "Thompson", who is often identified with the band itself, "Thompson" being his stage name. Perković is the songwriter and lead vocalist...
and pop act Baruni
Baruni
Baruni is a Croatian pop band. The group was formed in 1991.Name "baruni" was given by Tomislav Ivčić.The group was previously signed to Croatia Records, but is currently working with rival Hit Records...
..
Festivals
Croatia is known for its specific DalmatiaDalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
sound which mixed with various forms of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
is represented at the festivals held on the Adriatic coast, such as the Split Festival
Split Festival
The Split Festival is a pop music festival held annually in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals...
and formerly the Opatija
Opatija
Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. , the town proper had a population of 7,850, with the municipality having a total 12,719 inhabitants.-Geography:...
Festival. This style of music is similar to the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Canzone
Canzone
Literally "song" in Italian, a canzone is an Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal...
and the Sanremo Music Festival and some of its most notable act are Oliver Dragojević
Oliver Dragojevic
Oliver Dragojević is one of the most popular Croatian pop singers. A native of Vela Luka from the island of Korčula, he emerged onto the music scene in the 1970s thanks to the popular Split Festival, one of several musical annual events which began in the former Yugoslavia and still is being held...
and Mišo Kovač
Mišo Kovac
Mišo Kovač is a Croatian singer who was one of the most popular musical icons of the former Yugoslavia, and still popular today in Croatia.-Biography:...
. One of the most notable festival solo singer was Vice Vukov
Vice Vukov
Vice Vukov was a Croatian singer and politician.-Biography:During the 1960s, Vukov was one of the most popular singers in Yugoslavia, appearing at the Eurovision Song Contest 1963 with the song "Brodovi" and at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 with the song "Čežnja".In the aftermath of the...
, who represented former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
Eurovision Song Contest 1963
The Eurovision Song Contest 1963 was the 8th Eurovision Song Contest. France had won the contest in 1962 but were incapable of hosting in 1963, as was their right, due to financial shortcomings. As was the case in 1960 - and as would become a tradition when smaller broadcasters could not afford to...
and 1965
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the 10th in the series. Luxembourg's win was their second. Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Spain each scored "null points" for the second time. The 1965 contest marked the debut of Ireland, a country which later went on to dominate the competition. This was also...
, before being accused of croatian nationalism
Croatian nationalism
Croatian nationalism is the nationalism of Croats or of Croatian culture. It arose in the 19th century in response to Magyarization of Croat territories under Hungarian rule, especially under the influence of Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik,...
during the Croatian Spring
Croatian Spring
The Croatian Spring was a political movement from the early 1970s that called for greater rights for Croatia which was then part of Yugoslavia as well as democratic and economic reforms.-History:...
and subsequently persecuted by the Yugoslav authorities. Other eminent festival performers include: Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Ana Kesovija is an internationally acclaimed Croatian singer, one of the most recognisable figures on the Balkan music scene, renowned for her wide vocal range and operatic style and one of the most important artists of the former Yugoslavia. She also had a very successful career in France...
, Doris Dragović
Doris Dragovic
Dorotea "Doris" Dragović is a Croatian singer-songwriter. She represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song "Željo moja", finishing the 11th with 49 points, and Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Marija Magdalena", finishing fourth with 118...
, Jasna Zlokić, Meri Cetinić and formerly the group Dubrovački trubaduri
Dubrovački trubaduri
Dubrovački trubaduri was a Croatian-Yugoslav beat, folk and pop band from Dubrovnik formed in 1961 by Đelo Jusić, main composer, guitar and mandolin player and leader of the group...
. The latter featured elements of the Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
renaissance music traditions.
Eurovision song contest
Croatia takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country since 1993. As of 2007, its best placing so far was 4th in 1996 and 1999.See also
- Music of CroatiaMusic of CroatiaThe music of Croatia, like the divisions of the country itself, has two major influences: the Central European one, present in the central and northern parts of the country, as well as in Slavonia, and the Mediterranean one, particularly present in the coastal regions of Dalmatia and Istria.In...