Marko Perković (born 27 October 1966), better known by his stage name Thompson, is a Croatian far-right nationalist rock singer-songwriter. Born in the village of Čavoglave, he participated in the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), during which he started his musical career with the nationalist song "Bojna Čavoglave" in 1991. He achieved commercial success during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the albums Vjetar s Dinare (1998) and E, moj narode (2002). His domestic success continued with Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj (2006), Ora et labora (2013), and Hodočasnik (2025). Perković leans strongly into traditional themes, singing about the Croatian homeland, family, and Christianity.
His song "" is often used in sports events. Since 2005 he has organized an unofficial celebration of Croatian Victory Day in his birthplace of Čavoglave. On 5 July 2025, Perković's concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome broke the world record for the highest number of concert tickets ever sold and the most attended ticketed concert ever, at half a million.
During his career, Perković has attracted controversy in the media over his alleged sympathies for the World War II-era Croatian fascist Ustaše regime—which he denies—resulting in occasional banned performances in several European countries.
Early life Perković was born on 27 October 1966 in Čavoglave (at the time SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia). He attended high school in the city of Split. In 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, prompting the Croatian War of Independence. Perković joined the Croatian forces and used the American Thompson submachine gun during his time in the war, which became his nickname and eventual stage name.
Career Beginning and Moli mala (1991–1995) It was while he was defending his home village that Perković became inspired to write one of the most popular songs during the war, "Bojna Čavoglave" ("Čavoglave battalion"), which launched his music career. The song portrays Perković and his comrades defending the village of Čavoglave from Serb rebel forces. It was first played on Radio Split on New Year's Eve 1991, and two weeks later, it won the radio station's contest for "most patriotic song". Eduard Gracin, music editor for Radio Split at the time, reportedly said that Perković had no intention to profit from it or to pursue a music career. A music video, filmed by a local television station, aired on Croatian Radiotelevision, and the newspapers Slobodna Dalmacija and Nedjeljna Dalmacija helped popularize it. The song quickly became a symbol of Croatian nationalism, and it helped raise the morale of Croatian soldiers; it eventually became Perković's trademark.
In 1992, Perković released his debut album, Moli mala ("Pray, Baby"), on Croatia Records, with producer Tonči Huljić. It includes contributions from his future wife, pop singer Danijela Martinović. The songs, based on his experiences, focused on heartbreak and war. By this time, Perković had left the army, and he performed with other musicians as part of the anti-war concert tour Rock za Hrvatsku, though he briefly returned to military service in 1995 to participate in Operation Storm.
Breakthrough with Geni kameni and E, moj narode (1995–2005) In 1995, Perković started working on his second studio album, , which he released the same year. The song "Anica − Kninska kraljica" gained attention for its patriotic theme. The following year, he issued the record Geni kameni, with the title track becoming another breakthrough. Through his subsequent albums, Vjetar s Dinare in 1998 and E, moj narode in 2002, Perković became a symbol of Croatian patriotism. His song "Lijepa li si" became an unofficial Croatian anthem, and he later re-recorded it with Alen Vitasović, Mladen Grdović, Mate Bulić, Miroslav Škoro, and Giuliano. In 2011, it was named the best Croatian patriotic song by Narodni radio. Other songs from E, moj narode gained significant popularity, including "Prijatelji", "Neću izdat ja", "Moj Ivane", and "Iza devet sela", which interpolates ABBA's "Super Trouper". The album was certified diamond in Croatia, with over 60,000 copies sold.
After the 2000 Croatian parliamentary election, a left-wing government was formed, led by the president of the Social Democratic Party, Ivica Račan, last secretary-general of the League of Communists of Croatia and a prominent leader in Croatia's push for independence. Perković experienced a boost in popularity after embracing right-wing critics of Račan's cabinet, who protested the government's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in extraditing indicted war criminals. During this period, Perković made obscene comments about Račan and then-Croatian President, Stjepan Mesić, in his concerts.
Perković toured to promote E, moj narode. During a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split, attended by some 40,000 spectators, he stated that his songs mark his "three loves: God, homeland, and family". The event sparked controversy, however: two seats in the audience were reserved for Mirko Norac (a convicted war criminal who was on trial at the time) and Ante Gotovina (found not guilty in 2012 on all charges by an appeals panel at the ICTY, but at the time a fugitive). At the beginning of the concert, just moments before Perković stepped onstage, the audience sang the Ustaše song "Evo zore, evo dana".
In 2003, Perković released the greatest hits album Sve najbolje. In 2004, he collaborated on several songs on then-Thompson bassist Tiho Orlić's solo album Tiho. In May 2005, Perković performed in Australia at Sydney's Entertainment Centre and Melbourne's Vodafone Arena.
Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj and mainstream success (2006–2008) Perković's sixth studio album, Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj, was released in December 2006 and soon became his best-selling record, with over 120,000 copies sold. Perković subsequently announced a tour of Croatia and select European cities, beginning after the Lenten season through summer, culminating with a performance at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, in front of 60,000 people. As part of the second leg of the tour, Perković performed at Split's Stadion Stari plac in front of 25,000 people, and the show was recorded for the live album Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj: Split – Stari plac.
Perković had two shows scheduled in November 2007 in New York City, which provoked protests from several Jewish groups, who called on the Archdiocese of New York to stop the performances. The archdiocese declined, however, reportedly finding no evidence that the singer promoted neo-Nazism. His concert in Toronto, Canada, attracted 5,000 people to the Croatian center where it was held, after the original venue, Kool Haus, with a capacity of 2,500, cancelled.
Perković continued the tour with shows in various Bosnian-Herzegovinian cities, including Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Novi Travnik, Široki Brijeg, and Čapljina. His last performance in Croatia, before heading to Australia, was Cibona's annual Christmas benefit show at Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall, with proceeds going to the Zagreb Cathedral. The Australian leg included shows at Melbourne's Festival Hall, Sydney's Sydney United Sports Centre on New Year's Eve, Adelaide, and Perth. The B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission of Australia lobbied to prevent the singer and his band from receiving Australian visas, but government officials found they did not violate any terms that would prevent them from visiting Australia. After several guest appearances in Croatia, the rapper Shorty was confirmed to be joining Perković for the Australian leg of the tour, which collectively drew in 22,000 fans at four shows.
The tour continued in 2008, with shows in Rijeka, Krapina, and Čakovec, before pausing for the group's usual Lenten break, which was followed by performances in Zadar's Jazine Arena and in Gothenburg, Sweden. A show in Nova Gradiška had proceeds going to the construction of a local Catholic church. After Nova Gradiška, Perković went to Varaždin, Karlovac, and Županja. Local authorities threatened to block his 21 May concert in Stuttgart, Germany. However, they backed down after the concert's German Croat backers threatened legal action against the city and translated twenty songs into German for the authorities' benefit. The tour officially ended on 28 December 2008, at the Borovo Naselje venue where it had begun, with profits going to the Vukovar Hospital.
It was estimated by Perković's staff that close to 950,000 tickets were sold during the two-year tour. In June 2008, Perković was named the third most influential person in Croatian show business by Globus magazine.
Ora et labora and tour (2013–2022)
Perković released his seventh studio album, Ora et labora, on 10 April 2013, to critical acclaim. It contained heavy Christian and Catholic themes. The record topped iTunes charts in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Perković subsequently launched the Ora et labora Tour, on 22 June 2013, at the Zenith in Munich, Germany, in front of 4,000 people. The tour continued with a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split on 30 June, which was reportedly attended by 50,000 spectators.
In 2019, on behalf of the city of Split and its veterans, on the eve of Croatian Victory Day, Perković held a concert in front of 80,000 people. In 2022, Perković stopped performing due to his son's health issues, returning two years later, upon his son's insistence.
Hodočasnik and Zagreb Hippodrome concert (2024–present)
In August 2024, Perković issued the single "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo" and held a concert in Dugopolje, in front of 40,000 people. His eighth studio album, Hodočasnik, was released in June 2025, through Croatia Records. His first in 12 years, the record quickly became one of the most promoted releases of his career. It debuted at number one on the official Croatian music charts and remained there for weeks. In three weeks, it became the best-selling domestic album of the first half of 2025.
In January 2025, Perković's management team submitted a request to rent the Zagreb Hippodrome, with the aim of organizing a major concert. In March, the ticket sales company Entrio confirmed that 281,774 tickets were sold on the first day of sales, officially making it the concert with the largest number of tickets sold in the world. After a second batch of tickets went on sale, the concert sold another 160,000 in a single day. In June, a Dubai-based entertainment and stagehand company approached Perković's management and began setup at the Zagreb Hippodrome. The stage stood 33 m high and 150 m wide, with five LED screens and thousands of drones, and it quickly became one of the most logistically complex productions ever held in Croatia, with 14,000 police, firefighter, emergency medical service, and Red Cross personnel being involved in the event.
The concert was held on 5 July 2025, selling an estimated total of 485,000 tickets, with Perković's manager claiming a total of 504,000 attendees at the event, breaking the record for the highest number of concert tickets ever sold and the most attended ticketed concert ever. A makeshift field hospital was set up in preparation for the event, including 200 patient beds and approximately 100 medical staff, who were supported by 17 ambulance teams stationed around the concert venue, along with 175 members of the Red Cross. The city of Zagreb implemented a state of heightened preparedness for the concert, with police restricting traffic in the neighbourhoods surrounding the venue. Fans from 45 countries came to the concert, and the largest number of foreign tickets were sold in Vienna, Munich, Mostar, and Graz, followed by Argentina, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, and China.