Baby Lasagna

Marko Purišić was born on 5 July 1995 in Umag, Croatia. He has a younger brother named Martin, who is also a musician and performs as a member of Mono Inc.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[2] Purišić had previously also studied tourism in Buje and sound engineering in Ljubljana.^[2]

From 2011 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2022, Purišić served as the guitarist for Manntra, a Croatian rock band.^[3] 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.^[4] Following his tenure with the group, he transitioned to pursue a solo career in 2023.^[5] On 21 October 2023, Purišić released his debut single "IG Boy" under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna through Molly Studios.^[6] Two months later, in December 2023, his second single "Don't Hate Yourself, But Don't Love Yourself Too Much" was released.^[7]

Purišić was among the participants of Dora 2024, the Croatian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with the song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim";^[8] he advanced from his semi-final on 23 February 2024 and ultimately won the final on 25 February.^[9] The song debuted at number 24 on the HR Top 40 chart, making it Purišić's first chart entry in Croatia;^[10] following his Dora triumph, it peaked at number one,^[11] as well as debuted and peaked at number two on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart.^[12] On 23 March, Purišić served as a presenter at the 31st Porin Awards.^[13] On 8 April, Purišić revealed that Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) is producing a television documentary about his life and journey to Eurovision, which is set to air before his semi-final performance on 7 May.^[14]

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.^[15] 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".^[16]

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.^[17][18] 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.^[19]

Purišić cites Rammstein, Electric Callboy, and Tonči & Madre Badessa as his musical influences.^[20][19][21] His music has been described as a mixture of pop punk, techno, metal, and house.^[22][23] Purišić's musical style revolves around autobiographical storytelling, delving into his personal experiences, while also addressing broader societal issues, particularly those affecting his homeland.^[24] 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.^[24]

Studio albums

Singles

• Media related to Baby Lasagna at Wikimedia Commons