Baja Mali Knindža: Difference between revisions

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| instrument        = Vocals
| instrument        = Vocals
| years_active      = 1989–present
| years_active      = 1989–present
| label            = Jugodisk, Nina Trejd, SuperTon, RTVJ, Estrada shop, RENOME, Cronic Munchen, BN Music, Patriot
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}}
[[File:Baja Mali Knindza Orkestar Fantom 1987.png|thumb|Baja playing with Orkestar Fantom sometime in 1987]]
'''Mirko Pajčin''' ([[Learn Cyrillic|Serbian Cyrillic]]: Мирко Пајчин; born 13 October 1966), best known by his stage name '''Baja Mali Knindža''' ([[Learn Cyrillic|Serbian Cyrillic]]: Баја Мали Книнџа), is a Serb folk singer, songwriter and poet. He is most known for his wartime music and remains to be one of the most popular artists in Serbia.


'''Mirko Pajčin''' ([[Learn Cyrillic|Serbian Cyrillic]]: Мирко Пајчин,* 13 October 1966), better known by his stage name '''Baja Mali Knindža''' ([[Learn Cyrillic|Serbian Cyrillic]]: Баја Мали Книнџа), is a Bosnian Serb folk singer and poet. He is most known for his wartime work and is still one of the most popular artists in Serbia.
== Early life ==
Baja was born on 13 October 1966 in the village of Gubin, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina).<ref name=":0">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506023950/http://www.knindza.info/viewpage.php?page_id=2 "Lična karta"]. ''Knindza.info''. Archived from [http://www.knindza.info/viewpage.php?page_id=2 the original] on 6 April 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2023.</ref> While attending school, Baja claims that his Serbian language teacher, Milan Poparić, influenced him heavily and introduced him to poetry. He started writing songs, reciting poems, acting, and singing at a young age. He attended high school in Bačka Palanka and ended up moving to Belgrade two years later. After graduating from high school, he initially worked at the IMT tractor factory in Belgrade, then briefly worked at the then "Tito" shipyard before finishing his mandatory military service in Livno. At the end of his military service, he started working at the Belgrade airport.
 
Baja became interested in singing when his friend from Surčin invited him to a celebration he hosted. As part of the event, he was offered a microphone to sing. His performance would earn him a tip that was five times greater than his current salary, to which he said to himself, "Baja, you won't wake up early anymore".
 
== Career ==
Baja would soon perform in cities like Sarajevo at the restaurant "Holidej" in Čengić vila, which was owned by a cousin of [[Lepi Mića]], sharing the stage with artists like [[Ljubiša Vasiljević]].
 
In 1989, he contributed to writing the [[Tromeđa]] album [[Izvorne pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine|''Izvorne pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine'']], which included one of their biggest hits, "[[Nema raja bez rodnoga kraja]]". Later in the year, Baja tried to participate in the music competition "Prvi glas Livna", but was denied when the judges found out that Baja was a professional musician and the song, "[[Nema raja bez rodnoga kraja]]" was already on an album. He was permitted to perform the song along with another song "[[Nemoj me lagati mila]]", but could not compete.<ref>[https://archive.vn/Q2pRm "Baja Mali Knindža Biography"]. ''Biografija.org.'' 2 October 2021. Archived from [https://www.biografija.org/muzika/baja-mali-knindza/ the original] on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.</ref><ref>[https://archive.vn/J0KnL "Ispovijest Mirka Pajčina"]. ''Medium.com.'' 13 January 2019.  Archived from [https://medium.com/@manjacainsajder/ispovijest-mirka-pajčina-bio-sam-jako-nemiran-đed-me-nazvao-baja-7d8db475ed07 the original] on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.</ref>
 
==== Ne dam Krajine and mainstream success (1992-1993) ====
When the breakup of Yugoslavia began, Baja's would make patriotic songs about the war. Baja set out to record these songs for an album, and after he gathered just enough money to begin production, he somehow lost it all on the way to the studio. Now in debt and in search of a record label, he eventually found [[Jugodisk]] after being rejected by [[PGP RTS]].
 
In 1992, he released his debut album ''[[Ne dam Krajine]]'', and upon release, it would catapult Baja into the mainstream. Thanks to its reception from the battlefield, Baja would start on his next album.
 
Production issues occurred when for unknown reasons, Jugodisk was unable to publish this new album. With the help of Željko Grujić, they were in talks of having the Zagreb-based Jugoton publish the album, though the deal fell through.<ref name=":1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070819110329/http://baja-mali-knindza.com/intervju2.html "У Босни нас слушају и Хрвати и Муслимани!"] baja-mali-knindza.com. Archived from [http://www.baja-mali-knindza.com/intervju2.html the original] on 25 March 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2024,</ref> In mid-1992, he would record with Grujić's label, [[Nina Trade]] and release a second album called [[Stan'te paše i ustaše|''Stan'te paše i ustaše'']], which would ended up selling 300,000 copies and even received a Platinum award at Hala Borik Banja Luka in 1997. Despite his mainstream success, Baja had a strained relationship with the media. His 1992 [[Poselo]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z95oRMym94A performance of "Pevaj Srbijo"] was cut from TV broadcasting and only ever had a few select appearances on radio and TV.<ref>[https://archive.is/fSQqQ 13.01.2021 Interview]. ''Informer.rs.'' 13 January 2021. Archived from [https://informer.rs/dzet-set/estrada/578438/baja-mali-knindza-ispovest-hit-dodatak the original] on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.</ref> Milovan Filipović, the event's organizer would subsequently be fired for the song's inclusion.<ref name=":1" />
 
In February 1993, Baja would release his best-selling album, [[Živeće ovaj narod|''Živeće ovaj narod'']],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070704205116/http://baja-mali-knindza.com/licna%20karta.html "Karijera"]. ''Baja-mali-knindza.com.'' Archived from [http://baja-mali-knindza.com/licna%20karta.html the original] on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2023.</ref> and a live album, [[Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta|''Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta'']].
[[File:Stand sa kasetama u Knez Mihajlovoj Kad je izasao najprodavaniji album u istoriji Srpske muzike 1992 godina.jpg|left|thumb|253x253px|Baja at a cassette stand in Knez Mihajlovo circa 1993.]]
 
==== Još se ništa ne zna and career at SuperTon (1993-1995) ====
Around late August/early September 1993, Baja would release his album and appear in many interviews regarding [[Još se ništa ne zna|''Još se ništa ne zna'']]. Upon release, it became one of Baja's most popular albums and would be the start of his work with [[SuperTon]]. Baja would also release a VHS tape called ''[[Najveći hitovi (VHS)|Najveći hitovi]]'', which featured music videos for his more popular song. At the end of 1993, he would release two more albums, [[Rat i mir|''Rat i mir'']] and [[Kockar bez sreće|''Kockar bez sreće'']] with the former containing patriotic songs and the latter containing love songs that were inspired by older, non-war material similar to his work in the mid 80's. [[File:1993 Superton Catalog Sabor.jpeg|thumb|A [[SuperTon]] ad in the December 1993 release of [[Sabor]] advertising [[Rat i mir]] and [[Kockar bez sreće]] and wishing readers a happy new year.]]Baja released one album in 1994, [[Pobediće istina|''Pobediće istina'']], and it would later receive a CD release on behalf of [[Estrada shop]] along with other songs from Baja's previous albums. This technically made the CD part compilation and part album release, and was therefore given the name ''[[Najveći hitovi - Pobediće istina]]''. A second Baja VHS, [[Rat i Mir (VHS)|''Rat i mir'']], released, and it would feature music videos for select tracks on the ''[[Rat i mir|Rat i Mir]]'' cassette release, as well as tracks from ''[[Kockar bez sreće]]''. The poems featured in the VHS were to be compiled in his one and only book, ''Nedefinisan čovek'', however, it never came to fruition.
 
In early 1995, Baja would release three more albums: [[Igraju se delije|''Igraju se delije'']], [[Idemo dalje|''Idemo dalje'']], and ''[[Zbogom oružje]]''. ''Igraju se delije'' would be the last time Goran would accompany Baja on his own albums and would also be the first collaboration with Željko Jovanović. ''Idemo dalje'' was released in August of that year, shortly before Krajina fell. Shortly after the war officially ended, [[Zbogom oružje]] released in late 1995, critical of the war and the political climate at the time.
 
==== Post-war (1996-1998) ====
After working on side projects, Baja would depart SuperTon some time in 1997, moving to Lazarević Produktion where he released [[Ne dirajte njega|''Ne dirajte njega'']] in 1997. During the Serbian general elections in the same year, controversial politician Vojislav Šešelj to approached Baja, asking him to produce a cassette with songs dedicated to Šešelj's party, the Serbian Radical Party (abbreviated to SRS). With three songs dedicated to the party and the rest being reused material from other albums, [[Srpskim radikalima|''Srpskim radikalima'']] was released.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Sd8TdWTMw "Baja Mali Knindza o Šešelju"] ''Youtube.com''</ref> In 1998, SuperTon would release the exceedingly rare Baja compilation "''[[The Best Off]]"'', but it's not known if Baja was directly involved with the album's production or not.
 
==== Career at Renome and subsequent hiatus (1999-2002) ====
In 1999, Baja went to Renome and released his last war-related album, [[Biti 'il ne biti|''Biti 'il ne biti'']]. Its contents focused on the [[Music during the Kosovo War|Kosovo War]] and subsequent NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia, which were ongoing at the time. Accompanied by [[Dragan Stojković Bosanac]], he also would release [[Gara iz Lončara / Život je tamo]] with the songs "[[Evo džepa, đe su pare bile]]" and "[[Duni vjetre malo preko jetre]]" being one of his most popular songs. Like ''[[Kockar bez sreće]]'', the album would feature no patriotic songs.
 
In 2000, Baja released [[Povratak u budućnost|''Povratak u budućnost'']], which featured another popular track, "[[Samo je moj stari znao]]". Baja would also return to Nina Trejd one last time and release [[Zaljubljen i mlad]] which featured reimagined versions of songs from ''Kockar bez sreć''e as well as some new material. Around this time, Renome's sublabel, [[Patriot]] would release the compilation ''[[Moje najljepše, one naše ?! Vaš Baja Mali]],'' but it's unknown if Baja had any involvement in its release.
 
In 2001, he released [[Đe si legendo]] which showed a change in musical direction for Baja. Rather than be solely folk, its songs would mix elements of rock and roll and pop, and no samples from the [[wikipedia:Roland_Sound_Canvas|Roland Sound Canvas]], which he used heavily in some of his most well known works. It would also feature a rock version of the song "[[Kuća časti]]" from a previous album Baja, ''Igraju se delije''. Renome would later release the compilation, ''Hitovi'', although it only contained Baja songs that were released by Renome themselves.
 
In 2002, he released [[Zbogom pameti|''Zbogom pameti'']], an album that reimagined some songs from ''Kockar bez sreće'', along with the songs "[[Ko je ljubio, taj ne ljubi više]]" and "[[Prošli su mi vozovi]]". It also contains a reimagined version of the Braća sa Dinare song, "[[Loš učenik]]" albeit renamed to "Šta je tebi, dođi sebi". ''Zbogom Pameti'' also includes the duet, "[[Šta ti bi]]", which was released a year prior on Nada Obrić's ''Tako je život hteo''. Following the release of ''Zbogom Pameti'', Baja would move primarily to live performances and he'd be more involved with the industry for the next four years. Around this time, Baja would start singing vulgar songs in his live performances, typically about women and drinking.[[File:Modern Baja Mali Knindza concert.png|thumb|400x400px|2022 Baja Mali Knindža concert]]
==== Za kim zvona zvone and BN Music ====
In 2006, Baja released [[Za kim zvona zvone|''Za kim zvona zvone'']]. From ''Za kim zvona zvone'' onward, Baja's albums would incorporate elements of folk and pop. Renome would release [[Baja Mali Knindža i prijatelji|''Baja Mali Knindža i prijatelji'']] which featured Baja and other folk artists who performed at [[Svijet Renomea]] the previous year.
 
In 2007, he released [[Gluvi barut|''Gluvi barut'']] which leaned more on the pop genre (common for the industry time of its release) and would be the last album published by Renome. Another compilation, ''[[Best of Baja Mali Knindža]]'' was also released. While Baja would occasionally return to Renome to help with songwriting, and would move to BN Music after 2008.
 
In 2010, he would release his first BN Music album [[Idemo malena|''Idemo malena'']], featuring notably autotuned vocals. After the death of his cousin, Kseniji Pajčin, Baja wrote a song titled "Spavaj, kraljice" in her memory.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20150122222402/http://www.kurir.rs/baja-mali-knindza-placem-za-sestrom-ksenijom-clanak-65212 Plačem za sestrom Ksenijom]". Kurir. 27 December 2010. Archived from [http://www.svet.rs/najnovije-vesti/baja-mali-knindza-posvetio-pesmu-kseniji-pajcin...&#x20;&#x20;Originalno&#x20;objavljeno&#x20;na&#x20;stranici&#x20;www.svet.rs/najnovije-vesti/baja-mali-knindza-posvetio-pesmu-kseniji-pajcin the original] on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2023.</ref> The song would never receive an official release as Baja never intended to ever record it citing turmoil and grief. Despite this, the song was recorded and subsequently uploaded to the internet where it would go viral.<ref>"[https://archive.ph/4fwzd NAJTUŽNIJA PESMA BAJE MALOG KNINDŽE POSVEĆENA JE KSENIJI PAJČIN Nikad je nisam snimio, ne pevam je! To je nešto moje što me boli... (VIDEO)]." Alo!. 16 March 2021. Archived from [https://www.alo.rs/vip/vip/baja-mali-knindza-ksenija-pajcin-pesma/395834/vest the original]. Retrieved 26 July 2023.</ref> Around this time, Baja would stop singing overly nationalistic songs at live performances. He would also be routinely accompanied by rock band [[Minđušari]] in live performances, contrary to a typical set-list that featured a local band. He still tours with them occasionally with the most recent appearance being in 2022.<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3-ZZeXZ9Ps Baja Mali Knindza - VELIKA SALA SPENS - 18.11.2022. (PROMO)]".  9 November 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
 
</ref>
 
In 2012, he would release, [[Lesi se vraća kući|''Lesi se vraća kući'']]. While it would be his last album published by BN, he would work within the company until 2015 where would release a single, ''[[Tetreb]]''.
 
==== Official Youtube channel and self-published work (2014- present) ====
In 2014, Baja would work on an album for Narodni pokret Dinara Drina Dunav titled, [[Govor duše]]. It includes patriotic songs in the same vein as his work from the 90's and includes an updated version of the ''Još se ništa ne zna'' song, "[[Nisu suze za Srbina]]". Despite wishes to make another album, it is the last album Baja has released to date.
 
On June 14, 2018, the official YouTube channel for Baja Mali Knindža would be created<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/@BMKOfficialChannel/about BMK Official Channel About]". 17 June 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2023.</ref> and it would become the main place where Baja<nowiki>'s current work would be released. Currently he only publishes singles and some live performances, and has not published any of his old work or music videos from the 90's. His most recent single would be Najčistija beretka ''CIGO''</nowiki>, released April 20, 2021. While Baja continues to perform patriotic music and love songs live, their contents are not nearly as chauvinistic.
 
Baja has had a recent increase in popularity and still is one of the most popular singers in Serbia. In recent years, he has developed a cult following in non-Serb circles online due to the increasing awareness of his work during the war.
 
==== Live releases ====
During the early 2000's albums of Baja's live performances would be produced. The legitimacy of these labels are unknown and it is not known if Baja had any involvement with producing these albums. In 2002, [[Carisma Disc International]] released [[!!! Luda žurka !!!|''!!! Luda žurka !!!'']] and Slaviša Guja Slaja's label, Slay Production released ''Gara mega mix'' which also features Zoran Kulina and other folk artists. In 2003, a cassette titled [[Uživo (Baja Mali Knindža 2003)|''Uživo'']] was released, though its publisher remains anonymous. A year later, another concert recording on CD also called [[Uživo (Baja Mali Knindža 2004)|''Uživo'']] was released. In the same year, [[Još sad pa ko zna kad !|''Još sad pa ko zna kad!'']] was released both as a two part Cassette release and a two CD version. The live performance used for volume one is also used in ''[[Ajmo braćo u kafanu]]''. In 2006, [[Cronic München]] released [[Ajmo braćo u kafanu|''Ajmo braćo u kafanu'']], [[Gara iz Nemačke|''Gara iz Nemačke'']] and [[Hoćemo li brate zapjevati|''Hoćemo li brate zapjevati'']]. Information regarding the performances themselves are currently unknown.
 
== Side Projects ==
 
==== Baja bend ====
In 1994, Baja partnered with arranger Goran Radinović as Goki i Baja bend. The pair would go onto produce three albums: ''[[Braća sa Dinare (Album)|Braća sa Dinare]]'', ''Život damo Krajine ne damo'', and ''Samotnjak''. After Radinović's departure from SuperTon in 1995, it would be rebranded to Baja bend. Baja bend would produce two more albums: ''Seobe'' in 1995 and ''Svrati posle snegova'' in 1996. Since then, Baja bend has been inactive.
 
==== Braća sa Dinare ====
In 1994, Baja would form a group with his younger brother, Novak Pajčin as well as a friend, Luka Mihaljica. The group would be called Braća sa Dinare (<small>lit.</small> "Brothers from Dinara") and their [[Braća sa Dinare (Album)|debut album of the same]] name would release the same year. Baja would be heavily involved in the second album, ''[[Bila jednom jedna zemlja]]'' as all but one track only has Baja performing. Some time after the war, Baja would give a helping hand to his cousin Lazo after expressing concerns of his career after the war.<ref>"[https://archive.ph/Jc1Cw LAZO PAJČIN PRAVIO JE HITOVE SAMO OD NASLOVA: Baja Mali Knindža setio se pokojnog brata i ispričao detalje koje niko ne zna]". Kurir. 22 June 2022. Archived from [https://www.kurir.rs/stars/3957323/lazo-pajcin-pravio-je-hitove-samo-od-naslova-baja-mali-knindza-setio-se-pokojnog-brata-i-ispricao-detalje-koje-niko-ne-zna the original]. Retrieved 26 July 2023.</ref> Recording would take place at SuperTon during April and May of 1996 and resulted in ''[[Plači voljena zemljo]]''. In 1997, the group's label would move to Nina Trejd where the last two albums, ''[[Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba]]'' and ''[[Idemo do kraja]]'' (released 1997 and 1998, respectively) would be published. While Baja himself would cover songs he wrote for the group,<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlZrBSCUsvU Baja Mali Knindza - Cedo maleni - (LIVE) - (Banja Luka 2020)]". 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2023.</ref> the group itself never performed live.
 
== Other activity ==
 
=== Songwriting ===
 
===== Career start (1985-1990) =====
While Baja's debut album was released in 1992, his start in the music industry would be in 1985 where he was primarily a lyricist at Jugodisk under the name "M. Pajčin Baja". His first songwriting credit would be on the [[Borislav Ličanin]] song "Oko mene lepe žene" from the album of the same name. He would also write the song "Jasna je meni donijela sreću" for the 1986 album ''A oj Liko zavičajna sliko'' and "Kad se slože ravnice i brda" for the 1987 album of the same name. The 1990 album, ''Sve što imam, to mi je u lici'' would be the first album to feature the song "Nemoj me lagati, mila", predating its appearance in ''[[Kockar bez sreće]]'' by three years. In 1989, Baja would contribute to one of Tromeđe's biggest hits, "Nema raja" as he was the primary lyricist for Tromeđa's ''[[Pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine]]''. The song has since been covered by artists such as [[Bora Drljača]], [[Minđušari]], and [[Žare i Goci]]. He would contribute to the title track of the 1991 Milivoje Đurišić album ''Crnogorsko Srce'' before releasing his debut album.
 
==== Songwriting during the break-up of Yugoslavia (1993-1995) ====
In 1993, Baja began to add the "Knindža" to his moniker and wrote songs for artists in PGP RTS, the label that two years prior refused to publish his debut album. He would write the song "Rastanak" with the music being composed and performed by Rođa Raičević in ''Tako Je Suđeno''. It would also be covered by Cakana in the same year, although Baja would not be credited. He would also write the lyrics for "Đetić bez mane" for the 1993 Miloje Bubanja album, ''[[Život teče dalje]]''. He would also write and compose "Čujem da me tražiš" and "Dosta je bilo lutanja" for Jane Kačar's ''Smiluj se, Bože'', published by Produkcija "Južni Vetar". While at Nina Trejd, he would compose and produce Goran Krajišnik's debut album, ''Koridor slobode'' as well as contribute an early version of "Dražo" (titled "Ustani čiča Dražo") to the Boro Srbin album ''Ja sam Srbin''. At SuperTon, he wrote the song "Prvi put" for Nina Nikolić's ''[[Azbuka ljubavi]]''. Baja would also compose for Boban Zemunac's debut album, ''[[Ne daj se Srbijo moja]]'' and would feature an early version of "[[Neće biti granica na Drini]]". Its title track would use the tune of "Nemoj me lagati mila" and some elements in the instrumentals throughout the album would appear in later Baja albums albeit slightly altered.
 
While Baja only released one album in 1994, he would contribute to many albums that year. He would write the song "Princeza" for the album ''Maximalan'' by Srećko Ćosić (who would later guest star in Zbogom oružje and Plači voljena zemljo). He would write the song "Kapetan Dragan" for Bora Drljača on the album ''[[Nedam Krajine]]'' (whose title track is a cover of "[[Ne dam Krajine (song)|Ne dam Krajine]]") and "Pismo" for the Mile Delije album, ''[[Siromah bez rodnog kraja]],'' both released by Master Music (though the former was also released by [[Melos]]). He was the primary songwriter in the Gordan Krajišnik album, ''[[Život damo Krajine ne damo]]'' with the formerly live-only "Nikad više zajedno" having an official studio release. The song "Prsti sudbine" would appear again the next year in the Nina Kay album, ''Nisi Taj''. He would write for Rade Tešić's and Braća sa Dinare's debut albums both published by SuperTon.
 
In 1995, Baja wouldn't contribute as much as the previous year as he would write the lyrics to "Stara kalja a momak u duši" for the Bora Draljača album ''Nema raja bez svog zavičaja'' (whose title track is a cover of "Nema raja") and wrote the song "Nestao si kao dim" for the Simona album of the same name, both being published by PGP RTS. Baja would also be the primary songwriter for Gordan Krajišnik's ''Nema laži, nema prevare'' with a disco version of "Nema raja" (renamed to "Nema raja, bez rodnog kraja"). He would also be the primary songwriter for ''[[Bila jednom jedna zemlja]]'' and ''Seobe''.
 
==== Post-war career (1996-1999) ====
In 1996, Baja would contribute to six more albums from SuperTon: ''Svrati posle snegova'' with Obrad Vukovljak, ''[[Plači voljena zemljo]]'', the songs "Pesma za ostavljene" and "Zorica" on Vojo Terzić's ''[[Kraljica bez krune]]'', the title track and "Hey nevero" on Sveto Jovanović's ''[[Boem]]'', the song "Ranjeni lav" on Sveto Tulić's ''[[Prokleta žena]]'', and "Što me gledaš kad mi nedaš" for Dar - Mar's [[Dar - Mar (Album)|self-titled album]]. At Diskos, he wrote "Imala je oči" and the title track for Jane Kačar in ''I bogati plaču'', "Čekala me majka" on Božo Vorotivić's debut album, ''Nedam te!'', and "Ženama sam dušu dao" in Svemir Serdar's debut album ''Momak najbolji''. He would return to Nina Trejd and would work with Ličanin again in ''Će s'tobom biti'' where he would write "Jedna jela sa ličkoga prela" and "Otrov sam za žene" as well as write "Danijela" for [[Jadrino Jato]]'s [[Oj Krajino suzo moja|''Oj Krajino suzo moja'']].
 
In 1997, he was the primary songwriter in ''[[Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba]]''. He would contribute to two Lazarević Produktion albums with the first being the primary songwriter of Jovan Perišić's debut album, ''Zbogom lažne ljubavi'' and the second being Marko Đuronović's ''Momačko veče'' where he would write the songs "Dajte nešto veselo" and "Da li ti suza krene".
 
In 1998, Baja would contribute to a few more more Lazarević Produktion albums: he was the lyricist of the title track and "Morao sam poći" on Lepi Mića's ''Svaka me zima na tebe sjeća,'' the title track, "Kesteni", "Nije život sto godina", and "Žena bogataša" for Božo Vorotović's ''Ko će da te čuva'' along with a reworked version of "Prvi put", and the songs "Idi, idi, drugoj", "Bila sam u zabludi", and "Duša ranjena" on Gordana Filipović's debut album, ''Ogledalo devojačko''. He would work on Miroslav Marić's ''Srce Skitnice'' as he wrote the songs "Ove noći si moja" and "Daleko u svetu". He would work again with Bora Drljača on the song "Plači mala plači" for his self-titled album as well as "Neka piju, nek' se biju" on Biljana Jevtić's ''Bogataš'', both released by ZaM. He would also work on three Nina Trejd albums: ''Vratiće se [[Danijela]], [[Idemo do kraja]],'' and ''[[Ličanin bez Like]]'' by Jadrino Jato, [[Braća sa Dinare]], and Borislav Ličanin respectively. He would write three songs for the former; "Vratiće se Danijela", "Lutalica" and "Ništa nije kao prije", and was the primary songwriter for the latter. He would write songs for Jadrino Jato again in the Renome album ''Stigla danijela'' in which he was the primary songwriter. He would write the title track, "Volim te ludo", "Talasa se, talasa", and "Prokleta Bila" for Rade Lukić's ''Moj brat je daleko,'' also published by Renome. Baja would write for Boban Zemunac one more time for the album ''Lutalica'' (published by Getex). He would write the song "Pevaj mala, pevaj" for the group Srpska Tromeđa on [[Mala pevaj, mala|the album of the same name]] and would be the last documented SuperTon album Baja would work on. Baja would not part with SuperTon until 2000, however.
 
In 1999, Baja wrote three songs for the Jadrino Jato album ''Jedna je Danijela'': the title track, "Ti si moja greška", and "Branka Prijedorčanka" as well as another rendition of "Rastanak". He would be the primary songwriter for Jovan Perišić's ''Čovek kafanski'' as well as writing the song "Prevede me žedna preko vode" for the Bora Drljača album, Rača 2. It would also feature a cover of the song "Pevaj mala pevaj".
 
==== Departure from SuperTon (2000-2009) ====
During the 2000's, Baja's output began to slow drastically as the output he had at companies like Renome, Grand Production, and other labels during this era would not be nearly as much compared to his time at Nina Trejd and SuperTon.
 
In 2000, he would write for Novica Tekić's debut album, ''Plače nebo, plače Bog''. He wrote the songs "[[Dođi mala Romaniji gori]]" and "Ostavi me Čana" as well as adapting the title track "Motokultivator" for Miško Cvijetić in [[Motokultivator|the album of the same name]]. The ladder would become one of Cvijetić's most popular songs. He was the primary lyricist in Božo Vorotović's ''Svi si odnela'' and Tromeđe's ''Pusto polje''.
 
In 2001, he would write the song "Razvedeni", though would not contribute to the title track of the follow-up of ''Motokultivator'', ''Primi me na kultivator''. He also served as the primary lyricist of ''Sve ću da razbijem'', another Jovan Perišić album that features a reworked version of "[[Dva kofera]]" as well as the primary lyricist of another Jadrino Jato album, ''Krajiško srce''.
 
In 2002, he was a primary lyricist for Grupa Principovi Potomci's ''[[Srpska svjeća]].''
 
In 2003, he wrote "Vraćam ti se Slavonijo" for Crni Biseri's debut album, ''Slavonijo moja''. He would also contribute to some Renome albums as he wrote the title track, "Nostalgija", and "Kad pjevaju krajiški bećari" for Krajišnici iz Futoga's ''Zemlja preko Drine'', was the primary lyricist in Ljubiša Kokiš's debut album ''Ljubav'', and wrote the title track and "Dođi brate" for the Jovica Mihajlović album, ''Vračara''. Baja was also the primary lyricist in Mišo Davidović's self-titled debut album, wrote "Neće grom u koprive" and "Ostala je čaša" for Nino's ''Opet onaj stari'' and "Moj brat je daleko" for Rade Lukić's ''Prvi momak''. 2003 would also be the last year Baja would use "Mirko Pajčin Baja" interchangeably with "Baja Mali Knindža" as he would drop the former entirely 2004 onwards.


== Early life ==
In 2004, Baja and his cousin Lazo Pajčin would write for Prelidžije's ''Ode ode preko Drine vode'' and Karađorđe's ''Deset zapovijesti''. He wrote "Ti si mene već zaboravila" for Drljača's ''Stari vuk'' and "Devetnaest sati leta" for Mile Delija's ''Dobro jutro selo moje''.
Baja was born on 13 October 1966 in the village of Gubin, in current day Bosnia and Herzegovina.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506023950/http://www.knindza.info/viewpage.php?page_id=2 "Lična karta"]. ''Knindza.info''. Archived link.</ref>
 
In 2005, although Lazo would be the primary lyricist for Savo Radović's ''Nema dalje'', Baja would write the last track, "Čaša s vinom". This would mark the last year Baja was involved with Nina Trejd before its rebranding to Nidžo Music. In 2006, Baja would write "Lane" and "Bečke bauštele" for the Sinovi Manjače album ''10 godina sa vama''. The album also contains a cover of "Nema raja".  In 2007, he would work together with his cousin again on the Plavi Anđeli album, ''Selo moje kraj Manjače'' and Grupa Jezero's ''Zavičaj je moje blago''. In 2008, he wrote "Nemam više ni druga ni tebe" for the Momo i Dodir album ''Ima dana...'' and worked with his cousin on another Grupa Jezero album: ''Nikad nije dosta''. In 2009, he would reunite with Gordan Krajišnik and wrote "Daljine plave" for the album ''Samo tako postaje se neko''. This would be the last time Baja would write for Nina Trejd (at the time rebranded to Nidžo Music Company).
 
==== Slowdown and subsequent hiatus (2010-present day) ====
In the 2010s to present day, Baja's songwriting for other artists was sparse as currently only eight songs have been written. In 2010, he wrote "Stojane, sine jedini" for the debut album of Krajiška Grupa Gubin, ''Evo braće''. Baja would not write any new songs for other artists for the next three years. In 2013, he wrote "Ništa nije kao prije" for the Žare i Goci album, ''Aj' na megdan!'' In 2014, he wrote "Dinara" and "Nemoj Ružo" for the Goci i Lazo album, ''Pozdravi mi Krajinu''. In 2015, he wrote "Lubav se ne kupuje" for Neđo Bobar's Ruka desna and "Daleko si rodni kraju" on Žare i Milenko's self-titled album. Baja would not write for another artist again for another three years. In 2018, he would write one more song for another artist. "Maštam o našoj sreći" would be written for Jovan Sekulović's album ''Anđele plave''.
 
As of 2024, Baja has not been officially credited for writing a song for another artist in six years, though factors such as poor documentation, the rise of digital media, and focus on his solo career as well as his personal life can be attributed to the lack of songwriting.
==== Guest appearances ====
Baja would make some guest appearances in other albums. He would participate in a duet with Mira Miškić on "Prvi put" on an unknown album, with Milka Todorović in  "[[Krajišnik i Srbijanka]]", Nada Obrić in "Šta ti bi", and Vlatka Karanović in "Idemo malena".  
 
He appeared in the Gordan Krajišnik songs "[[Bila jednom jedna žena]]", "[[Nedaj se narode moj]]", and "Daljine plave", though the former would be more akin to a cameo than an actual guest role.
 
He appeared in the Jadrino Jato songs "Znam ja kako je njoj" and "Đe si brate".
 
He was a featured guest in Slaja bend's ''[[Nova mega gara]]''.  
 
He made a cameo in the Dejan Matić song, "Nigdje k'o u Bosni" and appears in "Arija nebeska" with Petar Tutuš, Grupa Jezero's "Joka, Branka, Zora" and Grupa Grmeč's "Duet".
 
==== Production ====
[TBA]


While attending school, Baja claims that his Serbian language teacher Milan Poparić influenced him heavily and introduced him to poetry. He started writing songs, reciting acting and singing at a young age.
== Musical style ==
[TBA]


He attended high school in Bačka Palanka and ended up moving to Belgrade two years later.
== Discography ==


After graduating from high school he started working at the IMT tractor factory in Belgrade, afterwards briefly at the then "Tito" shipyard before finishing his mandatory military service in Livno. After which he started working at the Belgrade airport but soon turned to singing as his profession when a Surčin friend held a celebration, where Baja was invited and got handed the microphone to sing. He recieved a tip which would be five times as big as his airport salary, saying to himself "Baja, you won't wake up early anymore".
==== Albums ====
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*''[[Ne dam Krajine|Ne dam Krajine]] (1992)
*''[[Stan'te paše i ustaše|Stan'te paše i ustaše]] (1992)
*''[[Živeće ovaj narod|Živeće ovaj narod]] (1993)
*''[[Još se ništa ne zna|Još se ništa ne zna]] (1993)
*''[[Rat i mir]] (1993)
*''[[Kockar bez sreće|Kockar bez sreće]] (1993)
*''[[Pobediće istina|Pobediće istina]] (1994)
*''[[Igraju se delije|Igraju se delije]] (1995)
*''[[Idemo dalje|Idemo dalje]] (1995)
*''[[Zbogom oružje|Zbogom oružje]] (1995)
*''[[Ne dirajte njega|Ne dirajte njega]] (1997)
*''[[Srpskim radikalima]] (1997)
*''[[Biti 'il ne biti]] (1999)
*''[[Gara iz Lončara / Život je tamo|Gara iz Lončara / Život je tamo]] (1999)
*''[[Povratak u budućnost]] (2000)
*''[[Zaljubljen i mlad (Album)|Zaljubljen i mlad]] (2000)
*''[[Đe si legendo (Album)|Đe si legendo]] (2001)
*''[[Zbogom pameti]] (2002)
*''[[Za kim zvona zvone]] (2006)
*''[[Gluvi barut]] (2007)
*''[[Idemo malena (Album)|Idemo malena]] (2010)
*''[[Lesi se vraća kući]] (2012)
*''[[Govor duše]] (2014)}}


== Career ==
==== Singles ====
Baja would soon perform in cities like Sarajevo and its restaurant "Holidej" in Čengić vila, which was owned by a cousin of [[Lepi Mića]], sharing the stage with artists like [[Ljubiša Vasiljević]].
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*''Tankosić As (2015)
*''Duško Kornjača (2015)
*''Ima srce lavlje (2015)
*''Tetreb (2015)
*''Himna FK Karanovac (2016)
*''Boro brate (2016)
*''Jovin goli otok (2016)
*''Ulje maslinovo (2019)
*''Nisu dostojni tebe (2019)
*''Dinarsko srce (2019)
*''Srpska Atina (2020)
*''Brat (2020)
*''Volim svoju zemlju (2020)
*''Luče sa Dorčola (2020)
*''Najčistija beretka "CIGO" (2021)
*''Šarena laža (2021)
*''4. Avgust (2021)
*''Republiko Srpska (2024)
*''Ja nisam želeo kraj (2021)}}


1989 would be the year he contributed to writing the [[Tromeđa]] album "[[Izvorne pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine]]", including the legendary song "[[Nema raja bez rodnoga kraja]]". Later in the year Baja wanted to compete in the music competition "Prvi glas Livna", but was denied when the judges found out that the song "Nema raja" was already a on an album and that Baja was a professional musician. Nontheless he was allowed to perform it together with his song "Nemoj me lagati mila", just not enter the competition.<ref>[https://archive.vn/Q2pRm Baja Mali Knindža Biography]. ''Biografija.org.'' Archived link.</ref><ref>[https://archive.vn/J0KnL "Ispovijest Mirka Pajčina"]. ''Medium.com.'' Archived link.</ref>
==== Live ====
{{Div col|content=*''[[Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta]] (1993)
*''[[!!! Luda žurka !!!]] (2002)
*''[[Uživo (Baja Mali Knindža 2003)|Uživo]] (2003)
*''[[Uživo (Baja Mali Knindža 2004)|Uživo]] (2004)
*''[[Uživo 3]]
*''[[Još sad pa ko zna kad !]] (2004)
*''[[Ajmo braćo u kafanu]] (2006)
*''[[Gara iz Nemačke]] (2006)
*''[[Hoćemo li brate zapjevati]] (2006)
*''[[Ima Srba, ima još]] (2009)
*''[[Kralj mijenja kralja, car mijenja cara]] (2009)|gap=1em}}


With the beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia Baja's songs turned patriotic. He managed to gather just enough money to record his first album, but somehow lost it all on the way to the studio. Now in debt and in search of a record label to take him, he eventually found [[Jugodisk]] after being rejected by [[PGP RTS]]. Finally published in early 1992, "[[Ne dam Krajine]]" would become a huge hit and catapult Baja to fame.
==== Compilations ====
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*''[[Najveći hitovi - Pobediće istina|Najveći hitovi]] (1994)
*''Moje najljepše pesme (1998)
*''[[The Best Off]] (1998)
*''[[Krajiški vitez]] (2000)
*''[[Hitovi (2001 Baja Mali Knindža Compilation)|Hitovi]] (2001)
*''[[Moje najljepše, one naše ?! Vaš Baja Mali]]
*''[[Best of Baja Mali Knindža]] (2007)}}


His second album, "[[Stan'te paše i Ustaše]]", released by [[Nina Trejd]] in mid-1992, featured songs such as "Božić je", "Morem plovi jedna mala barka" or "Pevaj Srbijo", which would turn into his most popular and most recognizable songs.
==== Video ====
{{Div col|content=*''[[Najveći hitovi (VHS)|Najveći hitovi]] (1993)
*''[[Rat i Mir (VHS)|Rat i mir]] (1994)
*''[[Baja Mali Knindža i prijatelji]] (2006)
*''[[Uživo (Baja Mali Knindža DVD)|Uživo]]|colwidth=30em}}


Despite this success, Baja had a strained relationship with the media. His 1992 [[Poselo]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z95oRMym94A performance of "Pevaj Srbijo"] was cut from TV broadcasting and generally only ever had a few select apperances on radio and TV.<ref>[https://informer.rs/dzet-set/estrada/578438/baja-mali-knindza-ispovest-hit-dodatak 13.01.2021 Interview]. ''Informer.rs.'' Archived link.</ref>
==== With Baja bend ====
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*''[[Život damo Krajine ne damo (Album)|Život damo Krajine ne damo]] (1994)
*''[[Život damo Krajine ne damo (Album)|Samotnjak]] (1994)
*''[[Seobe (Album)|Seobe]] (1995)
*''[[Svrati posle snegova (Album)|Svrati posle snegova]] (1996)}}


In February 1993 Baja would release his album "[[Živeće ovaj Narod]]". It would go on to sell 700.000 copies<ref>[http://baja-mali-knindza.com/licna%20karta.html "Karijera"]. ''Baja-mali-knindza.com.'' Archived link.</ref> and carry popular but also controversial songs like "[[Ne volim te Alija]]".
==== With [[Braća sa Dinare]] ====
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*''[[Braća sa Dinare (Album)|Braća sa Dinare]] (1994)
*''[[Bila jednom jedna zemlja]] (1995)
*''[[Plači voljena zemljo]] (1996)
*''[[Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba (Album)|Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba]] (1997)
*''[[Idemo do kraja (Album)|Idemo do kraja]] (1998)}}


Around september of 1993 Baja would make interviews and [[Baja Mali Knindža concerts|start touring]] for his upcoming album "[[Još se ništa ne zna]]". Baja's duet with [[Bora Đorđević]], "[[Ćuti ćuti ujko]]", aswell as "[[Vratiće se Novak]]", a song about his brother [[Novak Pajčin|Novak Pajčin,]] are some of the songs featured in one of Baja's most popular albums.
== References ==
<references />

Latest revision as of 14:21, 1 June 2024

Baja Mali Knindža
Баја Мали Книнџа
Baja Mali Knindza Artist Image.png
Background information
Birth nameMirko Pajčin
Born (1966-10-13) October 13, 1966 (age 58)
Gubin, SFR Yugoslavia
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1989–present
LabelsJugodisk, Nina Trejd, SuperTon, RTVJ, Estrada shop, RENOME, Cronic Munchen, BN Music, Patriot
Baja playing with Orkestar Fantom sometime in 1987

Mirko Pajčin (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирко Пајчин; born 13 October 1966), best known by his stage name Baja Mali Knindža (Serbian Cyrillic: Баја Мали Книнџа), is a Serb folk singer, songwriter and poet. He is most known for his wartime music and remains to be one of the most popular artists in Serbia.

Early life

Baja was born on 13 October 1966 in the village of Gubin, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina).[1] While attending school, Baja claims that his Serbian language teacher, Milan Poparić, influenced him heavily and introduced him to poetry. He started writing songs, reciting poems, acting, and singing at a young age. He attended high school in Bačka Palanka and ended up moving to Belgrade two years later. After graduating from high school, he initially worked at the IMT tractor factory in Belgrade, then briefly worked at the then "Tito" shipyard before finishing his mandatory military service in Livno. At the end of his military service, he started working at the Belgrade airport.

Baja became interested in singing when his friend from Surčin invited him to a celebration he hosted. As part of the event, he was offered a microphone to sing. His performance would earn him a tip that was five times greater than his current salary, to which he said to himself, "Baja, you won't wake up early anymore".

Career

Baja would soon perform in cities like Sarajevo at the restaurant "Holidej" in Čengić vila, which was owned by a cousin of Lepi Mića, sharing the stage with artists like Ljubiša Vasiljević.

In 1989, he contributed to writing the Tromeđa album Izvorne pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine, which included one of their biggest hits, "Nema raja bez rodnoga kraja". Later in the year, Baja tried to participate in the music competition "Prvi glas Livna", but was denied when the judges found out that Baja was a professional musician and the song, "Nema raja bez rodnoga kraja" was already on an album. He was permitted to perform the song along with another song "Nemoj me lagati mila", but could not compete.[2][3]

Ne dam Krajine and mainstream success (1992-1993)

When the breakup of Yugoslavia began, Baja's would make patriotic songs about the war. Baja set out to record these songs for an album, and after he gathered just enough money to begin production, he somehow lost it all on the way to the studio. Now in debt and in search of a record label, he eventually found Jugodisk after being rejected by PGP RTS.

In 1992, he released his debut album Ne dam Krajine, and upon release, it would catapult Baja into the mainstream. Thanks to its reception from the battlefield, Baja would start on his next album.

Production issues occurred when for unknown reasons, Jugodisk was unable to publish this new album. With the help of Željko Grujić, they were in talks of having the Zagreb-based Jugoton publish the album, though the deal fell through.[4] In mid-1992, he would record with Grujić's label, Nina Trade and release a second album called Stan'te paše i ustaše, which would ended up selling 300,000 copies and even received a Platinum award at Hala Borik Banja Luka in 1997. Despite his mainstream success, Baja had a strained relationship with the media. His 1992 Poselo performance of "Pevaj Srbijo" was cut from TV broadcasting and only ever had a few select appearances on radio and TV.[5] Milovan Filipović, the event's organizer would subsequently be fired for the song's inclusion.[4]

In February 1993, Baja would release his best-selling album, Živeće ovaj narod,[6] and a live album, Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta.

Baja at a cassette stand in Knez Mihajlovo circa 1993.

Još se ništa ne zna and career at SuperTon (1993-1995)

Around late August/early September 1993, Baja would release his album and appear in many interviews regarding Još se ništa ne zna. Upon release, it became one of Baja's most popular albums and would be the start of his work with SuperTon. Baja would also release a VHS tape called Najveći hitovi, which featured music videos for his more popular song. At the end of 1993, he would release two more albums, Rat i mir and Kockar bez sreće with the former containing patriotic songs and the latter containing love songs that were inspired by older, non-war material similar to his work in the mid 80's.

A SuperTon ad in the December 1993 release of Sabor advertising Rat i mir and Kockar bez sreće and wishing readers a happy new year.

Baja released one album in 1994, Pobediće istina, and it would later receive a CD release on behalf of Estrada shop along with other songs from Baja's previous albums. This technically made the CD part compilation and part album release, and was therefore given the name Najveći hitovi - Pobediće istina. A second Baja VHS, Rat i mir, released, and it would feature music videos for select tracks on the Rat i Mir cassette release, as well as tracks from Kockar bez sreće. The poems featured in the VHS were to be compiled in his one and only book, Nedefinisan čovek, however, it never came to fruition.

In early 1995, Baja would release three more albums: Igraju se delije, Idemo dalje, and Zbogom oružje. Igraju se delije would be the last time Goran would accompany Baja on his own albums and would also be the first collaboration with Željko Jovanović. Idemo dalje was released in August of that year, shortly before Krajina fell. Shortly after the war officially ended, Zbogom oružje released in late 1995, critical of the war and the political climate at the time.

Post-war (1996-1998)

After working on side projects, Baja would depart SuperTon some time in 1997, moving to Lazarević Produktion where he released Ne dirajte njega in 1997. During the Serbian general elections in the same year, controversial politician Vojislav Šešelj to approached Baja, asking him to produce a cassette with songs dedicated to Šešelj's party, the Serbian Radical Party (abbreviated to SRS). With three songs dedicated to the party and the rest being reused material from other albums, Srpskim radikalima was released.[7] In 1998, SuperTon would release the exceedingly rare Baja compilation "The Best Off", but it's not known if Baja was directly involved with the album's production or not.

Career at Renome and subsequent hiatus (1999-2002)

In 1999, Baja went to Renome and released his last war-related album, Biti 'il ne biti. Its contents focused on the Kosovo War and subsequent NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia, which were ongoing at the time. Accompanied by Dragan Stojković Bosanac, he also would release Gara iz Lončara / Život je tamo with the songs "Evo džepa, đe su pare bile" and "Duni vjetre malo preko jetre" being one of his most popular songs. Like Kockar bez sreće, the album would feature no patriotic songs.

In 2000, Baja released Povratak u budućnost, which featured another popular track, "Samo je moj stari znao". Baja would also return to Nina Trejd one last time and release Zaljubljen i mlad which featured reimagined versions of songs from Kockar bez sreće as well as some new material. Around this time, Renome's sublabel, Patriot would release the compilation Moje najljepše, one naše ?! Vaš Baja Mali, but it's unknown if Baja had any involvement in its release.

In 2001, he released Đe si legendo which showed a change in musical direction for Baja. Rather than be solely folk, its songs would mix elements of rock and roll and pop, and no samples from the Roland Sound Canvas, which he used heavily in some of his most well known works. It would also feature a rock version of the song "Kuća časti" from a previous album Baja, Igraju se delije. Renome would later release the compilation, Hitovi, although it only contained Baja songs that were released by Renome themselves.

In 2002, he released Zbogom pameti, an album that reimagined some songs from Kockar bez sreće, along with the songs "Ko je ljubio, taj ne ljubi više" and "Prošli su mi vozovi". It also contains a reimagined version of the Braća sa Dinare song, "Loš učenik" albeit renamed to "Šta je tebi, dođi sebi". Zbogom Pameti also includes the duet, "Šta ti bi", which was released a year prior on Nada Obrić's Tako je život hteo. Following the release of Zbogom Pameti, Baja would move primarily to live performances and he'd be more involved with the industry for the next four years. Around this time, Baja would start singing vulgar songs in his live performances, typically about women and drinking.

2022 Baja Mali Knindža concert

Za kim zvona zvone and BN Music

In 2006, Baja released Za kim zvona zvone. From Za kim zvona zvone onward, Baja's albums would incorporate elements of folk and pop. Renome would release Baja Mali Knindža i prijatelji which featured Baja and other folk artists who performed at Svijet Renomea the previous year.

In 2007, he released Gluvi barut which leaned more on the pop genre (common for the industry time of its release) and would be the last album published by Renome. Another compilation, Best of Baja Mali Knindža was also released. While Baja would occasionally return to Renome to help with songwriting, and would move to BN Music after 2008.

In 2010, he would release his first BN Music album Idemo malena, featuring notably autotuned vocals. After the death of his cousin, Kseniji Pajčin, Baja wrote a song titled "Spavaj, kraljice" in her memory.[8] The song would never receive an official release as Baja never intended to ever record it citing turmoil and grief. Despite this, the song was recorded and subsequently uploaded to the internet where it would go viral.[9] Around this time, Baja would stop singing overly nationalistic songs at live performances. He would also be routinely accompanied by rock band Minđušari in live performances, contrary to a typical set-list that featured a local band. He still tours with them occasionally with the most recent appearance being in 2022.[10]

In 2012, he would release, Lesi se vraća kući. While it would be his last album published by BN, he would work within the company until 2015 where would release a single, Tetreb.

Official Youtube channel and self-published work (2014- present)

In 2014, Baja would work on an album for Narodni pokret Dinara Drina Dunav titled, Govor duše. It includes patriotic songs in the same vein as his work from the 90's and includes an updated version of the Još se ništa ne zna song, "Nisu suze za Srbina". Despite wishes to make another album, it is the last album Baja has released to date.

On June 14, 2018, the official YouTube channel for Baja Mali Knindža would be created[11] and it would become the main place where Baja's current work would be released. Currently he only publishes singles and some live performances, and has not published any of his old work or music videos from the 90's. His most recent single would be Najčistija beretka ''CIGO'', released April 20, 2021. While Baja continues to perform patriotic music and love songs live, their contents are not nearly as chauvinistic.

Baja has had a recent increase in popularity and still is one of the most popular singers in Serbia. In recent years, he has developed a cult following in non-Serb circles online due to the increasing awareness of his work during the war.

Live releases

During the early 2000's albums of Baja's live performances would be produced. The legitimacy of these labels are unknown and it is not known if Baja had any involvement with producing these albums. In 2002, Carisma Disc International released !!! Luda žurka !!! and Slaviša Guja Slaja's label, Slay Production released Gara mega mix which also features Zoran Kulina and other folk artists. In 2003, a cassette titled Uživo was released, though its publisher remains anonymous. A year later, another concert recording on CD also called Uživo was released. In the same year, Još sad pa ko zna kad! was released both as a two part Cassette release and a two CD version. The live performance used for volume one is also used in Ajmo braćo u kafanu. In 2006, Cronic München released Ajmo braćo u kafanu, Gara iz Nemačke and Hoćemo li brate zapjevati. Information regarding the performances themselves are currently unknown.

Side Projects

Baja bend

In 1994, Baja partnered with arranger Goran Radinović as Goki i Baja bend. The pair would go onto produce three albums: Braća sa Dinare, Život damo Krajine ne damo, and Samotnjak. After Radinović's departure from SuperTon in 1995, it would be rebranded to Baja bend. Baja bend would produce two more albums: Seobe in 1995 and Svrati posle snegova in 1996. Since then, Baja bend has been inactive.

Braća sa Dinare

In 1994, Baja would form a group with his younger brother, Novak Pajčin as well as a friend, Luka Mihaljica. The group would be called Braća sa Dinare (lit. "Brothers from Dinara") and their debut album of the same name would release the same year. Baja would be heavily involved in the second album, Bila jednom jedna zemlja as all but one track only has Baja performing. Some time after the war, Baja would give a helping hand to his cousin Lazo after expressing concerns of his career after the war.[12] Recording would take place at SuperTon during April and May of 1996 and resulted in Plači voljena zemljo. In 1997, the group's label would move to Nina Trejd where the last two albums, Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba and Idemo do kraja (released 1997 and 1998, respectively) would be published. While Baja himself would cover songs he wrote for the group,[13] the group itself never performed live.

Other activity

Songwriting

Career start (1985-1990)

While Baja's debut album was released in 1992, his start in the music industry would be in 1985 where he was primarily a lyricist at Jugodisk under the name "M. Pajčin Baja". His first songwriting credit would be on the Borislav Ličanin song "Oko mene lepe žene" from the album of the same name. He would also write the song "Jasna je meni donijela sreću" for the 1986 album A oj Liko zavičajna sliko and "Kad se slože ravnice i brda" for the 1987 album of the same name. The 1990 album, Sve što imam, to mi je u lici would be the first album to feature the song "Nemoj me lagati, mila", predating its appearance in Kockar bez sreće by three years. In 1989, Baja would contribute to one of Tromeđe's biggest hits, "Nema raja" as he was the primary lyricist for Tromeđa's Pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine. The song has since been covered by artists such as Bora Drljača, Minđušari, and Žare i Goci. He would contribute to the title track of the 1991 Milivoje Đurišić album Crnogorsko Srce before releasing his debut album.

Songwriting during the break-up of Yugoslavia (1993-1995)

In 1993, Baja began to add the "Knindža" to his moniker and wrote songs for artists in PGP RTS, the label that two years prior refused to publish his debut album. He would write the song "Rastanak" with the music being composed and performed by Rođa Raičević in Tako Je Suđeno. It would also be covered by Cakana in the same year, although Baja would not be credited. He would also write the lyrics for "Đetić bez mane" for the 1993 Miloje Bubanja album, Život teče dalje. He would also write and compose "Čujem da me tražiš" and "Dosta je bilo lutanja" for Jane Kačar's Smiluj se, Bože, published by Produkcija "Južni Vetar". While at Nina Trejd, he would compose and produce Goran Krajišnik's debut album, Koridor slobode as well as contribute an early version of "Dražo" (titled "Ustani čiča Dražo") to the Boro Srbin album Ja sam Srbin. At SuperTon, he wrote the song "Prvi put" for Nina Nikolić's Azbuka ljubavi. Baja would also compose for Boban Zemunac's debut album, Ne daj se Srbijo moja and would feature an early version of "Neće biti granica na Drini". Its title track would use the tune of "Nemoj me lagati mila" and some elements in the instrumentals throughout the album would appear in later Baja albums albeit slightly altered.

While Baja only released one album in 1994, he would contribute to many albums that year. He would write the song "Princeza" for the album Maximalan by Srećko Ćosić (who would later guest star in Zbogom oružje and Plači voljena zemljo). He would write the song "Kapetan Dragan" for Bora Drljača on the album Nedam Krajine (whose title track is a cover of "Ne dam Krajine") and "Pismo" for the Mile Delije album, Siromah bez rodnog kraja, both released by Master Music (though the former was also released by Melos). He was the primary songwriter in the Gordan Krajišnik album, Život damo Krajine ne damo with the formerly live-only "Nikad više zajedno" having an official studio release. The song "Prsti sudbine" would appear again the next year in the Nina Kay album, Nisi Taj. He would write for Rade Tešić's and Braća sa Dinare's debut albums both published by SuperTon.

In 1995, Baja wouldn't contribute as much as the previous year as he would write the lyrics to "Stara kalja a momak u duši" for the Bora Draljača album Nema raja bez svog zavičaja (whose title track is a cover of "Nema raja") and wrote the song "Nestao si kao dim" for the Simona album of the same name, both being published by PGP RTS. Baja would also be the primary songwriter for Gordan Krajišnik's Nema laži, nema prevare with a disco version of "Nema raja" (renamed to "Nema raja, bez rodnog kraja"). He would also be the primary songwriter for Bila jednom jedna zemlja and Seobe.

Post-war career (1996-1999)

In 1996, Baja would contribute to six more albums from SuperTon: Svrati posle snegova with Obrad Vukovljak, Plači voljena zemljo, the songs "Pesma za ostavljene" and "Zorica" on Vojo Terzić's Kraljica bez krune, the title track and "Hey nevero" on Sveto Jovanović's Boem, the song "Ranjeni lav" on Sveto Tulić's Prokleta žena, and "Što me gledaš kad mi nedaš" for Dar - Mar's self-titled album. At Diskos, he wrote "Imala je oči" and the title track for Jane Kačar in I bogati plaču, "Čekala me majka" on Božo Vorotivić's debut album, Nedam te!, and "Ženama sam dušu dao" in Svemir Serdar's debut album Momak najbolji. He would return to Nina Trejd and would work with Ličanin again in Će s'tobom biti where he would write "Jedna jela sa ličkoga prela" and "Otrov sam za žene" as well as write "Danijela" for Jadrino Jato's Oj Krajino suzo moja.

In 1997, he was the primary songwriter in Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba. He would contribute to two Lazarević Produktion albums with the first being the primary songwriter of Jovan Perišić's debut album, Zbogom lažne ljubavi and the second being Marko Đuronović's Momačko veče where he would write the songs "Dajte nešto veselo" and "Da li ti suza krene".

In 1998, Baja would contribute to a few more more Lazarević Produktion albums: he was the lyricist of the title track and "Morao sam poći" on Lepi Mića's Svaka me zima na tebe sjeća, the title track, "Kesteni", "Nije život sto godina", and "Žena bogataša" for Božo Vorotović's Ko će da te čuva along with a reworked version of "Prvi put", and the songs "Idi, idi, drugoj", "Bila sam u zabludi", and "Duša ranjena" on Gordana Filipović's debut album, Ogledalo devojačko. He would work on Miroslav Marić's Srce Skitnice as he wrote the songs "Ove noći si moja" and "Daleko u svetu". He would work again with Bora Drljača on the song "Plači mala plači" for his self-titled album as well as "Neka piju, nek' se biju" on Biljana Jevtić's Bogataš, both released by ZaM. He would also work on three Nina Trejd albums: Vratiće se Danijela, Idemo do kraja, and Ličanin bez Like by Jadrino Jato, Braća sa Dinare, and Borislav Ličanin respectively. He would write three songs for the former; "Vratiće se Danijela", "Lutalica" and "Ništa nije kao prije", and was the primary songwriter for the latter. He would write songs for Jadrino Jato again in the Renome album Stigla danijela in which he was the primary songwriter. He would write the title track, "Volim te ludo", "Talasa se, talasa", and "Prokleta Bila" for Rade Lukić's Moj brat je daleko, also published by Renome. Baja would write for Boban Zemunac one more time for the album Lutalica (published by Getex). He would write the song "Pevaj mala, pevaj" for the group Srpska Tromeđa on the album of the same name and would be the last documented SuperTon album Baja would work on. Baja would not part with SuperTon until 2000, however.

In 1999, Baja wrote three songs for the Jadrino Jato album Jedna je Danijela: the title track, "Ti si moja greška", and "Branka Prijedorčanka" as well as another rendition of "Rastanak". He would be the primary songwriter for Jovan Perišić's Čovek kafanski as well as writing the song "Prevede me žedna preko vode" for the Bora Drljača album, Rača 2. It would also feature a cover of the song "Pevaj mala pevaj".

Departure from SuperTon (2000-2009)

During the 2000's, Baja's output began to slow drastically as the output he had at companies like Renome, Grand Production, and other labels during this era would not be nearly as much compared to his time at Nina Trejd and SuperTon.

In 2000, he would write for Novica Tekić's debut album, Plače nebo, plače Bog. He wrote the songs "Dođi mala Romaniji gori" and "Ostavi me Čana" as well as adapting the title track "Motokultivator" for Miško Cvijetić in the album of the same name. The ladder would become one of Cvijetić's most popular songs. He was the primary lyricist in Božo Vorotović's Svi si odnela and Tromeđe's Pusto polje.

In 2001, he would write the song "Razvedeni", though would not contribute to the title track of the follow-up of Motokultivator, Primi me na kultivator. He also served as the primary lyricist of Sve ću da razbijem, another Jovan Perišić album that features a reworked version of "Dva kofera" as well as the primary lyricist of another Jadrino Jato album, Krajiško srce.

In 2002, he was a primary lyricist for Grupa Principovi Potomci's Srpska svjeća.

In 2003, he wrote "Vraćam ti se Slavonijo" for Crni Biseri's debut album, Slavonijo moja. He would also contribute to some Renome albums as he wrote the title track, "Nostalgija", and "Kad pjevaju krajiški bećari" for Krajišnici iz Futoga's Zemlja preko Drine, was the primary lyricist in Ljubiša Kokiš's debut album Ljubav, and wrote the title track and "Dođi brate" for the Jovica Mihajlović album, Vračara. Baja was also the primary lyricist in Mišo Davidović's self-titled debut album, wrote "Neće grom u koprive" and "Ostala je čaša" for Nino's Opet onaj stari and "Moj brat je daleko" for Rade Lukić's Prvi momak. 2003 would also be the last year Baja would use "Mirko Pajčin Baja" interchangeably with "Baja Mali Knindža" as he would drop the former entirely 2004 onwards.

In 2004, Baja and his cousin Lazo Pajčin would write for Prelidžije's Ode ode preko Drine vode and Karađorđe's Deset zapovijesti. He wrote "Ti si mene već zaboravila" for Drljača's Stari vuk and "Devetnaest sati leta" for Mile Delija's Dobro jutro selo moje.

In 2005, although Lazo would be the primary lyricist for Savo Radović's Nema dalje, Baja would write the last track, "Čaša s vinom". This would mark the last year Baja was involved with Nina Trejd before its rebranding to Nidžo Music. In 2006, Baja would write "Lane" and "Bečke bauštele" for the Sinovi Manjače album 10 godina sa vama. The album also contains a cover of "Nema raja". In 2007, he would work together with his cousin again on the Plavi Anđeli album, Selo moje kraj Manjače and Grupa Jezero's Zavičaj je moje blago. In 2008, he wrote "Nemam više ni druga ni tebe" for the Momo i Dodir album Ima dana... and worked with his cousin on another Grupa Jezero album: Nikad nije dosta. In 2009, he would reunite with Gordan Krajišnik and wrote "Daljine plave" for the album Samo tako postaje se neko. This would be the last time Baja would write for Nina Trejd (at the time rebranded to Nidžo Music Company).

Slowdown and subsequent hiatus (2010-present day)

In the 2010s to present day, Baja's songwriting for other artists was sparse as currently only eight songs have been written. In 2010, he wrote "Stojane, sine jedini" for the debut album of Krajiška Grupa Gubin, Evo braće. Baja would not write any new songs for other artists for the next three years. In 2013, he wrote "Ništa nije kao prije" for the Žare i Goci album, Aj' na megdan! In 2014, he wrote "Dinara" and "Nemoj Ružo" for the Goci i Lazo album, Pozdravi mi Krajinu. In 2015, he wrote "Lubav se ne kupuje" for Neđo Bobar's Ruka desna and "Daleko si rodni kraju" on Žare i Milenko's self-titled album. Baja would not write for another artist again for another three years. In 2018, he would write one more song for another artist. "Maštam o našoj sreći" would be written for Jovan Sekulović's album Anđele plave.

As of 2024, Baja has not been officially credited for writing a song for another artist in six years, though factors such as poor documentation, the rise of digital media, and focus on his solo career as well as his personal life can be attributed to the lack of songwriting.

Guest appearances

Baja would make some guest appearances in other albums. He would participate in a duet with Mira Miškić on "Prvi put" on an unknown album, with Milka Todorović in "Krajišnik i Srbijanka", Nada Obrić in "Šta ti bi", and Vlatka Karanović in "Idemo malena".

He appeared in the Gordan Krajišnik songs "Bila jednom jedna žena", "Nedaj se narode moj", and "Daljine plave", though the former would be more akin to a cameo than an actual guest role.

He appeared in the Jadrino Jato songs "Znam ja kako je njoj" and "Đe si brate".

He was a featured guest in Slaja bend's Nova mega gara.

He made a cameo in the Dejan Matić song, "Nigdje k'o u Bosni" and appears in "Arija nebeska" with Petar Tutuš, Grupa Jezero's "Joka, Branka, Zora" and Grupa Grmeč's "Duet".

Production

[TBA]

Musical style

[TBA]

Discography

Albums

Singles

  • Tankosić As (2015)
  • Duško Kornjača (2015)
  • Ima srce lavlje (2015)
  • Tetreb (2015)
  • Himna FK Karanovac (2016)
  • Boro brate (2016)
  • Jovin goli otok (2016)
  • Ulje maslinovo (2019)
  • Nisu dostojni tebe (2019)
  • Dinarsko srce (2019)
  • Srpska Atina (2020)
  • Brat (2020)
  • Volim svoju zemlju (2020)
  • Luče sa Dorčola (2020)
  • Najčistija beretka "CIGO" (2021)
  • Šarena laža (2021)
  • 4. Avgust (2021)
  • Republiko Srpska (2024)
  • Ja nisam želeo kraj (2021)

Live

Compilations

Video

With Baja bend

With Braća sa Dinare

References

  1. "Lična karta". Knindza.info. Archived from the original on 6 April 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. "Baja Mali Knindža Biography". Biografija.org. 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  3. "Ispovijest Mirka Pajčina". Medium.com. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "У Босни нас слушају и Хрвати и Муслимани!" baja-mali-knindza.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2024,
  5. 13.01.2021 Interview. Informer.rs. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  6. "Karijera". Baja-mali-knindza.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  7. "Baja Mali Knindza o Šešelju" Youtube.com
  8. "Plačem za sestrom Ksenijom". Kurir. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  9. "NAJTUŽNIJA PESMA BAJE MALOG KNINDŽE POSVEĆENA JE KSENIJI PAJČIN Nikad je nisam snimio, ne pevam je! To je nešto moje što me boli... (VIDEO)." Alo!. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  10. "Baja Mali Knindza - VELIKA SALA SPENS - 18.11.2022. (PROMO)". 9 November 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  11. "BMK Official Channel About". 17 June 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  12. "LAZO PAJČIN PRAVIO JE HITOVE SAMO OD NASLOVA: Baja Mali Knindža setio se pokojnog brata i ispričao detalje koje niko ne zna". Kurir. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  13. "Baja Mali Knindza - Cedo maleni - (LIVE) - (Banja Luka 2020)". 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2023.