Marko Bošnjak from Croatia: "We're changing everything"

It was just last year that Croatia achieved its best ever result in the Eurovision Song Contest. Baby Lasagna (Croatia 2024) made the nation dream of a potential victory but was 44 points short and Nemo from Switzerland ended up taking the trophy home.

The stakes are higher than ever and Marko Bošnjak, who'll represent Croatia in Basel, is well aware of that:

– There is the Baby Lasagna pressure and every journalist in Croatia asks me that, he says.

– But I feel like, even though people seem to be putting that on me, I am not doing it to myself. I don't think that, in the next few years, someone will top his result. It only happens for Croatia once in a while.

He continues by implying that the Croatian audience would like him to behave a bit more like Baby Lasagna, than someone "quiet, humble and toned down":

– I am an insane bitch so they better get used to it and there's literally nothing to compare. We have different concepts, vibes and personalities. The storyline will be different.

It certainly will. Unlike the influenced Pop Punk track "Rim Tim Tagi Dim", Marko brings to the contest a dark electronic pop tune titled "Poison Cake", a rebellious song that brings the taste of revenge to light:

– It's an honest song about standing up for yourself and proving someone wrong, he explains.

– If you go on a darker path, you may compare it to revenge, frustration and anger where you kind of want the people who hurt you to suffer as well but not by your hands.

We discuss those feelings and if they're right to have or not:

In my opinion, revenge is never the way to go but I also understand that in today's society, it becomes harder and harder to go around it with all of the negativity around every single thing.

– I think revenge is a taboo emotion that we all feel but don't really speak about publicly. I feel like there's this narrative where we always need to be positive, in a good mood and that we need to be good for others and sometimes it is just too much.

Who would you give a poison cake?

– To homophobic people.

The first publicly gay musician in Croatia

Marko is the first publicly gay musician in Croatia. His victory in Dora 2025 was therefore a point of controversy amongst the country:

– At one point, it wasn't even about my song or my performance. Being the first openly gay musician here made the burden of attacks fall on me, he says.

– People lacked constructive criticism. They just wanted to hate on me without saying anything about the performance, I did experience a lot of homophobia.

At the young age of 21, Marko considers himself one of the "poster boys" for gay people in Croatia:

– We're in 2025. It's kind of crazy that I have to be the first one who comes out as gay.

It's kind of crazy that I have to be the first one who comes out as gay.

Besides his sexual orientation, there was another point of unsatisfaction amongst his selection: the televote. When the votes were counted, Marko's "Poison Cake" finished fourth amongst the public. If it wasn't for the jury's first spot, he wouldn't have won.

– The situation with the televote didn't help but the rules were set and by combining both the votes from the public and the votes from the jury, I won, he concludes.

Despite of the victory, this was Marko's second attempt on representing his country in Eurovision. Back in 2022, he came second with "Moli za nas":

– It was a good experience for me to start having faith in myself and to have a winner mindset from the beginning but it also taught me patience and that we can't always win.

This time around he managed to win and in May, he is flying to Basel, Switzerland. The performance we saw in Dora 2025 will not be replicated for Eurovision and will get what we called the "Albina treatment" referring to the glow up Croatia's 2021 act did to her staging:

– We're changing everything... The LED, the lighting, the atmosphere, costumes, the storyline, choreography... Everything. It's going to be much more, definitely, he spoils.

– It's an upgraded version from Dora and I think it's going to do well.

While the music video won't serve as inspiration for the act, there are references we'll see on stage and he teases it'll be "darker than the music video". As for the dancers, an unwanted adjustment will be made:

– All of them will join me but Ina. When we were doing the winner's performance in Dora, she hurt her knee and it was serious. We were hoping she'd join but unfourtunately, she won't... I feel so sad for her and I am so grateful to her... We'll keep her in our minds.

In fact, it seems that this year's Dora was cursed, he goes on to share other details about the selection's backstage:

– Actually, this year in Dora, there were about five or six contestants that were just completely sick. That included me. We weren't able to function properly and we had to perform in front of so many people, he recalls.

He goes on to add that the main pressure for Basel will be for him to be healthy and to improve his vocals damaged to the sickness:

– I was getting corticosteroids shots before the performances, my voice wasn't even there. I know how much I can improve and what I can do vocally.

The expectations for Eurovision

Why has Eurovision always been a goal to you?

– I don't know, I think I just really love it. For me it's like my version of Olympics or a World Cup in music and theatrics. It's always been so intriguing because of all of the diversity and variety it brings.

And now you're here.

– It does feel like a lot of responsibility but I am just so happy because I've been dreaming of this since I was a little boy. It's shocking but beautiful.

It was at the early age of five that Marko started developing his passion for music. Back in the days he sang in a church choir and people around him noticed his gift. One day, one of the nuns pulled him aside:

– "God has given you a gift and you're going to be a singer. You have to sing", he recalls.

– She sort of forcefully applied me to a children's competition in my hometown which was like children singing to Jesus. I was a very religious boy.

With Eurovision around the corner, besides wanting to be healthy, Marko really wants to qualify for the Grand Final. He has two goals when it concerns the music contest:

– On a surface level, I really want to qualify for the final but on a deeper level, it'd be to expose myself and show my music to a bunch of other people. My definite goal is to go on a little tour, release an album and to share this with as many people as possible, he shares.

– But just let me qualify, please!

Moreover, he wants to be seen as unapologetic and someone who was ready to take risks with an insane and honest energy:

– I just hope people will remember me as a cool artist but we're going to see how it goes. Maybe they'll remember me as the flop of the century, he jokes.

I just hope people will remember me as a cool artist

At last, we recall last year's polemics. Marko admits he's concerned the pattern may be repeated but, unlike what he intends with his song, he's ready to be politically correct in case something happens:

– I'll try my best to avoid it and I hope everyone will do the same but I think Eurovision without drama isn't really Eurovision. I don't recall a year without controversy, something always comes up but I hope it won't be as extreme as last year.

Marko Bošnjak will perform his song "Poison Cake" at the first Semi-final of Eurovision 2025 on 13 May.