Who is Baby Lasagna? Croatia’s eccentric, techno-punk Eurovision entry
Whatever the outcome for Croatia’s 2024 entry Baby Lasagna at Saturday’s final, the singer will go down in Eurovision history as the contestant with one of the best names.
Singer-songwriter Marko Purišić, 28, who is from Umag, Croatia, performs under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna – the name of a wider creative project he is pursuing following the launch of his solo career in 2023.
His song for this year’s competition, “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, is a rock-techno-inflected track about economic migration, and its catchiness and epic staging has already seen fans crown him as one of this year’s favourite contestants.
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Purišić sings in his deep voice: “Ayy, I’m a big boy now/ I’m ready to leave, ciao, mamma, ciao/ Ayy, I’m a big boy now/ I’m going away and I sold my cow.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Baby Lasagna ahead of the Eurovision 2024 final:
Who is Baby Lasagna?
Baby Lasagna in action during the first rehearsal for the semi-finals (TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima)
Baby Lasagna is the project name under which Marko Purišić is performing. He began his music career as the guitarist for Manntra, a Croatian rock band, from 2011 to 2016 and then again from 2018 to 2022.
He decided to pursue a solo career in 2023 and in October of that year, released his debut single “IG Boy” under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna. Two months later, in December 2023, his second single “Don’t Hate Yourself, But Don’t Love Yourself Too Much” was released.
His Eurovision song, “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, which he wrote and composed, debuted and peaked at number two on Billboard‘s Croatia Songs chart.
The singer reportedly had the idea for his stage name in an eureka moment while searching for a market in Novigrad to buy water.
What is his musical style?
His songwriting is based on autobiographical storytelling, drawing heavily on his personal experiences, with a hint of tongue-in-cheek humour added to his lyrics.
His music is often described as a mixture of pop punk, techno, metal, and house, but his Eurovision song is heavily rock and techno-influenced.
How did Baby Lasagna do in the semi-finals?
Baby Lasagna stole the show at the first round of semi-finals (TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima)
In a review of the first semi-final, The Times wrote that Baby Lasagna “stole the show” as he made it through to Saturday’s final.
“We were frequently warned about flashing images and strobe effects. We weren’t warned about the show being stolen by something called Baby Lasagna,” wrote Michael Hogan, who said the performance was “endearingly eccentric, infernally catchy and will take some beating on Saturday”.
Meanwhile, fans have been quite taken with the performance, with one writing on X/Twitter: “All my votes are going to Baby Lasagna tomorrow!”
“The performance is giving winner vibes,” said another. “He’s already won in my eyes”.
The Eurovision Song Contest live final begins at 8pm on Saturday (11 May).
Find out how voting works, here.
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