Croatia are a nation captivated by their Eurovision representative Baby Lasagna. We have already seen the delegation book out Zagreb Arena for 2025. We have also seen a “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” flashmob on the streets of Zagreb. Now Baby Lasagna is appealing to his younger audience. Alongside author Yellow Yuri, Baby Lasagna has released a picture book. The book is entitled “Baby Lasagna and the Stripe Cat: A great friendship”.
What is the book about?
In the Instagram post announcing the book, it is about Baby Lasagna’s journey to Eurovision as a cat dad. It is about his journey from Dora to now. Along the way the duo are joined by furry companions Branka and Gertruda. While this is based on Baby Lasagna’s real life experience, the story is mainly told through animated pictures.
Who is Baby Lasagna?
Marko Purišić, who goes by the stage name Baby Lasagna, is from Umag in Croatia. His journey in the music industry started in 2011 as he was the guitarist for the Croatian band Manntra, who competed in Dora 2019 with the song “In the Shadows”.
Marko’s solo career as Baby Lasagna kicked off in 2023 with his first single “IG Boy”, followed on by “Don’t hate yourself but don’t love yourself too much”. In 2024 Baby Lasagna was selected as a wildcard for Dora 2024 with his Eurovision song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, however was later permitted into the competition following a withdrawal. The rest is history.
“Rim Tim Tagi Dim” his Eurovision song was written and composed solely by Marko himself. He states the song is about moving away from your home town to a big city, and the anxieties surrounding that.
Croatia’s Eurovision Journey
Croatia has been a part of the Eurovision family since 1961, as part of Yugoslavia. Ten Croatian artists went on to represent Yugoslavia in the Contest – the most famous of which being Riva, who gave Yugoslavia its only win in 1989. The 1990 Contest was held in Zagreb as a tribute to their Croatian heritage.
Croatia debuted in the Contest as an independent nation in 1993 with the band Put and their song “Don’t Ever Cry”. Since then, Croatia has gone on to score as high as 4th place in 1996 and 1999. For 2023, Croatia chose the well-known band Let 3 to represent the nation in Liverpool with their song “Mama ŠČ!”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia qualified for the Grand Final for the first time since 2017. In the Grand Final, the band finished in 13th place, with a total of 123 points – 11 of which coming from juries, whilst another 112 came from the televote.
What do think about “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”? Are you excited for Croatia’s participation at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: Baby Lasagna/Yellow Yuri
Photo Credit: Elizabeta Ružić
Giwrgos Oiko