Marko Bošnjak | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bošnjak in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (2004-01-11)11 January 2004 (age 21) |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–2025[a] |
| Labels |
|
Marko Bošnjak (pronounced[mâːrkobǒʃɲaːk]; born 11 January 2004)[1] is aBosnian Croat singer-songwriter. He rose to fame as the winner of the second season of the Serbian talent showPinkove Zvezdice. Herepresented Croatia at theEurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "Poison Cake".
Bošnjak was born in theHerzegovinian city ofMostar and grew up in the town ofProzor. Since the age of five, he sang in a church choir after his mother forced his older sisters to take him with them. Already at that age, he won theDjeca Pjevaju Isusu (Children Singing toJesus) festival. At the age of 11, Bošnjak signed himself up for the Serbian talent showPinkove Zvezdice (Pink's Little Stars), despite his father's objections due to the driving distance.[2]
Bošnjak was a victim ofschool bullying in Prozor-Rama as he was "different" from other children of his age, which prompted him to change his environment and ultimately move toZagreb, Croatia.[2] Upon moving to Zagreb, he worked various jobs, such as nightclubs, customer support atLELO, and atKFC inČrnomerec.[3] His confession about his KFC job in April 2023 went viral, as he had already risen to prominence up to that point.[4][5] He quit KFC the following month to focus fully on music, although he did express his confusion toStory.hr: "All of that ['fuss'] surprised me, too, because I don't know since when it becameembarrassing to work."[6]
Starting on 4 September 2015, Bošnjak appeared as a contestant on the second season ofPinkove Zvezdice.[7] On the first show, Bošnjak sangJennifer Hudson's song "One Night Only".[8] All five judges,Milan Stanković,Jelena Tomašević,Goca Tržan,Hari Varešanović andLeontina Vukomanović, turned their chairs up and voted him directly into the next round.[9] At his second appearance he sangZdravko Čolić's "Kao moja mati" (Like My Mother) and advanced into the next round.[10] On 6 January 2016, Bošnjak sang a rendition ofJadranka Stojaković's "Što te nema" (Why Are You Not Here).[11] During the next episode, on 8 April 2016, Bošnjak performedAdele's "Don't You Remember".[12] In the final, Bošnjak re-sang "Što te nema" and won the competition.[13]
On 17 December 2021, Bošnjak was announced as one of the fourteen participants inDora 2022, the national contest forCroatia'sEurovision Song Contest 2022 entry, with the song "Moli za nas" (Pray For Us).[14] At the close of voting, the song had received 179 points, placing second in a field of 14.[15] "Moli za nas" was officially released on 10 February 2022 as Bošnjak's debut single.[16] On 27 April 2022, it was announced that Bošnjak would compete in the 62nd edition of theSplit Festival with the song "Pjesma za kraj" (Ending Song).[17] A year later, in early 2023, Bošnjak released his third single "Spokojan" (Calm).[18] On 14 April 2023, Bošnjak released his fourth stand-alone single "Nema" (There Is No).[19]
In June 2024, Bošnjak performed at that year'sZagreb Pride.[20] In September 2024, Bošnjak performed at a charity show forGaza at Zagreb's Klub Močvara, the proceeds of which were donated to theUNRWA.[21] In November 2024, he released his seventh single "Takav dan" (Such a Day), lyrically inspired byZana's 1982 hit "Dodirni mi kolena" (Touch My Knees).[22] The lyric "Tučem te ključem od stana" ("I'm beating you with the apartment key") sparked controversy and caused Bošnjak to be accused of promotingdomestic violence; onHRT 1's showKod nas doma, he told Iva Šulentić that the lyric recontextualizes one of Zana's lyrics and is "ahyperbole, anintertextuality... Like a small threat, but not too serious."[23]
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On 5 December 2024, Bošnjak was announced as one of 24 participants inDora 2025, the Croatian national selection for theEurovision Song Contest 2025, with the song "Poison Cake".[24] On 24 February 2025, Bošnjak was announced to compete onthe ninth season of the singing reality television seriesTvoje lice zvuči poznato, the Croatian edition ofYour Face Sounds Familiar.[25] On 2 March 2025, Bošnjak wonDora, and was set to representCroatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 inBasel, Switzerland. Following hisDora victory, on 18 March, it was announced that Bošnjak would no longer participate inTvoje lice zvuči poznato from the eighth episode onwards; at that point, only two episodes had been aired.[26] Over the course of seven episodes, the last of which aired on 20 April 2025, he impersonatedMladen Grdović,Madonna,Zdravko Čolić,Miley Cyrus,Toše Proeski,Lady Gaga andLepa Brena. On 13 May 2025, Bošnjak performed in the first semifinal of theEurovision Song Contest 2025, where he earned 28 points, placing twelfth and failing to qualify for the grand final.[27]
At the age of 11, Bošnjak was initially releasingsevdalinka covers.[3] He revealed in a March 2025Gloria interview that his preferred musical styles range "fromR&B andsoul overhip-hop toclassical music." Hesitant to name anybody as an influence on his music as he is "trying to be himself and create an authentic sound", he nevertheless namedLana Del Rey,Erykah Badu,SZA,Lola Young andSolange as artists he most frequently listens to, and acknowledged that his music "currently isn't inspired by them, but who knows, maybe it will be in the future." In the same interview, he stated that his biggest desire is to collaborate withLorde.[28] Bošnjak also expressed his admiration forSenidah,Josipa Lisac,Božo Vrećo andFilip Baloš.[3]
For his fashion style, Bošnjak credited "fashion, but also musical icons such asDavid Bowie andFreddie Mercury, who proved to [him] that fashion can truly be as powerful a form of expression as music."[28]
Bošnjakcame out asgay in 2024, which attracted widespreadhomophobic backlash online following hisDora victory a year later. On 30 March 2025, Bošnjak was a guest on the talk showNedjeljom u dva, where he discussed the backlash among other topics.[29][30][31][32] The backlash continued following his failure to qualify to the final.[33]
Since 2025, he has been in a relationship with hisSpanish boyfriend.[34]
In August 2025, he has announced that he will go on hiatus, as well as intention to withdraw from social media in order to focus on his mental health, after facing intense hate and criticism.[35] He has additionally shared his struggles with feelings of worthlessness and suicidal thoughts.[36] On 7 October 2025, he announced that he left Croatia.[37]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRO Dom. [38] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Moli za nas" | 2022 | 29 | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Pjesma za kraj" | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Spokojan" | 2023 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Nema" | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Pusti me" | 2024 | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Asfalt" (withIva Lorens) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Takav dan" | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Zdravo budi mladi kralju" | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Poison Cake" | 2025 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Villain" | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Association | Category | Nominee / work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cesarica | Song of the Year | "Moli za nas" | Nominated | [39] |
| 2024 | "Spokojan" | Nominated | [40] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marija Serdar | Pinkove Zvezdice Winner 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 | Succeeded by TBD |
