Croatia’s next move: Baby Lasagna is ready to serve

Meet Umag town’s Marko Purišić, otherwise known as Baby Lasagna. This popstar has spent his time writing for other artists, including German rock band Mono Inc., Croatian The Voice star Marin Jurić Čivro, and Croatian singer Lea Mijatović. After growing up listening to metal music, he developed as a songwriter when he penned the songs for his Croatian rock band, Manntra. Before long, he’d dipped into a whole range of genres: pop, dance, rap, and trap for starters.

He’s leaving that now (he’s going away, he’s sold his cow) and is forging his future as Croatia’s next Eurovision star. Baby Lasagna, Marko says, was a songwriter’s pet project that was never supposed to blow up as it did. Just as he says in Rim Tim Tagi Dim, there’s no going back.

Baby Lasagna has already won over one audience — that of Croatia’s national selection competition, Dora 2024. He won by a landslide, getting a total of 321 points, with the runner up getting 82. He won top votes from both jury and public, but the public support was particularly strong. Now he’s heading to Malmö, with a song that he’s solely written and produced himself.

We might all be united by music, but the world is still split into “dog people” and “cat people”. Baby Lasagna has 3 cats, called Stipe, Gertruda, and Branka. He’s been known to visit animal shelters too and meet new feline friends. Cats of course get a special feature in Baby Lasagna’s Rim Tim Tagi Dim music video, and Croatia was treated to neon dancing cats in his Dora performance. Meow mamma meow.

We asked Baby Lasagna where we’re most likely to find him at a fun fair, and he said it would be the food stand. He’s also got a fondness for gouda cheese. Just please don’t ask him if he likes lasagna.

Baby Lasagna's Eurovision inspiration is Lordi, the first hard rock act to win. They took home the crown for Finland in 2006 with the song Hard Rock Hallelujah. 

Another favourite rock hit is Måneskin’s ZITTI E BUONI, which won Eurovision for Italy in 2021. Rim Tim Tagi Dim clearly draws on rock vibes but Baby Lasagna also finds inspiration in other genres. Some of his favourite tracks include Chase & Status’ Baddadan, Post Malone’s Rockstar, and Johnny Cash’s Help Me.

Baby Lasagna and Malta's Sarah Bonnici learnt each other’s dances ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, and they both did a great job. Will the whole of Europe be doing the Rim Tim Tagi Dim moves?

As Marko heads off to Malmö, he’s finally putting his own music first. Nobody puts Baby Lasagna in a corner.

Look out for Baby Lasagna on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Baby Lasagna from Croatia right here.