Branimir Štulić

Musical artist

Branimir "Johnny" Štulić (born 11 April 1953) is a Yugoslav singer-songwriter, musician and author, best known for being the frontman of the popular Yugoslav rock group Azra. He is known for his charismatic stage performances and inspiring song lyrics that often combined rock poetry with a strong sense for social commentary, which is the cause for his becoming a cult figure.

1 Early life
2 Music career
3 Life in the Netherlands
4 Discography
5 References
6 External links

Early life

Štulić was born on 11 April 1953, in Skopje, where his mother Slavica (née Milovac) and father Ivan Štulić–an officer in the Yugoslav People's Army–were stationed at the time. His paternal Croatian family originates from Nin, being one of the oldest families from the town. At the age of seven, Štulić moved with his family to Jastrebarsko. In January 1967, Štulić moved to Zagreb where he attended high school and later, for two years, studied phonetics and history at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Philosophy before dropping out.

Music career

Main article: Azra

He began his musical career with a band named "Balkan Sevdah band", performing beside own songs also The Beatles covers and folk music. The name was changed to Azra in 1977. The initial line up which included Jura Stublić, Marino Pelajić and Mladen Juričić soon dissolved, and they formed another popular band Film. During the 1980s, became one of the most prominent and influential musical acts in Yugoslavia. The Azra days brought Štulić widespread fame in Yugoslavia, as well as a rabid and devoted youth following – Štulić often used his music as commentary directed towards the social and political conditions in the then-Socialist Yugoslavia.

He has been living in the Netherlands since 1986. From 1989 performed under his name with live support of "Sevdah Shuttle Band", and released solo studio albums Balkanska rapsodija (1989) and Balegari ne vjeruju sreći (1990). When it became obvious to him that Yugoslavia will collapse, Štulić in 1991 in Sarajevo recorded the album Sevdah za Paulu Horvat (released in 1995), do*entary Das ist Johnny in which the most memorable moment was when viewed from the window of Sarajevo hotel room and concluded that soon all would burn, and his alleged last visit of the territory was in 1995 in Belgrade, where he produced album *i and promoted book Božanska Ilijada. In regards to the Yugoslav war, Štulić frequently expressed his disapproval of separatism and was a fervent believer of Yugoslavism and Brotherhood and unity. He commented that "I have no p*port, no money and have no place to go back. I had a Yugoslav one and it expired. Yugoslavia is no more, it's the same as when you are born and you are told: this is your dad, this is your mother, because, according to Homer, no one knows, when they are born, who gave birth to them, at least the first three years. And now I do not have my parents and that's why I'm happy". After the ex-Yugo wars ended in 1995, Štulić recorded two solo albums, both published in Belgrade, Serbia, with the last Blase in 1997.

Life in the Netherlands

In 2005 he published an autobiography called "Smijurija u mjerama", with mixed to positive reception. Hrvoje Horvat, a Croatian journalist, wrote a biography of Johnny Štulić *led "Fantom slobode", ("The Phantom of Freedom"), published in 2006. Due to Štulić's immense popularity in the former Yugoslavia, the book was an immediate commercial success. However, it was also heavily criticized by many literary critics, and even Štulić himself, for its sometime poor writing quality and alleged misinterpretation of facts. Ines Pletikos directed do*entary film Kad Miki kaže da se boji (2004), while Kruno Petrinović a book, Prilozi za biografiju Johnnyja B. Štulića (2006), about the heroes of his poems.

Today, Štulić lives a modest and ascetic lifestyle in Houten, Netherlands, with wife Josephine Grundmeiyer. He typically does not give interviews and is very protective of his privacy. He states he has no interest in going back to his rock career, but in the past few years he has recorded and posted on YouTube over 600 traditional songs, hit covers and some original material. He works on the Serbo-Croatian translation of many ancient and medieval works.

In 2012 he initiated a lawsuit against Croatia Records from Zagreb, the direct successor of Jugoton, over royalty rights, as well book publisher from Belgrade, for copyright infringement. In revolt to the statements made by music editor from the Croatia Records and former Jugoton, Štulić stated that Azra is not a Croatian band. About appearing in Croatia he said that he does not want to perform in “occupied territories” referring to nations that broke away from Yugoslavia. He saw himself as Yugoslavian and said that Yugoslavia is his only country of origin. He also stated that he does not want to return to Serbia where he was hoped to appear either. Štulić states he sees no reason to return to the Balkans, as he “went as far away as possible from people who suddenly wanted to kill each other”. Svetko Stulić, his brother, stated that he would “not give up his intention to bring Branimir back. Svetko said “ "I think the time has come for Branimir's return. I will not give up while I am alive. I want to bring him back, in Nin, in Croatia.” Branimir used to spend his summers in Nin where his father was from. Štulić had never denied his Nin lineage. He once stated “ Mine are from Nin”. Due to an issue of him not having a valid p*port he declined both Croatian and Serbian p*ports and citizenship.

Discography

Balkanska rapsodija (1989, Jugoton)
Balegari ne vjeruju sreći (1990, Jugoton)
Sevdah za Paulu Horvat (1991, Komuna)
*i (1995, Komuna)
Blase (1997, Hi-Fi Centar)

References

External links

Azra's channel on YouTube
"Branimir Štulić vs. Wikipedia: Sve napisano o meni je izobličeno, 95 posto od toga je laž" (in Serbo-Croatian). Tris Neovisni Novinarski Portal. December 25, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2019.

By country
and ethnicity

Albania (performers)
Aromanians (stateless)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (performers)
Bulgaria (performers)
Croatia (performers)
Cyprus (performers)
Greece (performers)
Kosovo (performers)
Moldova (performers)
Montenegro (performers)
North Macedonia (performers)
Romania (performers)
Serbia (performers)
Slovenia (performers)
Turkey (performers)
Yugoslavia (performers)

Folk dancesNotable musicians

Aca Lukas
Aco Pejović
Adrian Sînă
Aki Rahimovski
Al' Dino
Alban Skënderaj
Alen Islamović
Alexandra Stan
Alka Vuica
Ana Bekuta
Ana Kokić
Ana Nikolić
Andreea Bănică
Andrea
Anna Odobescu
Anna Vissi
Anxhela Peristeri
Ardian Bujupi
Arsen Dedić
Aurela Gaçe
Avni Mula
Azis
Bajaga
Beba Selimović
Bebe Rexha
Bebi Dol
Bleona
Boban Rajović
Bora Đorđević
Bora Spužić Kvaka
Boris Novković
Božo Vrećo
Branimir Štulić
Capital T
Ceca
Coby
Costas Andreou
Dado Polumenta
Dado Topić
Dafina Zeqiri
Daniel Popović
Danijela Martinović
Dara Bubamara
Darko Rundek
Davorin Popović
Deen
Desi Slava
Despina Vandi
Dino Dvornik
Dino Merlin
Doris Dragović
Dr Iggy
Dragan Kojić Keba
Dragana Mirković
Dua Lipa
Duško Kuliš
Đorđe Balašević
Džej Ramadanovski
Edo Maajka
Eleftheria Eleftheriou
Elena Risteska
Eleni Foureira
Elhaida Dani
Elvana Gjata
Elvir Laković Laka
Emina Jahović
Era Istrefi
Esma Redžepova
Fazla
Fiki
Flori Mumajesi
Frenkie
Galena
Gashi
Gibonni
Gloria
Goca Tržan
Goran Bregović
Gru
Hadise
Halid Bešlić
Hari Varešanović
Haris Džinović
Hasiba Agić
Helena Paparizou
Himzo Polovina
Ilira
Indira Levak
Indira Radić
Inna
Inva Mula
Ivan Zajc
Ivana Peters
Ivo Pogorelić
Jacques Houdek
Jana
Jelena Karleuša
Jelena Rozga
Jelena Tomašević
Josipa Lisac
Jura Stublić
Jurica Pađen
Kaliopi
Kalomira
Kamelia
Karolina Gočeva
Kemal Monteno
Kenan Doğulu
Kićo Slabinac
Kir Joakim
Knez
Koke
Kornelije Kovač
Lepa Brena
Lepa Lukić
Louis
Magnifico
Maksim Mrvica
Maria Elena Kyriakou
Marija Šerifović
Marinella
Marko Kon
Marta Savić
M*imo Savić
Maja Šuput
Maya Berović
Maya Sar
Merima Njegomir
Miladin Šobić
Milan Stanković
Mile Kitić
Milica Pavlović
Miloš Bojanić
Miroslav Ilić
Mitar Mirić
Miša Aleksić
Mišo Kovač
Muharem Serbezovski
Mustafa Sandal
Nada Mamula
Nada Topčagić
Nataša Bekvalac
Neda Ukraden
Nedeljko Bajić Baja
Nele Karajlić
Neno Belan
Nevena Božović
Nexhmije Pagarusha
Nikola Rokvić
Nikolija
Nikos Vertis
Nina Badrić
Nino Pršeš
Nino Rešić
Noizy
Nora Istrefi
Oliver Dragojević
Osman Hadžić
Poli Genova
Predrag Gojković-Cune
Predrag Živković Tozovac
Preslava
Rambo Amadeus
Rasta
Rita Ora
Safet Isović
Sakis Rouvas
Sanja Vučić
Sara Jo
Saša Kovačević
Saša Lošić
Saša Matić
Sead Lipovača
Sejo Sexon
Seka Aleksić
Selma Bajrami
Serdar Ortaç
Sergej Ćetković
Sertab Erener
Severina
Silvana Armenulić
Sinan Sakić
Slađana Milošević
Snežana Đurišić
Sofi Marinova
Stoja
Stojan Stojkov
Tamara Todevska
Tanja Ribič
Tanja Savić
Tereza Kesovija
Tijana Dapčević
Tifa
Toma Zdravković
Tony Cetinski
Tonči Huljić
Toše Proeski
Vasilis Karras
Vesna Pisarović
Vesna Zmijanac
Viki
Vlado Georgiev
Yiannis Parios
Zaim Imamović
Zdravko Čolić
Zoran Lesendrić
Zorica Brunclik
Ljuba Aličić
Šaban Šaulić
Şebnem Paker
Šemsa Suljaković
Šerif Konjević
Željko Bebek
Željko Joksimović
Željko Samardžić
Željko Šašić