Andrej Šifrer
Šifrer ventured into a solo career in 1977 after his time with the band Tektiti came to an end. As a singer-songwriter with a fondness for sophisticated pop, he created remarkable albums. He has shown interest in various genres since the nineties, exploring blues, country and folk sounds, and often records in the US and England with local studio musicians.
Bajaga
Momčilo Bajagić recorded his solo album “Pozitivna geografija” (“Positive Geography”) (1984) while he was a member of the band “Riblja Corba”/ “Fish Stew”, and surprised everybody with his fresh pop rock sound. Shortly afterwards he started the band “Instruktori” (“Instructors”) and with a series of big selling albums he made it to the top of the local hit lists. He has kept this status as a reputable and loved performer to date.
Oliver Mandić
Keyboard player Oliver Mandić worked with several bands from Belgrade in the seventies and started his solo career in 1978 with By the time his debut album “Probaj me” (Test me”) was released in 1980 he had proven himself to be a great creator of high production songs. The Belgrade TV Show “Beograd nocu” (“Belgrade at night”) that was aired for this album release received the “Zlatna ruza Montrea” (“Golden rose of Montreo”) award. He provoked the public with his second album “Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen” (“I would crush rock for you”) (1982) and its suggestive lyrics. In spite of good reviews and the broader public’s acceptance, he left the music industry after that album.
Darko Rundek
When the band “Haustor” stopped performing, Rundek moved to Paris in the early ’90s where he continued his music. He returned to the stage in 1996 with a successful solo record “Apokalipso” (“Apocalypse”.) Shortly thereafter, he assembled a backup orchestra – “Cargo Orchestra” – with whom he produced a series of quality albums and regularly performs around the globe.
Drago Mlinarec
Mlinarec started his solo career in 1971 when he left the band “Grupa 220” (“Band 220”.) He became one of the best singer-songwriters in the region. He achieved a significant career in the theatre, composing music for numerous performances. He also composed music for children’s films. He received the “Porin” Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Vlado Kreslin
During the second half of the ’80s, Vlado Kreslin was a singer in a band called “Martin Krpan”. He started his solo career in 1991, which led him to create a number of highly-praised albums. While collaborating with a band called “Beltinska banda” (“The Beltin Gang”) he would easily experiment with weird covers of Slovenian rock and folk music. He has also been involved in making music for films, and has written a few collections of poems. He often tours abroad. Since the ’90s he has been a regular organizer of Christmas shows in Ljubljana, inviting guest stars from all over the former Yugoslavia.
Gibonni
Ever since the early 90s, Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni has been a successful mainstream pop artist after having ended his career as frontman of the heavy metal band “Osmi Putnik” (“Eighth traveller”). Thanks to his well-reviewed solo albums, excellent composition abilities, as well as cooperation with esteemed international musicians, Zlatan is without a doubt one of the leading artists in the region.
Nikola Čuturilo
Guitar player and singer Nikola Čuturilo started his career in bands such as “Bicikl” (“Bicycle”), “Siluete” (“Silhouette”) and Zamba. It was in 1984, after joining the band “Riblja Corba” (“Fish Stew”), that he became more recognisable. In 1988 he opted for a solo career and made three albums that year. In the autumn of 1991, he moved to London, and he made the album “I.D.” in 1998. In 2006 he released the album “Nemir” (“Restlessness”), as he returned to live in Belgrade.
Miladin šobić
A Montenegrin artist, Sobić became recognisable in the mid-70’s. He released the albums “Oziljak” (“Scar”) in 1981 and “Umjesto gluposti” (“Instead of stupidity”), in 1982. In the mid-80s he decided to leave the music scene.
Rambo Amadeus
Antonije Pušić, also known as Rambo Amadeus, arrived onto the music scene in 1988. He managed to patent his unique style through his debut album, by emphasizing specific oriental folk-music notes, and combining it with rap, classical music, rock riffs and humorous lyrics. His lyrics are full of harsh political statements. He is the first musician who took the stage in Bosnia and Croatia after the war. He also composed the music for several theatrical plays and movies, and even acted in some of them.
Toma Bebić
Toma Bebić, born in 1939, was a poet, singer and journalist, and represented one of the most charismatic personalities on the scene. He would disrupt the uptight rhythm of pop music festivals with his picturesque and light songs, using various genres such as pop, rock or a capella music. His debut album “Volite se, ljudozderi” (“Love yourselves, man-eaters”) in 1975 He was an influence on numerous musicians in Split. At the same time he was also engaged in writing children’s poetry. He died on February 4, 1990.
Arsen Dedić
Arsen Dedić, born in 1938, in Sibenik, is an authentic pioneer of autobiographical lyrics and literary chansons. He appeared on the scene in the late 50’s and released over thirty albums throughout his long career. He also wrote a series of poetry books. He was one of the most influential artists on the scene of ex-Yugoslavia.
Đorđe Balašević
Đorđe Balašević, born in 1953, started his amazing career in 1977 as a member of the band “Zetva” and recorded a light tango number, called “U razdeljak te ljubim” (“Kiss you where your hair parts”). He skyrocketed into stardom as he released a significant number of albums. He is the author of numerous novels and collections of poems. Occasionally he engaged in acting. He also directed the movie “Kao rani mraz” (“Like the morning frost”). Balašević died on 19 February 2021, in Novi Sad, from complications of pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
Dejan Cukić
Dejan Cukić, born in 1959, started as a singer in the bands “Dizel” and “Tilt.” He became recognisable in the band “Bulevar” (“Boulevar”), which released two albums in the early ’80s. In the first half of 1984 he joined Bajaga’s Instruktori and stayed with them until 1987 when he decided to go solo. He released 8 albums, pursued a career in journalism at the same time, and wrote several books on music.
Aleksander Mežek
Singer/songwriter Aleksander Mežek began to pursue music in 1965, on the radio-show “Pokazi kaj znas” (“Show like you know it”). While in college in London in the early 70’s, he was known under the pseudonym “Alexander John”. He was closely working with Cliff Richard while he recorded his songs. His debut album “Days go by” was released in England in 1974. So far, he has released over 20 albums, pursuing his career both in Slovenia and abroad.
Rex Ilusivii
Using the pseudonym Rex Ilusivii, Mitar Subotić presented his works of electronic music to the public in the early 80s. He closely collaborated with EKV, Massimo Savić, Marina Perazić and others. He was also engaged as a producer. In the mid-80’s he moved to Paris, then to Brazil where he created a very successful name for himself as a composer and a producer. He died in a fire accident in Sao Paolo, on November 2, 1999.
Boris Novković
Boris appeared on the music scene in 1986 with his hit song “Kuda idu izgubljene djevojke (Tamara)”, (“Where do the lost girls go – Tamara”). By embracing his pop/rock sound and being the son of the ultra-popular hit maker Đorđe Novkovic, Boris himself became very recognisable and is still making music to this day. He collaborated with many musicians from the ex-Yu region. He also took his chance at acting, in the movie “Spijun na stiklama” (“Spy in heels”).
Dušan Prelević
Dušan Prelević began to sing professionally in 1965 by performing soul and rhythm & blues music. After having moved through several Belgrade-based bands, he became a frontman of the band “Korni,” which he soon left, due to a lack of discipline. In the course of his solo career he made three albums and published several short story collections. He died in 2000.
Laza Ristovski
Keyboard player Laza Ristovski emerged onto the music scene as a 14-year with a band called “Bezimeni” (“Unnamed”) from Kraljevo. In early 1975 he moved to the band “Smak” and in October 1976, to “Bijelo dugme”. With some short periods on hiatus, he played with “Bijelo dugme” until 1989, when he concluded his career. He released a series of instrumental solo albums. He composed film music and cooperated with esteemed international artists. As a studio musician, he participated in the making of over 1000 albums of varying genres. He died on October 6, 2007.
