Tomo Miličević
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Tomislav "Tomo" Miličević (; born September 3, 1979) is a Bosnian Croat-American musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist of the rock band
Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Let ...
from 2003 to 2018. 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 ...
but raised in the United States, Miličević moved to
Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Troy is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 87,294, ...
, in the early 1980s, where he became active in the local heavy metal scene and played in a number of bands, co-founding Morphic. In 2003, he joined Thirty Seconds to Mars, with whom he achieved worldwide recognition in the mid-2000s after recording the band's second album '' A Beautiful Lie'' (2005). Its full-length follow-ups, '' This Is War'' (2009) and '' Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams'' (2013), received further critical and commercial success. Miličević has also worked as a collaborator and music producer. Throughout the 2010s, he was featured on a recording with
Dommin Dommin is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1999 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kristofer Dommin. They released their major label debut album, '' Love is Gone'', in 2010 through Roadrunner Records before releasing subsequent ...
and collaborated with Ivy Levan on a number of releases, including '' Introducing the Dame'' (2013) and '' No Good'' (2015). Miličević has experimented with various guitar effects and introduced influences from several genres of music into his own style.


Early life and education

Tomo Miličević was born on September 3, 1979, 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 ...
,
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 ...
, then part of
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 ...
, to a Bosnian Croat family. He is the middle child of Tonka and Damir Miličević. He has an elder sister,
Ivana Ivana is a feminine given name of Slavic origin that is also popular in southern Ireland, France, French-speaking Canada, the Mediterranean and Latin America. It is the feminine form of the name Ivan, which are both the Slavic cognates of the n ...
, and a younger brother, Filip. His father worked in agricultural engineering and his mother was a doctor. His family first arrived in the United States in 1982, where Miličević's brother Filip was born. They traveled back and forth until they permanently emigrated to
Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Troy is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 87,294, ...
, when Miličević enrolled in the third grade, to avoid 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 ...
. He stated that he "would be in the army by 16, fighting in the front lines by age 17" if his family had not emigrated. After moving to the United States, both his parents worked in manufacturing industries in Troy and
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. A few years later, they started their own business. Miličević became interested in classical music at early age, when he started to take violin lessons inspired by his uncle Željko "Bill" Miličević, a virtuoso violinist and professor of music at
Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...
in Rochester, Michigan. "I was actually born and bred to be a concert violinist", he explained. Miličević's introduction to the world of
heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal band ...
was around the age of 11. His parents supported his decision to start playing guitar, so he and his father made one together. He began writing his own music in high school, while at the same time performing in a number of local bands. Miličević gained American citizenship in the early 1990s. He attended culinary school at
Oakland Community College Oakland Community College (OCC) is a Public college, public community college with five campuses in Oakland County, Michigan. Established in 1964, OCC is the largest community college in Michigan, with the state's third-largest undergraduate enr ...
, becoming a certified executive and pastry chef, and worked in a number of restaurants in
Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...
. He graduated from Athens High School in Troy and then moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, rejoining his siblings Ivana and Filip. The three later convinced their parents to leave Troy and resettle in Los Angeles, where they opened a restaurant.


Career

Miličević began playing in bands around Troy in the late 1990s. He co-founded the group Morphic with some friends in 2000. The band first operated under the name Loki, before settling on its final name. By 2001, the group performed gigs at small Michigan venues and clubs, and recorded a number of demo tracks. The following year, Miličević left the band and was almost ready to quit his musical career. However, during this period, manager Arthur Spivak, who had previously met Miličević at a showcase concert with Morphic, told him about an audition for
Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Let ...
. Miličević then decided to move to Los Angeles where he had a successful audition with Thirty Seconds to Mars, replacing guitarist Solon Bixler. By 2003, the band consisted of Miličević, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
, drummer Shannon Leto, and bassist Matt Wachter. The new lineup debuted on '' The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn'' in February 2003. Thirty Seconds to Mars entered the studio in March 2004 to begin working on their second album '' A Beautiful Lie''. The recording process saw the band traveling to four different continents to accommodate Jared Leto's acting career. ''A Beautiful Lie'' was released on August 30, 2005, in the United States. Fueled by the band's relentless touring and the mainstream success of the single "
The Kill "The Kill" (written "The Kill (Bury Me)" on the single and music video) is a song by American band Thirty Seconds to Mars. The song was released on January 24, 2006 as the second single from their second album, ''A Beautiful Lie''. It was certi ...
", the album received multiple certifications all over the world, including platinum in the United States, with a worldwide sales total of over four million. The album tour saw the band playing at several major festivals, including
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
, Pinkpop,
Rock am Ring The (German language, German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' tak ...
, and
Download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
. In August 2008, during the recording process of the band's third studio album, Thirty Seconds to Mars attempted to sign with a new label, prompting
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
(the parent label of Virgin), to file a $30 million breach of contract lawsuit. After nearly a year of legal battles, the band announced on April 28, 2009, that the suit had been settled following a defense based on the De Havilland Law. Thirty Seconds to Mars then signed a new contract with EMI and released their third album '' This Is War'' in December 2009 to critical acclaim. ''This Is War'' reached the top ten of several national album charts and earned numerous music awards. The band began their Into the Wild Tour in support of the record in February 2010 and was among the hardest-working touring artists of the year. In December 2011, they entered the ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' for most live shows during a single album cycle, with 300 shows. Miličević collaborated with American band
Dommin Dommin is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1999 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kristofer Dommin. They released their major label debut album, '' Love is Gone'', in 2010 through Roadrunner Records before releasing subsequent ...
on a rendition of
Cutting Crew Cutting Crew is an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut studio album ''Broadcast'' (1986) and their UK Top 40 hit singles, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and " I've Been in Love Before". History 1985 ...
's song "
(I Just) Died in Your Arms "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Cutting Crew, released on 25 July 1986 as a single from their debut studio album, ''Broadcast''. The song was written by frontman Nick Van Eede, produced by Terry Br ...
", which was released on a special edition of Dommin's album '' Love Is Gone'' (2010). He began producing American singer Ivy Levan in 2012. After signing to Cherrytree Records, Levan released the EP '' Introducing the Dame'' (2013), which features a collaboration with Miličević, who wrote and produced a number of tracks. Thirty Seconds to Mars released their fourth album, '' Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams'', in May 2013 through Universal. It received generally positive reviews and reached the top ten in more than fifteen countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The band promoted the album by embarking on their Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams Tour and the Carnivores Tour, co-headlining with
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
. In April 2014, Thirty Seconds to Mars announced that they have parted from Virgin Records after tumultuous years with the label. The following year, Miličević engineered Ivy Levan's debut album '' No Good'' alongside
Patrick Nissley Innerpartysystem (often stylized as InnerPartySystem) is an American electronic rock band. The group consists of Patrick Nissley, Jared Piccone and Kris Barman. The band is well known for their live performance lighting largely by Andrew Nissl ...
. He also wrote and performed on selected tracks. Thirty Seconds to Mars released their fifth album, ''
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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
'', in April 2018 through
Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
. During the Monolith Tour in support of the album, it was announced that Miličević would be taking a break from touring due to personal matters. In June 2018, he officially announced his departure from the band.


Artistry

Miličević is a classically trained musician who began his musical education at a very early age, playing the violin. During his youth, he had been influenced by
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
, listening to performers such as
Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...
, John McLaughlin,
Paco de Lucía Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamen ...
, and
Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...
. His own ethnic background, and the diverse social and cultural mix in and around Detroit, were crucial in the formation of Miličević as a musician. He developed his interest in guitar from the moment he was introduced to
heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal band ...
, becoming a devoted fan of bands such as
Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...
,
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, and
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
. When he started writing his own music, Miličević regarded Pantera's album '' Vulgar Display of Power'' as a particularly influential record. He was further drawn into guitar when he realized the "genius" of emotions and passions which characterizes the common songwriting of
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
. Miličević explained, "All of the music that I have ever listened to, in some shape or form, has inspired me to do music". He grew up listening to
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
artists, citing
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
, and
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 ...
. His major influences also include
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
bands such as
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
and
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
. He is inspired by
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
, including
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
and
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
. Miličević explained that when making music his passion for the creative process is what drives his works and allows to constantly reinvent his style. Rod Lockwood from '' The Blade'' described his work as "propulsive and energetic, with a big, anthemic sound that draws on U2, The Cure, and classic rock for its aural infrastructure".
Artistdirect Artistdirect (stylized as ARTISTdirect) is an American online digital media entertainment company. Overview Founded in 1996, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affi ...
complimented the "beautifully complex guitars" featured on the album ''A Beautiful Lie''. A writer from the ''Chicago Music Guide'' commended the "imaginative effects" on ''This Is War'', while '' Guitar Edge'' stated that the guitar work on the album is "in a class of its own", noticing "rich atmospheres" and "masterful guitar tone". Miličević experimented with different instruments and drew influences from a varied range of styles in ''Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams''. In addition to the guitar and violin, Miličević is also a fluent player of bass instruments, keyboards and percussion, and supplies backing vocals during concerts.


Personal life

Miličević's immediate family includes his sister, actress
Ivana Ivana is a feminine given name of Slavic origin that is also popular in southern Ireland, France, French-speaking Canada, the Mediterranean and Latin America. It is the feminine form of the name Ivan, which are both the Slavic cognates of the n ...
, and his late brother, photographer Filip. He is a nephew of Željko "Bill" Miličević, professor of music at
Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...
in Rochester, Michigan. Miličević married his longtime girlfriend Vicki Bosanko in Crete, Greece in July 2011 they divorced in 2022. Tomo married his girlfriend Julia in 2024. After living in Los Angeles for over a decade, Miličević came back to Michigan in August 2014, moving to Indian Village in Detroit with his wife. He described himself as a "Michigan kid" who grew up with the music scene of Detroit. He also explained to have a "deep-rooted affinity" for the city. Miličević lives a
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
lifestyle and supports
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
. He worked with the Best Friends Animal Society on a number of programs. In the 2008 presidential election, Miličević supported Senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
of Illinois. In June 2008, he joined
Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...
to work with Thirty Seconds to Mars on a home being repaired and renovated through the Greater Los Angeles Area's "A Brush With Kindness" programme.


Discography

;Studio albums with Thirty Seconds to Mars * '' A Beautiful Lie'' (2005) * '' This Is War'' (2009) * '' Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams'' (2013) * ''
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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
'' (2018)


References


Sources

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milicevic, Tomo 1979 births 20th-century American musicians American alternative rock guitarists American activists American multi-instrumentalists American people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent American record producers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American rock keyboardists American rock songwriters American rock violinists American male violinists American male songwriters Yugoslav emigrants to the United States American lead guitarists Living people Musicians from Sarajevo Thirty Seconds to Mars members Guitarists from Detroit 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American violinists