Marko Purišić (born 5 July 1995), known professionally as Baby Lasagna, is a Croatian singer-songwriter and
music producer. He represented Croatia in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "
Rim Tim Tagi Dim", where he finished in second place overall with 547 points and first in the public vote, becoming Croatia's highest-scoring Eurovision entrant since its debut as an independent country in 1993.
Early life
Marko Purišić was born on 5 July 1995 in
Rijeka,
Croatia and grew up in
Umag.[1] He has a younger brother named Martin, who is also a musician and performs as a member of
Mono Inc.[2]
Coming from a family in which his mother and several other family members work as teachers, Purišić expressed that he would have most likely become a teacher too if he had not decided to pursue a musical career instead.[3] He did, however, work as a children's assistant in elementary school for a year until quitting to study
public relations at the VERN University in
Zagreb.[3] Purišić had previously also studied tourism in
Buje and
sound engineering in
Ljubljana.[3] He also studied Multimedia at the
University North in
Varaždin.[4]
Career
From 2011 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2022, Purišić served as the guitarist for
Manntra, a Croatian rock band.[5] While still a member of the band, they participated in Dora 2019, securing the fourth position with the song "In the Shadows" with a total of 12 points.[6] Following his tenure with the group, he transitioned to pursue a solo career in 2023.[7] On 21 October 2023, Purišić released his debut single "IG Boy" under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna through Molly Studios.[8] Two months later, in December 2023, his second single "Don't Hate Yourself, But Don't Love Yourself Too Much" was released.[9]
Purišić was among the participants of Dora 2024, the Croatian selection for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with the song "
Rim Tim Tagi Dim";[10] he advanced from his semi-final on 23 February 2024 and ultimately won the final on 25 February.[11] The song debuted at number 24 on the
HR Top 40 chart, making it Purišić's first chart entry in Croatia;[12] following his Dora triumph, it peaked at number one,[13] as well as debuted and peaked at number two on Billboard's
Croatia Songs chart.[14] On 23 March, Purišić served as a presenter at the 31st
Porin Awards.[15] On 8 April, Purišić revealed that
Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) was producing a television documentary about his life and journey to Eurovision, which was set to air before his semi-final performance on 7 May.[16] On 11 May in the Eurovision grand final, Purišić won the televote but finished second overall, behind
Switzerland's
Nemo and their song "
The Code".
On 15 May, Purišić sold out three concerts at
ŠRC Šalata, scheduled for 12–14 September, within minutes.[17] He also performed at the
Sea Star Festival in his native Umag on 25 May.[18]
Other projects
In 2022, Purišić played a significant role in co-writing several tracks for
Mono Inc.'s 12th studio album, Ravenblack. contributing to the album's success as it reached the number one spot in
Germany, marking the band's highest-peaking album to date.[19] Notably, many of the songs penned by Purišić were selected as singles, including "Princess of the Night", "Empire", "Heartbeat of the Dead", "Lieb mich", and "At the End of the Rainbow".[20]
Artistry
Purišić came up with his stage name in an
eureka moment while searching for a market in
Novigrad to buy water and take a headache pill.[21][22] His visual presentation was described as "sometimes
goth, and sometimes an
emo reinterpretation of
Mattel's famous
Ken doll" by
N1 Hrvatska's Bruno Šlat.[23]
Purišić cites
Rammstein,
Twenty One Pilots,
Electric Callboy, and
Tonči & Madre Badessa as his musical influences.[24][23][25] His music has been described as a mixture of
pop punk,
techno,
metal, and
house.[26][27][28] Purišić's musical style revolves around autobiographical storytelling, delving into his personal experiences, while also addressing broader societal issues, particularly those affecting his homeland.[29][30] Noteworthy examples include "Rim Tim Tagi Dim", a poignant narrative depicting a young boy's journey from Croatia in search of a brighter future in another country.[29]
Personal life
He is
Catholic. In an interview for Bitno.net, he named
Padre Pio and
Paul the Apostle as his spiritual role models.[31] He is engaged to Elizabeta Ružić who encouraged him to start a solo music career.[32]