Đorđe Balašević, born on May 11, 1953, in Novi Sad, PR Serbia, Yugoslavia, was a Yugoslav and Serbian singer-songwriter whose lyrical pop and folk-rock blend defined a generation. His professional music career began in 1977 when he joined the pop-rock group Žetva, recording the successful single “U razdeljak te ljubim” (1977). In 1978, he left the group to form the band Rani Mraz, which debuted at the Opatija Music Festival with the song “Moja prva ljubav” (1978). Later that year, the band recorded the generational anthem “Računajte na nas” (1978). With Rani Mraz, he released the albums Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu (1979) and Odlazi cirkus (1980) before the band dissolved. He launched his solo career in 1982 with the album Pub, which featured hits such as “Boža zvani Pub” and “Pesma o jednom petlu”, and released the single “Hej, čarobnjaci, svi su vam đaci” (1982). His subsequent solo studio albums include Celovečernji the Kid (1983), 003 (1985), Bezdan (1986), Panta rei (1988), Tri posleratna druga (1989), Marim ja... (1991), Jedan od onih života... (1993), Naposletku... (1996), Devedesete (2000), Dnevnik starog momka (2001), and Rani mraz (2004). His work was distributed through labels such as ZKP RTLJ, PGP-RTB, Jugoton, Diskoton, Aquarius Records, and Hi-Fi Centar. He died on February 19, 2021, in Novi Sad from pneumonia complications caused by COVID-19. Following his death, spontaneous memorial gatherings took place across several cities in the former Yugoslavia, including Novi Sad, Zagreb, and Sarajevo.
