Baja Mali Knindža
Mirko Pajčin (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирко Пајчин,* 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 is still one of the most popular artists in Serbia.
Baja Mali Knindža Баја Мали Книнџа | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mirko Pajčin |
| Born | October 13, 1966 Gubin, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1989–present |
Early life
Baja was born on 13 October 1966 in the village of Gubin, which is in current 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 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 started working 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, and 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, saying 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.
1989 would be the year he contributed to writing the Tromeđa album "Izvorne pjesme Dalmacije, Like i Krajine", which included the now 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. Nonetheless he was allowed to perform it together with his song "Nemoj me lagati mila", just not enter the competition.[2][3]
When the breakup of Yugoslavia started, Baja's songs turned patriotic. 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. Finally published in early 1992, "Ne dam Krajine" would become a huge hit that catapulted Baja to fame.
His second album, "Stan'te paše i Ustaše", released by Nina Trejd in mid-1992, featured the songs "Božić je", "Morem plovi jedna mala barka" or "Pevaj Srbijo", which would turn into his most popular and most recognizable songs.
Despite this 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 album "Živeće ovaj Narod", which would go on to sell 700,000 copies[5] and carry popular but also controversial songs like "Ne volim te Alija".
Around September of 1993 Baja would appear in interviews and start touring for his upcoming album "Još se ništa ne zna". Baja's duet with Bora Đorđević, "Ćuti ćuti ujko", as well as "Vratiće se Novak", a song about his brother Novak Pajčin, are some of the songs featured on the album. Još se ništa ne zna became one of Baja's most popular albums.
- ↑ "Lična karta". Knindza.info. Archived link.
- ↑ Baja Mali Knindža Biography. Biografija.org. Archived link.
- ↑ "Ispovijest Mirka Pajčina". Medium.com. Archived link.
- ↑ 13.01.2021 Interview. Informer.rs. Archived link.
- ↑ "Karijera". Baja-mali-knindza.com. Archived link.
