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Marko "Thompson" Perković
Croatian singer (born 1966) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Marko Perković (born 27 October 1966), better known by his stage name Thompson, is a Croatian singer and songwriter. Born in the village of Čavoglave, he participated in the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), during which he started his musical career with the nationalist song "Bojna Čavoglave" in 1991. In 2002, he launched his first major tour, after the release of his fifth studio album, E, moj narode. Since 2005, he has organized an unofficial celebration of Croatian Victory Day in his birthplace of Čavoglave.
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During his career, Thompson has attracted controversy in the media over his performances and songs, which some claim glorify or promote the World War II-era Croatian fascist Ustaše regime.[1]
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Early life
Perković was born on 27 October 1966 in Čavoglave (at the time SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia).[2][3] He attended high school in the city of Split. In 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, prompting the Croatian War of Independence. Perković joined the Croatian forces and used the American Thompson submachine gun during his time in the war, which became his nickname and eventual stage name.[4][5]
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Career
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Beginning and Moli mala (1991–1995)
It was while he was defending his home village that Perković became inspired to write one of the most popular songs during the war, "Bojna Čavoglave" ("Čavoglave battalion"), which launched his music career.[6][7] The song portrays Thompson and his comrades defending the village of Čavoglave. It was first played on Radio Split on New Year's Eve 1991, and two weeks later, it won the radio station's contest for "most patriotic song".[7] Eduard Gracin, music editor for Radio Split at the time, reportedly said that Perković had no intention to profit from it or to pursue a music career.[8] A music video, filmed by a local television station, aired on Croatian Radiotelevision, and the newspapers Slobodna Dalmacija and Nedjeljna Dalmacija helped popularize it.[7] The song quickly became a symbol of Croatian nationalism, and it helped raise the morale of Croatian soldiers; it eventually became Perković's trademark.[8]
In 1992, Perković released his debut album, Moli mala (English: "pray, baby"), on Croatia Records, with producer Tonči Huljić. It includes contributions from his future wife, pop singer Danijela Martinović. The songs, based on his experiences, focused on heartbreak and war. By this time, Perković had left the army, and he performed with other musicians as part of the anti-war concert tour Rock za Hrvatsku, though he briefly returned to military service in 1995 to participate in Operation Storm.[9]
Breakthrough with Geni kameni and E, moj narode (1995–2006)
In 1995, Perković started working on his second studio album, Vrijeme škorpiona, which he released the same year. The song "Anica − Kninska kraljica" gained attention for its patriotic theme. The following year, he issued the record Geni kameni, with the title track becoming another breakthrough. Through his subsequent albums, Vjetar s Dinare in 1998 and E, moj narode in 2002, Perković became a symbol of Croatian patriotism. His song "Lijepa li si" became an unofficial Croatian anthem, and he later re-recorded it with Alen Vitasović, Mladen Grdović, Mate Bulić, Miroslav Škoro, and Giuliano. In 2011, it was named the best Croatian patriotic song by Narodni Radio.[10] Other songs from E, moj narode gained significant popularity, including "Prijatelji", "Neću izdat ja", "Moj Ivane", and "Iza devet sela", which interpolates ABBA's "Super Trouper".[11][12] The album was certified diamond in Croatia, with over 60,000 copies sold.[13][14]
After the 2000 Croatian parliamentary election, a left-wing government was formed, led by the president of the Social Democratic Party, Ivica Račan, last secretary-general of the League of Communists of Croatia and a prominent leader in Croatia's push for independence.[15][16] Perković experienced a boost in popularity after embracing right-wing critics of Račan's cabinet, who protested the government's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in extraditing indicted war criminals.[5] During this period, Perković made obscene comments about Račan and then-Croatian President, Stjepan Mesić, in his concerts.[12]
Perković's band, also named Thompson, toured to promote E, moj narode. During a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split, attended by some 40,000 spectators,[17] Perković stated that his songs mark his "three loves: God, homeland, and family".[18] The event sparked controversy, however: Two seats in the audience were reserved for Mirko Norac (a convicted war criminal who was on trial at the time) and Ante Gotovina (found not guilty in 2012 on all charges by an appeals panel at the ICTY, but at the time a fugitive). At the beginning of the concert, just moments before Perković stepped onstage, the audience sang the Ustaše song "Evo zore, evo dana".[12][18]
In 2003, Perković released the greatest hits album Sve najbolje. In 2004, he collaborated on several songs on then-Thompson bassist Tiho Orlić's solo album Tiho. In May 2005, Perković performed in Australia at Sydney's Entertainment Centre and Melbourne's Vodafone Arena.[19]
Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj and mainstream success (2006–2013)
Perković's sixth studio album, Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj, was released in December 2006 and soon became his best-selling record, with over 120,000 copies sold.[20] Perković subsequently announced a tour of Croatia and select European cities, beginning after the Lenten season through summer, culminating with a performance at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, in front of 60,000 people.[21][22] As part of the second leg of the tour, Thompson performed at Split's Stadion Stari plac in front of 25,000 people, and the show was recorded for the live album Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj: Split – Stari plac.[23]
Perković had two shows scheduled in November 2007 in New York City, which provoked protests from several Jewish groups,[24] who called on the Archdiocese of New York to stop the performances. The archdiocese declined, however, reportedly finding no evidence that the singer promoted neo-Nazism.[25] His concert in Toronto, Canada, attracted 5,000 people to the Croatian center where it was held, after the original venue, Kool Haus, with a capacity of 2,500, cancelled.[26]
Perković continued the tour with shows in various Bosnian-Herzegovinian cities, including Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Novi Travnik, Široki Brijeg, and Čapljina.[23] His last performance in Croatia, before heading to Australia, was Cibona's annual Christmas benefit show at Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall, with proceeds going to the Zagreb Cathedral.[27] The Australian leg included shows at Melbourne's Festival Hall, Sydney's Sydney United Sports Centre on New Year's Eve, Adelaide, and Perth. The B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission of Australia lobbied to prevent the singer and his band from receiving Australian visas, but government officials found the band did not violate any terms that would prevent them from visiting Australia. After several guest appearances in Croatia, the rapper Shorty was confirmed to be joining Thompson for the Australian leg of the tour, which collectively drew in 22,000 fans at four shows.[28]
The tour continued in 2008, with shows in Rijeka, Krapina, and Čakovec, before pausing for the group's usual Lenten break,[29] which was followed by performances in Zadar's Jazine Arena and in Gothenburg, Sweden.[29] A show in Nova Gradiška had proceeds going to the construction of a local Catholic church. After Nova Gradiška, Thompson went to Varaždin, Karlovac, and Županja. Local authorities threatened to block the band's 21 May concert in Stuttgart, Germany.[30] However, they backed down after the concert's German Croat backers threatened legal action against the city and translated twenty of the band's songs into German for the authorities' benefit.[30] The tour officially ended on 28 December 2008, at the Borovo Naselje venue where it had begun,[31] with profits going to the Vukovar Hospital.[32]
It was estimated by Perković's staff that close to 950,000 tickets were sold during the two-year tour.[33] In June 2008, Perković was named the third most influential person in Croatian show business by Globus magazine.[34]
Ora et labora and tour (2013)
Perković released his seventh studio album, Ora et labora, on 10 April 2013, to critical acclaim. It contained heavy Christian and Catholic themes. The record topped iTunes charts in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.[35] Perković subsequently launched the Ora et labora Tour, on 22 June 2013, at the Zenith in Munich, Germany, in front of 4,000 people. The tour continued with a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split on 30 June, which was reportedly attended by 50,000 spectators.[36]
Hodočasnik, tour, and Zagreb Hippodrome concert (2025)
2025 concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome
Perković's eighth studio album, Hodočasnik, was released in June 2025, through Croatia Records. His first in 12 years, the record quickly became one of the most promoted releases of his career.[37] In January 2025, Perković's management team had submitted a request to rent the Zagreb Hippodrome, with the aim of organizing a major concert.[38] In March, the ticket sales company Entrio confirmed that 281,774 tickets were sold on the first day of sales, officially making it the concert with the largest number of tickets sold in the world.[39] After a second batch of tickets went on sale, the concert sold another 160,000 in a single day.[40] In June, a Dubai-based entertainment and stagehand company approached Perković's management and began setup at the Zagreb Hippodrome. The stage stood 33 m high and 150 m wide, with five LED screens and thousands of drones, and it quickly became one of the most logistically complex productions ever held in Croatia, with 14,000 police, firefighter, emergency medical service, and Red Cross personnel being involved in the event.[41][42]
The concert was held on 5 July 2025, selling an estimated total of 485,000 tickets, with Perković's manager claiming a total of 504,000 attendees at the event, breaking the record for the highest number of concert tickets ever sold and the most attended ticketed concert ever.[43] A makeshift field hospital was set up in preparation for the event, including 200 patient beds and approximately 100 medical staff,[44] who were supported by 17 ambulance teams stationed around the concert venue,[44] along with 175 members of the Red Cross.[45] The city of Zagreb implemented a state of heightened preparedness for the concert, with police restricting traffic in the neighbourhoods surrounding the venue.[46] Fans from 45 countries came to the concert, and the largest number of foreign tickets were sold from Vienna, Munich, Mostar, and Graz, followed by Argentina, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, and China.[8][47]
During the concert, Perković wore a T-shirt that read "03941158", the inmate number of Croatian political activist Zvonko Bušić. In 1976, Bušić hijacked TWA Flight 355 and planted a bomb at Grand Central Terminal in New York City that killed a police officer attempting to disarm it, an act intended to draw international attention to Croatia's position under Yugoslav rule.[48][49]
A follow-up concert was held on 4 August 2025 at the Sinj hippodrome, attracting around 150,000 attendees, further solidifying the Hodočasnik Tour as one of the most attended in Croatian music history.[50]
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Lyrics and themes
Perković's songs are often marked by Christian and historic themes, and they include elements of folklore. His music often employs politicized narratives that blame "communists" in cooperation with "historic enemies" of Croatia for the social and economic crises it presently faces[clarification needed].[6] Many of his songs deal with religion, including "Radost s visina" (English: "joy from above"), "Neću izdat ja" (English: "I won't betray"), "Dan dolazi" (English: "the day is coming"), and "Početak" (English: "the beginning"); or his own family and birthplace: "Zaustavi se, vjetre" (English: "stop yourself, wind"), "Sine moj" (English: "oh, my son"), and "Moj dida i ja" (English: "my grandpa and I").
Perković has mentioned being a fan of such bands as Nightwish, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, and Dream Theater, among others.[51] In 2007, a Washington Post writer described the New York stop on the Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj tour as sounding "like Iron Maiden doing Eastern European folk".[52]
Thompson's song "Lijepa li si" is traditionally played after and at halftime at all matches of the Croatia national football team at Stadion Maksimir.[53]
Charity work
Throughout his career, Perković has supported a number of charities and causes. In 2006, he held a concert with singer Mate Bulić in Slavonski Brod, with proceeds going to the building of a shrine near the city.[54] Following the 2007 Croatian coast fires, Thompson participated in the recording of the memorial song "Ovo nije kraj" as well as a charity football match at Stadion Poljud, attended by 30,000 people.[55]
The group performed at the Pjesmom za život humanitarian concert in Ljubuški on 30 October 2008, with proceeds going to the ill Herzegovinian Croat singer Jozo Milićević-Galini.[56]
In November 2008, he appeared at a concert in Zagreb headlined by Mate Bulić, with proceeds going to the Ana Rukavina Foundation, which supports a nationwide bone marrow donation network.[57]
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Band members
 | This section is missing information about the full list of musicians who have performed as part of Thompson. (November 2025) |
In April 2025, drummer Ivica Bilić, one of Thompson's longest-serving members, announced his departure from the band; he was replaced by Mario Klarić. The current lineup also includes guitarist Tomislav Mandarić (since 2005), keyboardist Duje Ivić (since 2010), and bassist Ivan Dabro (since 2016). Tiho Orlić, one of Perković's closest collaborators, began working with the singer in 1994, first as a backing vocalist, then a bassist, as well as doing production work.[58]
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Controversies
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Neo-nazism
Perković's alleged glorification of the Ustaše have led to accusations by some sources, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, of being a "fascist singer".[59][60][61] Two weeks after a concert in Zagreb on 17 June 2007, Perković made this statement regarding the accusations: "Me and members of my band saw nobody with Ustaše iconography among over 60 thousand people at Maksimir".[62]
Some of his fans are known for their ultranationalism, demonstrated by wearing Ustaše uniforms (including black hats associated with the movement), symbols, and banners. The Thompson song "Bojna Čavoglave" opens with the WWII fascist slogan "Za dom spremni", equivalent to the Nazi salute.[63][64]
Perković has generated controversy by allegedly performing "Jasenovac i Gradiška Stara", a song that openly glorifies the Ustaše regime, particularly its crimes against humanity during World War II in the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška concentration camps, in which the genocide of Serbs took place.[65] However, Perković has denied writing or even performing the song, stating that he is "a musician, not a politician".[66]
In 2007, the Anti Defamation League reported that many Thompson concert attendees, primarily young people, wore clothing with Ustaše symbols and carried banners with "anti-Serb, anti-semitic, and anti-Roma rhetoric". They performed Nazi salutes in response to the band's "traditional 'war cry' of the Ustašes" at the beginning of the concert.[66] Ustaše material was also sold at venues.[66]
In 2015, Perković performed in Knin in front of some 80,000 spectators for the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Croatian military's Operation Storm, with many in attendance singing pro-Ustaše songs and chanting slogans such as "kill a Serb" and "here we go Ustaše".[67]
Thompson was included in Croatia's celebration of the national team's second-place finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which drew criticism for "highlighting fascist nostalgia".[68]
Banned performances
In 2003, Thompson was barred from performing in Amsterdam. In response, Perković allegedly told a Croatian newspaper, "It is all to blame on the Jews. I have nothing against them and I did nothing to them. I know that Jesus Christ also did nothing against them, but still they hanged him on the cross. So what can I expect as a small man?"[66]
The Istrian town of Umag banned a Thompson concert in July 2008.[69] Afterward, Perković asked for permission to hold a concert in Pula, Istria's most populous city. When this was denied, the band initiated[70] and lost court actions against the city for "human rights violations". After the court decision, the band's lawyer declared that sooner or later, Thompson would perform in Pula. In late December 2008, Perković managed to secure permission to organize a concert in Pazin, despite fierce opposition from the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), the county's leading political party. These attacks led to an increase in tensions, which reached their climax on the night of 11 December, when an explosive device was ignited outside the concert venue.[71] Although IDS MP Damir Kajin accused Thompson's fans, it turned out that the offender, Vilim Bon, who was injured in the conflagration and arrested by police, was acting to stop the concert. The show took place as planned on 20 December, followed by two more on 21 and 22 December, due to reported demand.[72]
Thompson has been banned from performing in Switzerland multiple times, including in 2009.[73] Their planned 2014 Berlin performance was cancelled,[74] and in 2017, they were barred from performing in Austria;[75] they were banned in Slovenia the same year.[76]
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Personal life
In the mid-1990s, Perković was in a relationship with Croatian singer Danijela Martinović.[77] He is married to Sandra Rogić, a Croatian-Canadian he met during a concert in Canada. They have five children.[78]
Perković owns a 20% share of the radio station Narodni radio.[79]
Pope Benedict XVI received Perković for an audience in December 2009.[80]
Discography
Studio albums
- Moli mala (1992)
- Vrijeme škorpiona (1995)
- Geni kameni (1996)
- Vjetar s Dinare (1998)
- E, moj narode (2002)
- Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj (2006)
- Ora et labora (2013)
- Hodočasnik (2025)
References
External links
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