MARKO PERKOVIĆ THOMPSON PRESENTS THE SONG “PICTURES OF BLEIBURGA” – EMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ALBUM “PILGRIM”

Marko Perković Thompson, one of the most influential and popular musicians of the Croatian contemporary scene, presents the new song Slike Bleiburga, an intensely emotional and patriotic composition from the long-awaited album Pilgrim, whose release is announced for June 2025.

The song “Pictures of Bleiburg” evokes the memory of a painful and sensitive topic in Croatian history, paying a musical homage to the victims on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy. Through lyrics and music, Thompson expresses deep emotion and reverence, creating a song that leaves a strong impression and invites reflection on collective identity, past, and heritage.

Thompson himself is responsible for the music, lyrics, and production, while his long-time collaborators Ante Padovan, Branimir Mihaljević, and Duje Ivić worked on the arrangements. The production of the song is vibrant and elaborate, and Marko and Branimir Mihaljević are responsible for the studio realization, which involved recording, mixing, and mastering the music at the Karpo Media studio.

The song was performed with the participation of an experienced team of musicians, including Ante Padovan on electric and acoustic guitars, Branimir Mihaljević on keyboards and guitar, Mario Klarić on drums, and Ante Jurinović on bass guitar. The string section consists of Matej Mihaljević, Jelena Knezović, and Martin Kutnar. At the same time, the accompanying vocals are performed by as many as fourteen singers, including Thompson himself, Daria Hodnik Marinković, Dragan Brnas, Tea Stanišak, Magdalena Cvitan, Klara Kašnar, Ina Milačić, Davor Krnjak, Jura Kaurinović, Juraj Gorupec, Antonio Bebek, Krešimir Klepo, Stipe Trlaja, Jurica Petar Petrač, and Branimir Mihaljević.

The lyric video accompanying the song was produced by Croatia Records Video and directed and edited by Ivo Čais. The video utilizes footage from the film Four in a Row, directed by Jakov Sedlar, which further enhances the atmosphere of the song and its historical context, creating an impressive visual narrative in service of musical expression.

The pictures of Bleiburg are another pivotal announcement moment for Thompson’s new album, Hodočasnik, which will feature twelve new songs. The audience is already eagerly awaiting the album’s release, which will be accompanied by a historic concert on July 5, 2025, at the Zagreb Hippodrome. At that concert, which has already been announced as an unprecedented spectacle, more than 500,000 visitors are expected, setting a new world record for the number of tickets sold for a single concert.