Novi Fosili () is a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in the former

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 ...

. The group was a phenomenon of Yugoslavian pop music from late 70s until late 80s when they were at the peak of their fame, and were compared to

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

because of their bright and fun songs with sing-along choruses and contemporary arrangements/ As a group, they released 29 albums (16 studio albums and 13 compilation albums), which have sold millions of copies and they are considered one of the best selling musicians in former Yugoslavia.

History

Forming and naming (1969–1977)

The group was formed in

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 ...

in 1969, when the drummer Slobodan Momčilović, who, after many years in the supporting bands of famous music stars of the time, invited his bassist (from then at the time band: "Kennedy Boys") Marinko Colnago, to join the new band. The name "Novi" in the name "fosili" was suggested by

Arsen Dedić Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić (; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Yugoslav and Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was one of the best-selling poets of former ...

. In the Junferici pastry shop on Teslina Street, a well-known gathering place for musicians until the end of the 70s, they were discussing the name of the band. "''The two of us were 27, 28 years old, our saxophonist Kinko 38, and we joked that we were as old as fossils to start a band. Arsen Dedić was listening to us from the other side of the bar, who said: - Then call yourselves Novi Fosili. ''". Along with Momčilović and Colnago, the original line-up also included keyboardist Slavomir Cvija and guitarist Milan Čale Čale, and they left behind 13 singles and one LP from 1974, simply called “'' Novi fosili''”. At the turn of 1976 and 1977, the band, along with guitarist Zoran Vlaović, was joined by 22-year-old

Rajko Dujmić Rajko Dujmić (7 August 1954 – 4 August 2020) was a Croatian songwriter, composer and music producer best known as a member of the pop group Novi fosili. He composed the winner entry of Eurovision Song Contest 1989, " Rock me", along with Ste ...

. That same year, Novi Fosili played at the

Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals. Since its ...

, where their song "Diridonda" soon became a hit throughout the country. Their next several albums sold millions of copies and delivered many hits that are still aired on radios in Croatia today.

Novi fosili with Đurđica Barlović (1977–1982)

After several unsuccessful attempts with female vocalists, in 1976, the band was finally joined by a young singer from

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 ...

, Đurđica Barlović, with experience she had gained singing in the group "Batali". She was a student of construction school in Split, and was more interested in music. She took piano and guitar lessons by Croatian composer Đeki Srbljenović. In May 1977, Vladimir Kočiš Zec joined the band instead of Vlaović, although not everything went smoothly: - ''“Marinko, Moka and Rajko invited me to a café because they needed a singer and guitarist. I flatly refused their offer because they were known as a ‘corny band’. They had the hit ‘Sjedi, Ćiro, navrh grane’ and such nonsense, but, I needed money for my family and after a week I called them and confirmed that I was coming”'', recalls Zec. The first major successes came in 1976, At the

, they performed "Diridonda", which became a hit throughout Yugoslavia, after the collaboration with Zdenko Runjić, later - "Tko visoko diže nos" by composer Andrej Baša from Zagrebfest followed, on the B-side of which, despite the protests of

Jugoton Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia. History Jugoton was formed in 1947. It replaced Elektroton, which had been founded in 1937, nationalized in 1945, and liquidated ...

editors, Dujmić's "Sanjaj me" ("Dream of me") was founded, co-authored with Dea Volarić. In 1978, they released second album and first album with Đurđica Barilović as main vocalist: ' ("That I don't love you"). The homonymous song from the album ''Da te ne volim'' has sold in 65,000 copies, while the album has reached the circulation of 170,000 copies. Dujmić, along with a number of collaborators, is responsible for the band's string of hits, from "Sanjaj me" ("Dream of me") to "Da te ne volim" ("That I don't love you"), "Najdraže moje" ("My dearest"), to "Šuti moj dječače plavi" ("Be quiet, my blue boy"), "Tonka" and others, earning the band comparisons to the Swedish

. In 1980 they released the third album titled ' ("Unfinished stories"), with hits like: "Nikad više staro vino” (“Never again old wine”), “Šuti moj dječače plavi” (“Be quiet, my blue boy”). They also had notable performances at foreign competitions in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

and

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

. They became one of the most popular bands in the former country, and were chosen as the band of the year on several occasions. Their concert repertoire consists exclusively of their own songs, mostly by Dujmić. During that time, they released about 15

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and 6 LPs. This was followed by tours of the then

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 ...

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, Canada and the countries of Europe.Novi fosili
Croatia records (pristupljeno 8. prosinca 2016.) In 1981, they released the album ' ("Always be close"), which has sold over 712,000 copies and is one of the best selling albums in Yugoslavia, with most popular songs; "Plava košulja" ("Blue shirt"), "E, moj Saša" ("Oh my Saša"), "Tonka", "Ključ je ispod otirača" ("The key is under the doormat"), which became band's to-day biggest hits and ultimately the biggest hits of Yugoslavia in the 80s. The following year in 1982, they released the last album with Đurđica Barlović as the lead singer titled ' ("For children and adults"). The album has sold in 200,000 units and after that album Đurđica decided to leave the group as her life, of a pop star, under the constant eye of the public, with numerous performances and tours, no longer attracted her. She decided to dedicate herself to her family, husband and sons. Her place in "Fosili" was replaced by a new singer, Sanja Doležal. However, Đurđica did not completely give up singing, she had a solid solo career, performed occasionally at festivals and recorded records. From 1984 to 1988, she released four albums. She was a guest on the 1988 album ' ("Heavenly Chariots"), where she sang backing vocals on all the songs. On August 26, 1992, Đurđica Barlović died in a

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

hospital, as a result of a heart attack. She was 42. In honour of her impact on success of Novi Fosili, on 10th anniversary of her death, Novi Fosili made a tribute concert, and amongs members of Novi Fosili, there were also;

Oliver Dragojević Oliver Dragojević (; 7 December 1947 – 29 July 2018) was a Croatian singer and composer, who was considered one of the most enduring musical stars and cultural icons in Croatia with a discography that spanned nearly five decades. His style b ...

Nina Badrić Nina Badrić (; born 4 July 1972) is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. She began performing in the early 1990s, and competed in " Dora" – the Croatian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 4 times. She won 7th place in 1993 with "Ostavljam ...

, Vanna,

Vinko Coce Vinko Coce (22 December 1954 – 26 October 2013) was a prominent Croatian opera and pop singer. He is considered one of his generation's greatest representatives of Croatian music. Biography Coce was born in Trogir and joined the Klapa ''Trogi ...

Emilija Kokić Emilija Kokić (born 10 May 1968) is a Croatian singer. She was the lead singer of the Croatian pop band Riva, which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 for Yugoslavia, with the song '' Rock Me'', just four days before her 21st Birthday. Current ...

, Zdenka Kovačiček and many others.

Further success with Sanja Doležal (1983–1991)

After Đurđica decided to leave the group, the rest of the group members were looking for new female lead vocal singer. They held an audition and they met Sanja Doležal. Sanja was an 19-year-old student of

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb ( Croatian: ''Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu'') is one of the faculties of the University of Zagreb. History The Faculty of Philosophy is the oldes ...

. Sanja described the first meeting with band members: “I met Slobodan Momčilović (Moka) for coffee and he gave me 24 hours to think. It was in the spring of 1983, I had been learning songs all summer, and on October 18th I had my first concert with Fosili in

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

. That first performance was chaotic, everything was confused in my head. Marinko and the other band members were not very enthusiastic. I was a kid, and Đurđa was a top singer, professional and a mature woman. However, after the first few concerts, the guys accepted me and realized that my youth made up for all the shortcomings I had.” Sanja became a lead vocal singer at the age of 19. In 1983, the band released 6th studio album and 1st with their new singer Doležal titled ' ("After everything"), with songs "Bilo mi je prvi put" ("It was my first time"), "Nije istina" ("It's not true") and biggest hit "Milena" who sings

with backing vocals. The album was sold in 200,000 units. In 1985, they released the seventh studio album, ' which has sold in 50,000 units. In summer of 1985, Slobodan Momčilović (Moka) died, and instead of him Nenad Šarić took his place as a drummer. Sanja and Neno were good friends for two years before falling in love. The group gained another success and fame following their 1986 eight studio album, ' ("For good old times"). Hits include: "Za dobra stara vremena" ("For good old times"), "Putuj sretno" ("Travel happy"), and others. At their peak in 1987, Novi Fosili performed at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, with their song "Ja sam za ples" ("I wanna dance"). They finished a high 4th place in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

at 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. In 1987, they released 9th studio album, ' ("Child of luck"), with the songs "Znam" ("I know"), "Dobre djevojke" ("Good girls"), following by their 1988 album ' ("Heavenly Chariots), 1989 album: ' ("Wipe away your tears, generation"), 1990 album: “'' Djeca ljubavi''” (“Children of love”), and their 1993 compilation album ' ("The best years") which turned out to be their last album with Sanja Doležal. Sanja sang in Novi Fosili for nine years until the beginning of the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

, when the group members split up and each went their own way. After the breakup with Fosili, Sanja had her first experience on television. She recorded “Radio Nja-Nja”, “Jel me netko tražio” and “Sedmu noć”.

Novi fosili with Nataša Belošević and Jelena Fošner (1995 – 2001)

After the

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 ...

, the group was disbanded, only to reconvene without Doležal and Zec, under a new branding of new 2000s pop music, featuring vocals of singers Nataša Belošević and Jelena Fošner. “''Working in the renewed New Fossils in the nineties was a challenge. But we got along, Vladimir Pavelić Bubi and Nataša Mirković (ex Belošević) still perform with us as backing vocalists. The problem was that we didn't click with the audience properly. It was a complex combination that couldn't last. It was such a time, and Rajko also had an authorial crisis, he didn't make any strong songs at that time, although he tried''” reveals Marinko Colnago from today's perspective. The line-up also included Vladimir Pavelić Bubi and Dalibor Barišić, with the help of Dubravko Vorih, Zlatko Bebek and Damir Gonza, and Vladimir and Nataša remained in the band as backing vocalists even after the line-up reunited with Sanja. Novi Fosili, together with new singers, released four albums; ' ("Other years") in 1995, ' ("White tears are falling down on the city") in 1996, ' ("Talk to me about love") in 1998 and ' ("Autumn") in 1999. The band was disbanded again in 2001.

Reunion and new releases (2005 – 2024)

Members of the most memorable lineup gathered again in 2005 for some revival concerts.

, for his musical contribution and contribution for success of Novi Fosili received a Porin for life achievement award in 2013. In 2014, scandals arose surrounding Dujmić's long time drug use, causing him to be expelled from the group. "Due to Dujmić's serious illness, we have decided to stop the group's work for the time being. Namely, it is known that Rajko has been battling addiction for about thirty years, which is why we separated in 1991 after he refused to go for treatment," Sanja Doležal, Marinko Colnago and Vladimir Kočiš Zec told in an interview with 24sata. Disagreements between the band members continued, and a few years ago, Rajko sued his bandmates. “Unfortunately, we are still in court because Rajko Dujmić sued us over the name “Novi fosili”. He banned us from using that name,” Sanja said in an interview. “I am sorry that all this happened because I think that a band like “Novi fosili”, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, did not deserve such a stain on its existence,” Doležal said in 2019, adding that Dujmić is a genius and the best musician in our region. The remaining members still hold small revival concerts. In July 2020, Rajko Dujmić got seriously injured in traffic accident, where he later died in at the age of 65. The rest of the group members went on revivial concerts including concert in Canada and rest of the Europe and countries of

SFRJ 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 ...

. In November 2024, the group held last (farewell) concert in

Arena Zagreb The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used fo ...

. "It's time. We've been through so much for a few years now. But if we're going to say goodbye, then let's do it right," Sanja Doležal said. "There's no Dinamo match without the “Blue Shirt”, there's no good party without “Diridonda” or “For the Good Old Days”, there's no Christmas Eve without a performance on the Square at noon with a team that's been coming for years.

is our city and we want to give all Zagreb residents a party to remember," she added.

Group Members

* Slobodan Momčilović Moka – drummer, founder (1969–1985, died 1985) * Slavomir Cvija – keyboards, vocal (1969–1976) * Milan Čaleta Čale – guitar, vocal (1969–1976) * Marinko Colnago – bass-guitar, vocal (1969–1991, 1995–1997, 2005–2024; died 2025) * Vjekoslav Slavko Kink –

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, saxophone (1969–2014) * Ivica Piskulić – trumpet (1969–?) * Antun Pavić Tuna – guitar (1969–?) * Radmilo Maslovarić – trombone (?) * Zvonimir Makar Šiljo – (?) * Zoran Vlaović - gitara (?) *

Lima – keyboards, vocal (1976–1991, 1995–2001, 2005–2014, died 2020) * Vladimir Kočiš Zec – guitar, vocal, (1977–1991, 2005–present) * Nenad Šarić Brada – drummer (1985–1991, 2005–2012, died 2012) * Đurđica Barlović – vocal (1976–1983, died 1992) * Sanja Doležal – vocal (1983–1991, 2005–present) * Nataša Belošević – vocal (1995–2001) * Jelena Fošner – vocal (1995–2001) * Vladimir Pavelić – drums, vocal (1995–2001) * Dalibor Barišić Dado – keyborads, vocal (1995–1997) ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1969 till:2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vokal value:red legend:Vocal id:gitara value:green legend:Guitar id:bas value:blue legend:Bass_guitar id:bubnjevi value:orange legend:Drumms id:klavi value:purple legend:Keyboards id:album value:black legend:Album id:ep value:gray(0.7) legend:EP id:singl value:gray(0.9) legend:Singl Period = from:1969 till:2025 Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1969 BarData= bar:Đurđica text:"Đurđica Barlović" bar:Sanja text:"Sanja Doležal" bar:Nataša text:"Nataša Belošević" bar:Jelena text:"Jelena Fošner bar:Čale text:"Milan Čaleta" bar:Zec text:"Vladimir Kočiš" bar:Marinko text:"Marinko Colnago" bar:Cvija text:"Slavomir Cvija" bar:Lima text:"Rajko Dujmić" bar:Dado text:"Dalibor Barišić" bar:Moka text:"Slobodan Momčilović" bar:Brada text:"Nenad Šarić"" bar:Vladimir text:"Vladimir Pavelić" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) color:vokal bar:Đurđica from:1976 till:1983 bar:Sanja from:1983 till:1991 from:2005 till:end bar:Nataša from:1995 till:2001 bar:Jelena from:1995 till:2001 color:gitara bar:Čale from:1969 till:1976 bar:Zec from:1976 till:1991 from:2005 till:end color:klavi bar:Cvija from:1969 till:1976 bar:Lima from:1976 till:1991 from:1995 till:2001 from:2005 till:2014 bar:Dado from:1995 till:1997 color:bas bar:Marinko from:1969 till:1991 from:1995 till:1997 from:2005 till:end color:bubnjevi bar:Moka from:1969 till:1985 bar:Brada from:1985 till:1991 from:2005 till:2012 bar:Vladimir from:1995 till:2001 LineData = layer:back color:album at:1974 at:1978 at:1980 at:1981 at:1982 at:1983 at:1985 at:1986 at:1987 at:1988 at:1989 at:1990 at:1995 at:1996 at:1998 at:1999

Albums

Studio Albums

Compilation albums

Sources

External links

Novi fosili
* {{Authority control Yugoslav musical groups Croatian pop music groups Yugoslav rock music groups Musical groups established in 1969 Croatia Records artists Eurovision Song Contest entrants