Goran Bregović
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Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in
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 ...
. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the
Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
, and one of the few former Yugoslav musicians who has performed at major international venues such as
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
,
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
and L'Olympia. A
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
native, Bregović started out with the bands
Kodeksi Kodeksi were a cover band from Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia that existed from 1965 until 1971. It is most notable as one of the predecessors to Bijelo dugme, the most commercially successful band ever to come out of SFR Y ...
and Jutro, but rose to prominence as the main creative mind and lead guitarist of
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
, widely considered one of the most popular and influential recording acts ever to exist in the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. After Bijelo Dugme split up, he embarked on several critically and commercially successful solo projects, and started composing film scores. Among his better known film scores are three of
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
's films ('' Time of the Gypsies'', '' Arizona Dream'' and '' Underground''). For ''Time of the Gypsies'', Bregović won a Golden Arena Award at the
Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival () is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held in the summer, in July or Aug ...
in 1990, among other awards. He has also composed for the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated film '' La Reine Margot'' and the
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
-entered film '' The Serpent's Kiss''. During his five-decade long career, Bregović has composed for critically acclaimed singers, including
Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer. She is one of the most successful Turkish people, Turkish singers, having sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Q ...
, Kayah,
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
, Šaban Bajramović, George Dalaras and Cesária Évora.


Early life

Born in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia to a Croatian father Franjo Bregović and Serbian mother Borka Perišić, Goran grew up with two younger siblings — sister Dajana and brother Predrag. Their father was from the Croatian region of Prigorje, specifically Sveti Petar Čvrstec village near Križevci, while their mother was born in
Virovitica Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungary, Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). I ...
to parents that had shortly before her birth arrived in the nearby village of Čemernica, settling there from the village of Kazanci near
Gacko Gacko ( sr-cyrl, Гацко) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the region of East Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), East Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,784 inh ...
in East Herzegovina. Goran's maternal grandfather fought in the Royal Serbian Army at the Salonica front during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and as a reward received land in
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
where he soon moved his family. When the Second World War began, Goran's grandfather joined the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
, and his grandmother, two uncles, aunt and mother were taken to the
Jasenovac concentration camp Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia durin ...
; where at the gate of the camp they were exchanged for some captured Germans. The family arrived in Serbia whilst his grandmother supported the children throughout the war by smuggling tobacco from Herzegovina. She jumped off the train before entering the Belgrade train station. Goran's maternal uncle was Serb
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
and
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 ...
leader Radojica Perišić (1906 - April 1945), one of the main leaders of the
June 1941 uprising in eastern Herzegovina In June 1941, Serbs in eastern Herzegovina rebelled against the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (, NDH), an Axis powers, Axis puppet state established during World War II on the territory of the defeated and occupied Kingdom of ...
during the
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 ...
. During the war he was commander of the Chetnik Gacko Brigade who were the first guerrilla force in all of nazi-occupied Europe to liberate territory. Perišić was killed by the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
in April 1945. Franjo Bregović fought on the Partisan side during the
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 ...
. After the war he attended a
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
(JNA) military school in Virovitica, where he met Goran's mother, Borka, shortly after the war. Franjo Bregović soon got his first job, teaching
ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets and the like; the science or art of designing and acceler ...
at a military school in Sarajevo, so the couple moved there. Goran, their first child, was born in 1950 in Sarajevo. Goran was 10 years old when his parents divorced. In later interviews, he mentioned his father's
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
as the reason for the breakdown of their marriage. Soon after the split, his father moved to
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 ...
, taking Goran's younger brother Predrag with him while Goran remained living with his mother in Sarajevo, visiting his father and brother every summer in Livno. Their father soon retired and eventually moved back to his home village in
Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian language, Croatian for 'backland' or 'behind the hills') is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica mount ...
while Goran's brother Predrag later moved back to Sarajevo for university studies. Goran played violin in a
music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...
. However, deemed untalented, he was thrown out during second grade. His musical education was thus reduced to what his friend taught him until Goran's mother bought him his first guitar in his early teens. Bregović wanted to enroll in a fine arts high school, but his aunt told his mother that it was supposedly full of homosexuals, which precipitated his mother's decision to send him to a technical (traffic) school. As a compromise for not getting his way, she allowed him to grow his hair long.


Early career

Upon entering high school, teenage Bregović joined the school band Izohipse where he began on bass guitar. Soon, however, he was kicked out of that school too (this time for misbehavior – he crashed into a school-owned
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
). Bregović then entered grammar school and its school band Beštije (again as a bass guitar player). When he was 16, his mother left him and moved to the coast, meaning that other than having a few relatives to rely on, he mostly had to take care of himself. He did that by playing
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
in a kafana in
Konjic Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, city located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in no ...
, working on construction sites, and selling newspapers. Spotting him at a Beštije gig in 1969,
Željko Bebek Želimir "Željko" Bebek (born 16 December 1945) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian-Croatian vocalist and musician most notable for being the lead singer of the SFR Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme from 1974 until 1984. He has since ...
invited eighteen-year-old Bregović to play bass guitar in his band
Kodeksi Kodeksi were a cover band from Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia that existed from 1965 until 1971. It is most notable as one of the predecessors to Bijelo dugme, the most commercially successful band ever to come out of SFR Y ...
, which Goran gladly accepted.


Kodeksi

Eventually, Kodeksi shifted setup so Bregović moved from bass to lead guitar, resulting in Kodeksi having the following line-up during summer 1970: Goran Bregović, Željko Bebek,
Zoran Redžić Zoran Redžić (born 29 January 1948) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian musician, best known for playing the bass guitar in the popular Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock music, rock band Bijelo Dugme. Born in Sarajevo, Bo ...
and Milić Vukašinović. All of them would eventually become members of
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
at some point in the future. At the time, they were largely influenced by
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
and
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
. During the fall of 1970, this resulted in the departure of Željko Bebek, who (both as rhythm guitar player and singer) got phased out of the band. At the end of the year, Goran's mother and Zoran's brother arrived in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
and took them back to
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
.


Jutro

Then, in the autumn of 1971, Bregović enrolled at the
University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
's Faculty of Philosophy, studying philosophy and sociology. He soon quit, however. At the same time, Milić Vukašinović left for London, so Bregović formed a band with Nuno Arnautalić called Jutro (Morning), which Redžić soon joined as well. Over the next few years, the band changed lineups frequently, and on 1 January 1974 modified its name to
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
("White Button").


Bijelo Dugme

From 1974 until 1989, Bregović played lead guitar and was the main creative force behind
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
(''White Button''). For years they stood as one of the most popular bands in
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. Just as with Jutro previously, he continued as Bijelo Dugme's undisputed leader and decision-maker as well as its public face in the Yugoslav print and electronic media once the band started taking off commercially. Over the band's fifteen-year run, in addition to their enormous popularity at home, led by Bregović, Bijelo Dugme made several attempts at expanding their prominence outside of Yugoslavia. In late 1975, while recording their second album '' Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu'' in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, they additionally recorded an
English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
track called "Playing the Part" (translated version of their
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
track "Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu", itself an uncredited cover of
Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
's 1972 track " I Am the Dance of Ages") that was packaged as a
promo single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...
for English music journalists. Never officially released for mass distribution, the track quickly fell into oblivion. Bijelo Dugme had somewhat better luck with touring abroad, which almost entirely took place in the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
countries as part of their respective
cultural exchange Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these ...
programs with SFR Yugoslavia. The band briefly toured the
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
during April 1977, a 9-concert leg as part of the tour in support of their third album '' Eto! Baš hoću!''. During their 10-day Polish tour, the band played two concerts on back-to-back nights in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, followed by
Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsz ...
,
Zielona Góra Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...
, three shows on back-to-back days in
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, and finally two shows on the same day in
Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...
. While in Poland, they also shot a 30-minute television special for TVP3 Katowice, a regional
Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
-based branch of the state-owned
Telewizja Polska Telewizja Polska S.A. (; TVP), also known in English as Polish Television, is a Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster in Poland, founded in 1952. It is the oldest and largest Polish television network. After 2015, when the right-wing po ...
. Later that year, following the tour's culmination at a triumphant open-air concert at Hajdučka Česma in Belgrade, Bregović went to serve his mandatory
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
(JNA) stint. Assigned to a
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
-based unit, the twenty-seven-year-old reported for service on 3 November 1977 and would spend the following year away from music, a period during which the band was also on hiatus. During early 1982, as part of an event bringing together
past The past is the set of all Spacetime#Definitions, events that occurred before a given point in time. The past is contrasted with and defined by the present and the future. The concept of the past is derived from the linear fashion in which human ...
and
future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...
Winter Olympic hosts, the band played in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
as representatives of the city of
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
and SFR Yugoslavia, the site of the upcoming
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
. On return to Yugoslavia from Innsbruck, the band had its baggage confiscated by the Yugoslav customs after undeclared musical equipment was found among their luggage. Some six months later, during summer 1982, Bijelo Dugme went on an impromptu tour of the
People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...
, playing 41 shows throughout the country from 15 July until 31 August 1982. Despite the tour in support of their latest studio album '' Doživjeti stotu'' being over for more than a year, and having no new material to promote, the band reportedly accepted the tour of Bulgaria in order to recover some of the funds they had lost after getting fined by the Yugoslav customs over the attempt to bring undeclared musical equipment into the country. In summer 1985, following a decade of continuous rejection for tours of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
by the cultural
attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...
of the Soviet embassy in Yugoslavia, Bijelo Dugme was finally approved and booked to play in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
on 28 July 1985, on the same bill with fellow Yugoslav rock act Bajaga i Instruktori, at a huge open-air concert at Gorky Park as part of the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students. Ahead of the show, Bregović decided to sequester the band in
Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...
for two weeks in order to rehearse for the Moscow show, an indication of the seriousness with which they approached this particular concert. However, once in Moscow, due to
overcrowding Overcrowding or crowding is the condition where more people are located within a given space than is considered tolerable from a safety and health perspective. Safety and health perspectives depend on current environments and on local cultural ...
at Gorky Park and resulting safety concerns, the event was interrupted around 10 p.m. after the Bajaga i Instruktori set before Bijelo Dugme even had a chance to take the stage. Two days later on 30 July 1985, instead at the marquee Gorky Park in central Moscow, Bijelo Dugme got to play the Dynamo Arena on the city outskirts at an unpopular noon-hour time slot.


Guest appearances, collaborations and business venture

In between Bijelo Dugme's studio releases and tours, in-demand Bregović worked on various side projects in Yugoslavia. These included releasing a solo record in 1976 and composing two movie soundtracks—1977's ''Leptirov oblak'' and 1979's ''Lične stvari''. He also tried his hand at music production, producing Idoli's 1980 seven-inch single "
Maljčiki "Maljčiki" (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Маљчики; ) is the second single by the Serbian and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav New wave music, new wave band Idoli. Its re-recorded version appeared on the Ne ...
" / " Retko te viđam sa devojkama" and co-producing, alongside Kornelije Kovač,
Zdravko Čolić Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian-Serbian Pop music, pop singer and widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Favourably compared to Paul McCartney and T ...
's fourth studio album '' Malo pojačaj radio'' in 1981. Bregović furthermore made guest appearances on guitar on various studio recordings by different Yugoslav pop, folk, and rock acts: Neda Ukraden's track "Tri djevojke" (together with Bijelo Dugme bandmates Vlado Pravdić and
Zoran Redžić Zoran Redžić (born 29 January 1948) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian musician, best known for playing the bass guitar in the popular Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock music, rock band Bijelo Dugme. Born in Sarajevo, Bo ...
) off her 1976 album ''Ko me to od nekud doziva'', Hanka Paldum's track "Zbog tebe" off her 1980 album '' Čežnja'', "Ne da/ne nego i/ili" track by Kozmetika off their 1983 eponymous album, Valentino's track "Pazi na ritam" off their 1983 debut album ''ValentiNo1'',
Riblja Čorba Riblja Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Рибља Чорба, pronounced ; ) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav Rock music, rock band formed in Belgrade in 1978. The band has been one of the most popular and most influential acts of the Popular music in the So ...
's track "Disko mišić" off their 1985 album '' Istina'',
Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...
's 1986 album '' Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe)'', Mjesečari track "Gdje izlaziš ovih dana" off their 1988 album ''One šetaju od 1 do 2'', and
Piloti Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood, and in e ...
track "Tiho, tiho" off their 1990 album ''Nek te Bog čuva za mene''. During his time leading Bijelo Dugme, Bregović also became involved in the financial and organizational side of the
music business The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, represent ...
. In 1984, dissatisfied with their respective financial terms at the state-owned Jugoton label, Bijelo Dugme bandleader Bregović and one of Yugoslavia's biggest pop stars Zdravko Čolić got together to establish their own music label Kamarad, which—via a deal with state-owned Diskoton and later another newly established private label Komuna—would end up co-releasing all of Bijelo Dugme's subsequent studio albums including three of Čolić's studio albums from 1984 until 1990. Considered an unusual move at the time in a communist country with nearly across-the-board public ownership that had just recently began allowing certain modes of private entrepreneurship, starting a privately owned record label—combined with Bregović's and Čolić's high public profile in Yugoslavia—got them both a lot of additional attention in the country's press. The company was registered in Radomlje near Domžale in SR Slovenia. Due to not having its own production facilities and distribution network, the new label entered into a co-releasing agreement with Diskoton thus essentially functioning as the legal entity that holds the licensing rights to the works of Bijelo Dugme and Zdravko Čolić. Kamarad's debut co-release was Čolić's 1984 studio album '' Ti si mi u krvi'' followed by Bijelo Dugme's self-titled studio album later that year with new vocalist Mladen "Tifa" Vojičić. The label would also co-release many of Dugme's and Čolić's later 'best of' compilations in addition to Bregović's movie soundtrack albums as well as Vesna Zmijanac's 1992 album ''Ako me umiriš sad''.


Solo career

During the late 1980s, a period that would turn out to be the final years of Bijelo Dugme, Bregović entered the world of
film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
. His first project was
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
's '' Time of the Gypsies'' (1989) and it turned out to be a great success (both the film and the soundtrack). Bregović's collaboration with Kusturica continued as the musician composed the soundtrack (which was performed by
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
) for Kusturica's next film '' Arizona Dream'' (1993). During the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, Bregović relocated to Paris, but also lived in Belgrade. His next major project, music for Patrice Chéreau's '' Queen Margot'' was a great success as well, and as a result, the film won two awards on the 1994
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
. The next year's Golden Palm award went to '' Underground'', for which Goran Bregović composed the music. In 1997, he worked with Turkish singer
Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer. She is one of the most successful Turkish people, Turkish singers, having sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Q ...
on her album ''Düğün ve Cenaze'' (''Wedding and Funeral''). After that album, he continued making composite albums with other musicians that were based on his music and singers' lyrics. He made an album with George Dalaras in 1999 named '' Thessaloniki – Yannena with Two Canvas Shoes''. In the same year, Bregović recorded an album called '' Kayah i Bregović'' (Kayah and Bregović) with popular Polish singer Kayah which sold over 700,000 copies in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
(seven times platinum record). In 2001, he recorded another album with another Polish singer,
Krzysztof Krawczyk Krzysztof January Krawczyk (; 8 September 1946 – 5 April 2021) was a Polish baritone Pop music, pop singer, guitarist and composer. He was the vocalist of a popular Polish band, Trubadurzy ("the Troubadours"), from 1963 to 1973 when he sta ...
, titled "Daj mi drugie życie" ("Give Me Second Life"). In 2005, Bregović took part in three large farewell concerts of Bijelo Dugme. A number of works created by Bregović can be heard on the soundtrack to the 2006 film '' Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'', most notably "Đurđevdan". The film itself actually features more Bregović samples than the soundtrack. Two musical numbers by Bregović, "Ne Siam Kurve Tuke Sijam Prostitutke," and "Gas, Gas" were featured in the soundtrack of the 2012 Brazilian telenovela, '' Salve Jorge'', on the television network
Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965 ...
.


Wedding and Funeral Orchestra

For many years Bregović performed with a large ensemble of musicians: a brass band, bagpipes, a string ensemble, a tuxedo-clad all-male choir from
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, women wearing traditional Bulgarian costumes, and Roma singers make up his 40-piece band and orchestra. Since 1998, and until about 2012, Bregović has been performing his music mainly in the form of concerts all over the world with his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. This consists of 10 people (in the small version) or 37 (in the large version, although, in some instances, this number varies, depending on participants from the host country). Since 2012 the orchestra consists of 9 people (in the small version) or 19 (in the large version), as it played in New York at the Lincoln Center on 15 and 16 July 2016. The small orchestra consists of Muharem "Muki" Rexhepi (vocals, drums), Bokan Stanković (first trumpet), Dragić Velićović (second trumpet), Stojan Dimov (sax, clarinet), Aleksandar Rajković (first trombone, glockenspiel), Miloš Mihajlović (second trombone), female vocals Bulgarian singers Daniela Radkova-Aleksandrova and Ljudmila Radkova-Trajkova, and Goran himself. The large orchestra includes also string quartet: Ivana Mateijć (first violin), Bojana Jovanović-Jotić (second violin), Saša Mirković (viola), and Tatjana Jovanović-Mirković, as well as sextet of male voices: Dejan Pesić (first tenor), Milan Panić and Ranko Jović (second tenors), Aleksandar Novaković (baritone), Dušan Ljubinković and Siniša Dutina (basses). In previous years, in the orchestra the following musicians have performed: Ogi Radivojević and Alen Ademović (vocals, drums), Dalibor Lukić (second trumpet), Dejan Manigodić (tuba), Vaska Jankovska (vocals). In 2013, as part of his Asia-Pacific tour (including Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong), Bregović performed with a string quartet, a male choir, Bulgarian singers and half of a brass band. The other part of the brass band – including bass and percussions – were being played from his computer. In 2017, he was a guest artist on Puerto Rican rapper Residente's album ''Residente'' on the song "El Futuro Es Nuestro" (Spanish for "The Future is Ours").


Eurovision

During the Eurovision 2008 final in
Belgrade Arena The Belgrade Arena ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Београдска арена, Beogradska arena, separator=" / ") is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs. ...
, Serbia, he played as the interval act. He also composed the Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010; 'Ovo Je Balkan' sung by Milan Stanković.


Musical style

Bregović's compositions, extending Balkan musical inspirations to innovative extremes, draw upon European classicism and Balkan rhythms. Bregović's music carries: Yugoslav, Bulgarian, Romani,
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
, Romanian, Albanian,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, Turkish and Polish themes and is a fusion of
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
, with traditional
polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...
music from the Balkans,
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
and
brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
s.


Personal life

During the early 1970s, from a brief relationship with a Sarajevo-based dancer named Jasenka, Bregović's first child, daughter Željka, was born out of wedlock. Željka lives in
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
where she gave birth to Goran's granddaughter, Bianca. With Bijelo Dugme's mid-1970s breakout commercial success and Bregović's increased public profile in Yugoslavia, details of his lifestyle and romantic relationships also became fodder for the country's press. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, various Yugoslav print media outlets documented his high-profile relationship with Serbian model Ljiljana Tica who reportedly inspired his song "Bitanga i princeza" off Bijelo Dugme's eponymous 1979 album. In 1993, Bregović married his long-time girlfriend Dženana Sudžuka, a
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
model. The wedding ceremony held in Paris featured film director
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
as the groom's best man and longtime Bijelo Dugme backing vocal Amila Sulejmanović as the bride's
maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...
. The couple has three daughters: Ema (born in March 1995), Una (February 2002), and Lulu (May 2004). Since the early 1990s, when not touring, Bregović's primary residence has been in Paris, a city where he got married and his three daughters were born and raised. Additionally, he spends a lot of time in Belgrade where he does most of his musical work. During the 2000s, answering a question about where his home is, Bregović said: "If you define 'home' as the place where you keep your winter coat during summer and your swimming trunks during winter, then my home is my Paris apartment". On 12 June 2008, fifty-eight-year-old Bregović sustained a spinal injury in Belgrade, breaking
vertebrae Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...
by falling four meters from a
cherry tree A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...
in the garden of his Senjak house. After being assessed by doctors, his condition was stated to be "stable without neurological complications." Following surgery, he made a quick recovery and, within a month on 8 and 9 July, held two big concerts in New York City, proving for more than two hours each night his performance skills had not suffered from the accident. Bregović's siblings, brother Predrag and sister Dajana, live in New York City and
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
, respectively.


Political views

In 1971, twenty-one-year-old Bregović—a student at the
University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
's Faculty of Philosophy—got accepted into the Yugoslav Communist League (SKJ), the only party in SFR Yugoslavia's
political system In political science, a political system means the form of Political organisation, political organization that can be observed, recognised or otherwise declared by a society or state (polity), state. It defines the process for making official gov ...
. Throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, by now a famous rock musician in SFR Yugoslavia, Bregović often publicly expressed personal support for the
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
ideology while underscoring importance of being active in the party. In 1990—with the dissolution of the SKJ and reinstatement of multi-party political system in Yugoslavia—Bregović expressed public support for
Ante Marković Ante Marković ( sh-Cyrl, Анте Марковић, ; 25 November 1924 – 28 November 2011) was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, businessman and engineer. He is most notable for having served as the last Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1 ...
's Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (SRSJ), a centre-left social-democrat political party opposing ethnic nationalism and advocating for reform of Yugoslav communism into liberal market capitalism. Furthermore, he actively participated in the party's election campaign ahead of the
general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
in the
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
constituent unit of SFR Yugoslavia, lending his celebrity and contributing to the campaign in creative capacity. Despite securing public support, endorsements, and even active campaign participation from many prominent public figures in SR Bosnia and Herzegovina such as
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
, Nele Karajlić,
Branko Đurić Branko Đurić (; born 28 May 1962), also known by his nickname Đuro (Cyrillic: Ђуро), is a Bosnian actor, comedian, film director and musician, who lives and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Born and raised in Sarajevo, Đurić rose to prom ...
, etc., the party got only 8.9% of the total vote. On 2 April 1999—a week into the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
—alongside Greek performers George Dalaras, Stavros Kouyioumtzis, and Alkistis Protopsalti as well as a number of others from different parts of the Balkans, Bregović played at an anti-war open-air concert at
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
's Aristotelous Square. In the years following 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 ...
and
breakup of Yugoslavia After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, the constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia split apart in the early 1990s. Unresolved issues from the breakup caused a series of inter-ethnic Yugoslav ...
, Bregović has described himself as Yugonostalgic. In 2009, he stated: "Yugoslavia is the intersection of so many worlds: Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim. With music, I don't have to represent anyone, except myself – because I speak the first language of the world, the one everyone understands: music."


Real estate

Bregović owns real estate all over the world, but divides most of his time between
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
where he does most of his musical recording work and Paris where his spouse lives with their three daughters. He reportedly owns properties in Paris,
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, Belgrade,
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, on Mount Jahorina, and
Perast Perast () is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is situated a few kilometres northwest of Kotor and is noted for its proximity to the islets of Sveti Đorđe Island, St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks. History Acc ...
, many of which are used for commercial purposes such as touristic rentals, studio recording, and filming locations. In Belgrade, Bregović owns multiple properties in the upscale Senjak neighbourhood. Some of his Belgrade properties in the neighbourhoods of Senjak and Dedinje were leased out as shooting locations for Serbian television series ', ', and '.


Controversy

Bregović has frequently been accused of plagiarizing other performers' works, as well as republishing his own previously released material as new.


Enrico Macias plagiarism lawsuit

In the mid-2000s, French singer-songwriter
Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is a French singer, songwriter and musician. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Jews, Sephardic Jewish family. His father, Sylvain Ghrenassia ...
reportedly sued Bregović over Bregović's song "In the Deathcar" off the '' Arizona Dream''
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
, claiming it plagiarized Macias' song "Solenzara". Media outlets in the Balkans reported in 2015 that the French court ruled in Macias' favour, ordering Bregović to pay Macias
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
1 million in damages. In response, via a press release distributed to media outlets throughout the Balkans, Bregović's representative Svetlana Strunić claimed that there never was a plagiarism court process against Bregović in France.


2015 cancelled concert in Poland

In March 2015, Bregović performed a concert in
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
after it was annexed by Russia in the previous year. The following month, the Life Festival in
Oświęcim Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers. Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...
, Poland canceled an appearance by Bregović, saying that his statements were "contrary to the values cherished by the Life Festival founders."


2023 denial of entry into Moldova

In August 2023, Bregović was denied from entering Moldova on the grounds of his allegedly open support for the Russian annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine. He intended to play in a music festival in the country.


2025 Latvia's list of personae non grateae

In April 2025, at the recommendation of Latvia's State Security Service (VDD), Bregović has been put on the list of personae non gratae in Latvia. According to the information available to the VDD, Bregović has made several appearances in occupied Crimea since 2014. The musician has also frequently expressed his support for the aggressor Russia in public, while spreading discrediting messages against Western countries. Bregović responded to the accusations by stating he comes from "a city marked by war" and he "would never support any war or aggression".


List of film scores

*1977 – ''Butterfly cloud'' (Leptirov oblak) – Directed by: Zdravko Randić *1979 – ''Personal Affairs'' (Lične stvari) – Directed by: Aleksandar Mandić *1988 – '' Time of the Gypsies'' (Dom za vešanje) – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
*1989 – '' Kuduz'' – Directed by:
Ademir Kenović Ademir Kenović (born September 14, 1950) is a Bosnian film director and producer. He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1975. In 1972–73 he studied film, English literature and art at the Denison University in Ohio Ohio ( ...
*1990 – ''
Silent Gunpowder ''Silent Gunpowder'' () is a 1990 Yugoslav war film directed by Bato Čengić, starring Mustafa Nadarević, Branislav Lečić, Fabijan Šovagović, Mira Furlan, Boro Stjepanović and Josip Pejaković. Plot Based on a novel by Branko Ćopi ...
'' (Gluvi barut) – Directed by: Bahrudin Čengić *1991 – ' (Das Serbische Mädchen) – Directed by: *1991 – ''The Little One'' (Mala) – Directed by:
Predrag Antonijević Predrag "Gaga" Antonijević ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг Гага Антонијевић; born 7 February 1959) is a Serbian film director and screenwriter. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Karađorđe's Star. Filmography ;TV works Refer ...
*1991 – '' Čaruga'' – Directed by: Rajko Grlić *1993 – '' Arizona Dream'' – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
*1993 – ''Toxic Affair'' – Directed by: Philoméne Esposito *1993 – ''La Nuit sacrée'' – Directed by: Nicolas Klotz *1993 – ''Le Nombril du monde'' – Directed by: Ariel Zeitoun *1993 – ''
Kika Kika may refer to: People * Kika de la Garza (1927–2017), American politician * Kika Edgar (born 1985), Mexican actress and singer * Kika Karadi (born 1975), American contemporary artist * Kika Markham (born 1940), English actress * Kika M ...
'' – Directed by:
Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
*1994 – soundtrack for '' La Reine Margot'' – Directed by: Patrice Chéreau *1995 – '' Underground'' – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
*1997 – ''Music for Weddings and Funerals'' (Musik för bröllop och begravningar) – Directed by: Unni Straume *1997 – '' A Chef in Love'' (Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti) – Directed by: Nana Djordjadze *1997 – '' The Serpent's Kiss'' – Directed by: Philippe Rousselot *1997 – '' XXL'' – Directed by: Ariel Zeitoun *1998 – '' Train de Vie'' – Directed by: Radu Mihaileanu *1999 – '' The Lost Son'' – Directed by:
Chris Menges Chris Menges BSC, ASC (born 15 September 1940) is a British cinematographer and film director. He is a member of both the American and British Societies of Cinematographers. Life and career Menges was born in Kington, Herefordshire, the ...
*1999 – ''
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...
'' – Directed by: Veit Helmer *1999 – '' Operation Simoom (Operacja Samum)'' – Directed by
Władysław Pasikowski Władysław Pasikowski (; born 14 June 1959 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He made his debut film, Kroll, in 1991, which was honored with the Polish Film Festival prize for his debut and the Special Jury Prize. P ...
*2000 – '' 27 Missing Kisses'' – Directed by: Nana Djordjadze *2000 – '' Je li jasno prijatelju?'' – Directed by: Dejan Ačimović *2005 – '' The Turkish Gambit'' (Турецкий гамбит) – Directed by: Dzhanik Faiziyev *2005 – '' I giorni dell'abbandono'' – Directed by: Roberto Faenza *2006 – ''Karaula'' – Directed by: Rajko Grlić (This is not true) *2006 – ''
Le Lièvre de Vatanen ''The Year of the Hare'' () is a 2006 French, Belgian and Bulgarian film directed, written and produced by Marc Rivière. It is based on the 1975 novel '' The Year of the Hare'' by Arto Paasilinna, which has previously been made of a 1977 Fin ...
'' – Directed by: Marc Rivière *2006 – '' Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'' (non-original music; "Ederlezi" from Dom za vešanje) *2007 – ''Fly by Rossinant'' – Directed by: Jacky Stoév *2008 – '' Mustafa'' – Directed by: Can Dündar *2011 – ' – Directed by Veit Helmer


Discography


With Bijelo dugme


Original movies soundtracks

:''Not all his soundtracks compositions are commercially available.'' *1988: '' Time of the Gypsies'' (Kamarad, Diskoton, PolyGram, Komuna) *1989: '' Kuduz'' ( Diskoton) *1993: '' Toxic affair'' (Polygram / Universal) *1993: '' Arizona Dream'' (Kamarad, PolyGram, Komuna) *1994: '' La Reine Margot'' (Kamarad, PolyGram, Komuna) *1995: '' Underground'' (Kamarad, PolyGram, Komuna) *1995: '' A Chef in Love'' (Kamarad) *2000: ''
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...
'' avec Jürgen Knieper ( United One Records) *2005: '' I giorni dell'abbandono'' with
Carmen Consoli Carmen Carla Consoli (; born 4 September 1974) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Described as 'a remarkable combination of rocker and intellectual', she has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits, one soundtrack album, two live albums, fo ...
*2006: ''
Le Lièvre de Vatanen ''The Year of the Hare'' () is a 2006 French, Belgian and Bulgarian film directed, written and produced by Marc Rivière. It is based on the 1975 novel '' The Year of the Hare'' by Arto Paasilinna, which has previously been made of a 1977 Fin ...
'' ( PolyGram) *2008: '' Mustafa'' (
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
)


Compilations

:''His compilations include soundtracks from different works.'' *1996: '' PS'' ( Komuna) *1998: ''Ederlezi'' ( PolyGram) *1999: '' Magic book'' ( Bravo Records) *2000: '' Songbook'' (
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
, Universal) *2000: ''
Music for films ''Music for Films'' is the seventh solo studio album by Brian Eno, released in September 1978 on E.G. Records, EG Records. His third release of Experimental music, experimental Electronic music, electronic material (the others being that year's ...
'' ( PolyGram) *2009: '' Welcome to Bregović'' ( Wrasse Records)


Other albums

*1976: '' Goran Bregović'' ( PGP RTB) *1991: '' Paradehtika'' with Alkistis Protopsalti (
Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
) *1997: '' Düğün ve Cenaze'' with
Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer. She is one of the most successful Turkish people, Turkish singers, having sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Q ...
( Raks Müzik) *1997: '' Thessaloniki – Yannena with Two Canvas Shoes'' with George Dalaras ( Minos-EMI) *1998: '' Silence of the Balkans'', live in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
(
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
) *1999: '' Kayah & Bregović'' with Kayah ( ZIC-ZAC) *2000: '' Balkanica'' with Athens Symphony Orchestra (FM Records) *2001: '' Krawczyk & Bregović Daj mi drugie życie'' with
Krzysztof Krawczyk Krzysztof January Krawczyk (; 8 September 1946 – 5 April 2021) was a Polish baritone Pop music, pop singer, guitarist and composer. He was the vocalist of a popular Polish band, Trubadurzy ("the Troubadours"), from 1963 to 1973 when he sta ...
(BMG Poland, Rada) *2002: '' Tales and Songs from Weddings and Funerals'' (Mercury) *2007: '' Goran Bregović's Karmen with a Happy End'' (Mercury) *2009: '' Alkohol: Šljivovica & Champagne'' (Kamarad, Mercury) *2012: '' Ederlezi x Four'' (FM Records) *2012: '' Champagne for Gypsies'' (Kamarad, Mercury) *2017: ''
Three Letters from Sarajevo, Opus 1 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
'' (Wrasse Records)


Guest performances

*2017: "El Futuro Es Nuestro" ('' Residente''), by Residente


Honours and awards

*On 31 June 2006, he received a copy of the key of the city of
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
by
Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama; 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, artist and writer who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was M ...
on the occasion of his visit to Albania. *In 2021, he was awarded the
Order of Karađorđe's Star Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...
by President
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as President of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, Deputy Prim ...
on the occasion of Statehood Day of Serbia.


Annotations


References


Further reading

*Marković, Aleksandra. "Goran Bregović, the Balkan Music Composer." Ethnologia Balkanica 12 (2008): 9–23.


External links

* *
Goran Bregović
o
CKORD
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bregovic, Goran 1950 births Living people Musicians from Sarajevo Yugoslav musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina rock musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Croatian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Serbian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriates in France Bosnia and Herzegovina guitarists Bosnia and Herzegovina male guitarists 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists Golden Arena winners World Music Awards winners Indexi Award winners 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina film score composers Yugoslav composers Male film score composers Yugoslav film score composers