Mirko Pajčin ( sr-cyr, Мирко Пајчин; born 13 October 1966), known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Baja Mali Knindža ( sr-cyr, Баја Мали Книнџа, lit=Baja Little Kninja), is a

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer and songwriter. He is often described as part of the

turbo-folk Turbo-folk is a subgenre of contemporary South Slavs, South Slavic pop music that initially developed in Serbia during the 1990s as a fusion of techno and folk music, folk. The term was an invention of the Montenegro, Montenegrin singer Rambo ...

scene, and is well known for his

Serbian nationalist Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism, originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, ...

songs. His cousin was the

pop-folk Folk-pop is a broad musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been popularized by mainstream media in recent years. Music ...

recording artist

Ksenija Pajčin Ksenija Pajčin (, 3 December 1977 – 16 March 2010) was a Serbia, Serbian singer, dancer and model (person), model popular in Serbia and the other Yugoslavia#New states, former Yugoslav republics. Sometimes referred to as Xenia or Ksenia. Biogr ...

Early life

Pajčin was born on 13 October 1966 into a

family in the village of Gubin, near

Livno Livno ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: ''Ливно'', ) is a town and the administrative center of the Township of Livno and Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bis ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. Pajčin moved to

SR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

in 1980, and began singing in 1984 in

Surčin Surčin ( sr-Cyrl, Сурчин, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is located in the eastern Syrmia region in Central Europe, 32km west of downtown Belgrade. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 45,452 inhabitants. It is the ...

Career

Pajčin won a 1989 competition for amateur singers in

and released his first album in 1991. His career began just as

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

began to

break up A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the ending of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a breakup ...

. Throughout the 1990s, he was known for his strong

Serbian nationalism Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism, originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, ...

and Serbian nationalist songs during the

Yugoslav wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

; during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

he was dubbed ''Baja Mali-Knindža'' (literally meaning "Baja little Kninja" in reference to the de facto capital,

Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...

, of the Serbian ethnic breakaway state of the

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, separator=" / ", ; abbr. РСК / RSK), known as the Serbian Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српск� ...

within

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and the Serb paramilitary unit known as

Kninjas The Kninjas (), also known as the Red Berets, was a Serb paramilitary unit and a volunteer militia supporting the Army of Serb Krajina during the Croatian War of Independence. It was based in Knin, the capital of breakaway SAO Krajina that became ...

). His first professional success was the song "Врати се Војводо" (''Come Back,

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

''), in which he appealed to Serbian

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Chetnik The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

commander

Momčilo Đujić Momčilo Đujić ( sh-Cyrl, Момчилo Ђујић, ; 27 February 1907 – 11 September 1999) was a Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox priest and Chetnik . He led a significant proportion of the Chetniks within the northern Dalm ...

to come back to the areas of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and help lift the spirits of the

Croatian Serbs The Serbs of Croatia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Срби у Хрватској, Srbi u Hrvatskoj) or Croatian Serbs ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Хрватски Срби, Hrvatski Srbi) constitute the largest national minority in C ...

. He said that he would never consider going to Croatia as he claimed that Croatian soldiers "burned down his house and desecrated his ancestors' graves". Baja performs at "Кочићев збор" ('' Kočić's Assembly'') in Zmijanje near

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

in mid-August every year, and he usually attracts tens of thousands of people. Since

Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...

, Pajčin has written many songs about his dream of the Serbs returning to live in territories now inhabited by

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

following the Croatian War for Independence. The song "После Олује" (''After the Storm'') details the aftermath of

in 1995.

Controversies

Pajčin is controversial due to his

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

views and bias in his song lyrics. Most of his songs are condemned in non-Serb parts of Bosnia and Croatia because of their xenophobic lyrics, which often reference war leaders during the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

. For example, his song "Не волим те Алија" describes his strong dislike for Bosnian wartime president

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosophy, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, president of the Presidency ...

. One song titled "Ћути, ћути, Ујко!" (featuring Serbian rock singer

Bora Đorđević Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; 1 November 1952 – 4 September 2024), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Бора Чорба), was a Serbian singer-songwriter and poet. He was best known as th ...

) contains the lyrics "Shut up, shut up, Ujko, I will kill you" as well as "Shut up, shut up, Mujo, I will kill you". He has also sung "Ја не волим људе те", which included the lyrics "Fuck their

šahovnica The Croatian checkerboard or checky (, ) is the national symbol of Croatia and Croats. It covers the main shield of the Croatian coat of arms, above which there is a crown with five smaller shields. Squares are always arranged correctly and they ...

". Despite many of his songs having a nationalistic lyrical theme, he is also known for his often humorous non-political songs such as "Umri Baba" and "Poker Aparat". He is banned from performing in Croatia, the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities composing Bo ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

due to his nationalist music.

Personal life

Family

Pajčin lives with his wife, three daughters and three sons in

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

. His mother and father live in a newly built house in

. His cousin

, pop-folk recording artist, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend on March 16, 2010. Later that same year, Baja released the song "Спавај, краљице" (''Sleep, Queen'') in her memory, stating that he was very "shaken" by her death.

Politics

He is a supporter of the

Serbian Radical Party The Serbian Radical Party (, abbr. SRS) is a Far-right politics in Serbia, far-right, Ultranationalism, ultranationalist List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded in 1991, its co-founder, first and only leader is ...

, and has sung at the party's conventions. He also released an album in 1998 titled "Српским радикалима" (''Serbian Radicals''), which glorifies the party and its leader

Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...

Language skills

Besides his native Serbian, he also fluently speaks

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Honours

Order of Njegoš Order of Njegoš () is an order (honour), Order of the Republic of Srpska. It is established in 1993 by the Constitution of Republika Srpska and 'Law on orders and awards' valid since 28 April 1993. It is named after Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, ...

, First Class (2024)

Discography

Solo

* 1991 — ''Ne dam Krajine'' (''I won't give Krajina'') * 1992 — ''Stan'te paše i Ustaše'' (''Stand back, Pashas and Ustašas'') * 1993 — ''Živeće ovaj narod'' (''This nation will live on'') * 1993 — ''Sve za srpstvo, srpstvo nizašta'' (''All for

Serbdom Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism, originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, u ...

, Serbdom for nothing'') * 1993 — ''Još se ništa ne zna'' (''Nothing is yet known'') * 1993 — ''Rat i mir'' (''War and peace'') * 1993 — ''Kockar bez sreće'' (''Gambler without luck'') * 1994 — ''Pobediće istina'' (''The truth will win'') * 1995 — ''Igraju se delije'' (''The Delije are dancing'') * 1995 — ''Idemo dalje'' (''Let's keep on going'') * 1995 — ''Zbogom oružje'' (''Goodbye, weapons'') * 1997 — ''Ne dirajte njega'' (''Don't touch him'') * 1998 — ''Povratak u budućnost'' (''Back to the future'') * 1998 — ''Srpskim radikalima'' (''To the Serbian radicals'') * 1999 — ''Biti il ne biti'' (''To be or not to be'') * 2000 — ''Zaljubljen i mlad'' (''In love and young'') * 2001 — ''Đe si legendo'' (''Where are you, legend'') * 2002 — ''Zbogom pameti'' (''Goodbye, reason'') * 2003 — ''Baja Mali Knindža: uživo'' (''Baja Mali Knindža: live'') * 2003 — ''Luda Žurka - uživo'' (''Crazy Party - live'') * 2006 — ''Za kim zvona zvone'' (''For whom the bell rings'') * 2007 — ''Gluvi barut'' (''Deaf gunpowder'') * 2011 — ''Idemo malena'' (''Let's go, baby'') * 2012 — ''Lesi se vraća kući'' (''Lassie is coming home'') * 2014 — ''Govor duše'' (''Speech of the soul'')

With Braća sa Dinare

* 1994 — ''Braća sa Dinare'' (''Brothers from the Dinara'') * 1995 — ''Bila jednom jedna zemlja'' (''Once there was a land'') * 1996 — ''Plači voljena zemljo'' (''Cry, beloved land'') * 1997 — ''Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba'' (''I won't give up what's mine until the grave'') * 1998 — ''Idemo do kraja'' (''We are going till the end'')

References

External links

Discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mali Knindza, Baja 1966 births Living people People from Livno Serbian nationalists Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina 21st-century Serbian male singers Serbian folk singers BN Music artists Serbian turbo-folk singers 20th-century Serbian male singers Anti-Croat sentiment Anti-Bosniak sentiment