Baja Mali Knindža

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

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

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 held a celebration, to which Baja was invited; He was offered a microphone to sing as part of the event. His performance would earn him a tip that was five times greater than his airport 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 wanted 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 songs turned patriotic, and he set out to make an album about the conflict. He managed to gather just enough money to record his own 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.

In 1992, he released his debut album Ne dam Krajine. Upon release, it would become very successful, catapulting Baja into the mainstream. In mid-1992, he would go to Nina Trade and release Stan'te paše i ustaše. The album would go onto sell 300,000 copies and 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.[4]

In February 1993, Baja would release his best-selling album, Živeće ovaj narod,[5] and a live album, Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta. During his time at Nina Trejd, Baja would help Gordan Krajišnik with his debut album, Koridor Slobode as well as contribute to Boro Srbin's self-titled debut album.

 
Baja at a cassette stand in Knez Mihajlovo circa 1993.

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

In September 1993, Baja would appear in interviews and start touring for his upcoming album, Još se ništa ne zna. Upon release, Još se ništa ne zna became one of Baja's most popular albums and would be the start of his work with SuperTon. Shortly after the release of the album, Baja's first VHS, which featured music videos to his more popular songs, Najveći hitovi would be released. At the end of the year, he would release two 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.

While Baja himself only released one album in 1994, Pobediće istina, he would take on side projects with arranger Goran Radinović as "Goki i Baja bend". Together, they worked with Gordan Krajišnik on his second album, Život damo Krajine ne damo as well as Rade Tešić's debut album, Samotnjak. He would also form Braća sa Dinare (lit. "Brothers from Dinara") with his brother, Novak Pajčin and a friend, Luka Mihaljica. Shortly after the release of their self-titled debut album, the second Baja VHS would release, called Rat i mir. 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, he 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. He would help Gordan once more in Nema laži, nema prevare and was featured in the song "Krajišnik i Srbijanka" by Milka Todorović. After the release of Idemo dalje, Baja would collaborate with Đole, a friend of his on Seobe, an album that commented on the fall of Krajina. Zbogom oružje would be one of the last releases of 1995 from SuperTon and was critical of the war and the political climate at the time.

Post-war (1996-1998)

1996 would be the last year Baja worked for SuperTon. While he didn't release any albums of his own, he would collaborate with Obrad Vukovljak Ogi on Svrati posle snegova in January. He would also help his cousin, Lazo Pajčin as was concerned about his future after the war. He would feature him on the songs "Drvar, Glamoč, Petrovac, Grahovo" and "Posle oluje" for Plači voljena zemljo, released some time in mid-1996.

After his departure, he went to Lazarević Produktion and released Ne dirajte njega in 1997. He would return to Nina Trejd to work on Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba. During the Serbian general elections, Baja was asked by controversial politician Vojislav Šešelj to produce a cassette with songs dedicated to the Serbian Radical Party. With three songs dedicated to the party and the rest being reused material from other albums, Srpskim radikalima was released.[6]

Career at Renome and subsequent hiatus (1999-2001)

In 1999, Baja would go to Renome where he would write and compose "Dođi mala Romaniji Gori" and adapt one of Misko Cvjetic's biggest hits, "Motokultivator" on the album of the same name. Baja released his last war-related album, Biti 'il ne biti with its contents focused on the then ongoing Kosovo War and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Baja released the album "Gara iz Lončara / Život je tamo" in cooperation with Dragan Stojković Bosanac. It included no patriotic songs and instead had ones like "Evo džepa, đe su pare bile" and "Duni vjetre malo preko jetre", both of which could be considered his most popular work.

2000 saw the release of "Povratak u budućnost", a collaboration with Slaviša Guja Slaja, "Nova mega gara", and "Zaljubljen i mlad".

2001's "Đe si legendo" and 2002's "Zbogom pameti" were the last two albums before Baja's discography pause.

During this pause Baja maintained his popularity through many official and unofficial live releases.

In the same year as Zbogom pameti, "!!! Luda žurka !!!" was released by Carisma Disc International.

A year later in 2003, "Uživo" released on cassette and another concert recording on CD also called "Uživo" a year later. 2004 also saw the release of "Još sad pa ko zna kad!", both as a two part Cassette release and a two CD version.

 
2022 Baja Mali Knindža concert

"Ajmo braćo u kafanu", "Gara iz Nemačke" and "Hoćemo li brate zapjevati" all released in 2006 under the label "Cronic München".

2006 was also the year the DVD and VHS called "Baja Mali Knindža i prijatelji" released, aswell as Baja's next album "Za kim zvona zvone".

Gluvi Barut, BN Music, and self-published work

"Gluvi barut" released in 2007, followed by another three year pause and more unofficial live albums.

2010 saw the release of "Idemo malena" and "Lesi se vraća kući" in 2012.

2014's "Govor duše", is to date the last Baja album. It includes patriotic songs similar to his 90's work and a cover of his 1993 song "Nisu suze za Srbina".

Apart from a few singles, Baja only performs live nowadays. His performances have drastically changed in recent times. He stopped performing his overly nationalistic 90s work like Ne volim te Alija or Nemoj sejo nikad za Turčina and also quit performing his vulgar songs about alcohol and women. In the late 2000s, the rock band Minđušari also started to become his backing orchestra, contrary to his previous performances, which were generally all with the local bands of that area.

Baja has had a recent increase in popularity and still is one of the most popular singers in Serbia.

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)

Live

Compilations

Video

With Baja bend

With Braća sa Dinare

References

  1. ↑ "Lična karta". Knindza.info. Archived link.
  2. ↑ Baja Mali Knindža Biography. Biografija.org. Archived link.
  3. ↑ "Ispovijest Mirka Pajčina". Medium.com. Archived link.
  4. ↑ 13.01.2021 Interview. Informer.rs. Archived link.
  5. ↑ "Karijera". Baja-mali-knindza.com. Archived link.
  6. ↑ "Baja Mali Knindza o Šešelju" Youtube.com
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