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Petar Grašo

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Petar Grašo
Born (1976-03-19) 19 March 1976 (age 50)
Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
OccupationSinger
Years active1995–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2022)​
PartnerDanijela Martinović (1997–2021)[1]
Children2
RelativesTonči Huljić (father-in-law), Vjekoslava Huljić (mother-in-law)
Websitehttps://petargraso.com/

Petar Grašo (born 19 March 1976) is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. He was born and raised in the region of Dalmatia in the city of Split. Initially starting a career in basketball, Grašo switched to music after being pushed by fellow Dalmatian singer Oliver Dragojević.

In the course of his career, he has released three studio albums: Mjesec iznad oblaka (1997; Moon Over the Clouds), Utorak (1999; Tuesday) and Šporke riči (2003; Dirty Words). Following an eight year-long hiatus, he returned to music in 2011, when he worked on the album Ka Hashish together with Tonči Huljić & Madre Badessa Band.

He attained popularity in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, and North Macedonia. As of 2022, he is married to Croatian musician Hana Huljić, with whom he has one daughter Alba and one son Toni. He has received numerous recognitions and awards for his music work including a Zlatni Studio Award.

Life and career

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1976-1995: Early life and childhood

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Born in Split on 19 March 1976, to professional basketball player Zoran Grašo [hr] and mother Snježana Grašo, Petar is the older of two siblings, with his sister being Buga Grašo Radošević.[2] As a youngster, he first intended on being a basketball player following the footsteps of his father. After he gave a novice try at singing and playing the piano, and received approval by established singer Oliver Dragojević who was a friend of his parents', Grašo decided to take his singing to the next level.[3][4] Growing up, he listened to international singers famous in the 1980s David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel and Toto as well as Yugoslav artists Bijelo dugme, Oliver Mandić and Magazin.[4]

1995-2005: Mjesec iznad oblaka, songwriting, three studio albums

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He rose to prominence as a songwriter when established singer Oliver Dragojević performed one of the first songs young Grašo had ever written, "Boginja", on the Dora contest in 1995, finishing second.[5] Since then, he also wrote the song "Vrime Božje" which was included on the album Vrime (1995). He continued collaborating greatly with Dragojević, and has also worked with Doris Dragović, Danijela Martinović, Tonči Huljić, Goran Bregović, and Lepa Brena.[5][6] For Dragović, he wrote the song "Da si tu" from her album Bakle Ivanjske (1995).[7]

In 1996, he won the Zadarfest music festival in Zadar with his song "Trebam nekoga", which promulgated him to wide fame.[5] At the same event, Dragojević won the jury's prize with the song "Gore si ti", written by Grašo.[8]

On 18 August 1997, he releases his first studio album Mjesec iznad oblaka. The album was very commercially successful and it managed to sell over 60.000 copies three months after its release, for which it received a gold certification and later it also received a platinum certification for over 100.000 copies sold two years since its release. It is still considered to be the most sold album in the history of Croatian discography.[9] He placed second in Dora 1997, Croatia's qualifying competition for Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song "Idi". He then starts his collaboration with Tonči Huljić and Vjekoslava Huljić on the song "Boli me" with which he won with at the Melodije Hrvatskog Jadrana and which appeared at number one on the Croatian singles chart.[5][9] He performed at the festival a few more times, before he won again in 2000 with the song "Sve nas manje ima tu".[10]

Grašo co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Metak sa posvetom" with Antonija Šola for Lepa Brena's 2011 album Začarani krug, and composed the music himself.[6]

His songs "Volim i postojim" (1997) and "Ko nam brani?" (1999) are credited with helping the public cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12][13][14]

In 2004, he recorded the song "Sta ti je sit" ("What Is the World"), written by the Huljić duo, composed by Remi Kazinoti and featuring Jelena Rozga; it served as the opening song for the first Croatian TV soap opera Villa Maria.[15] An accompanying music video with the two singing in front of the piano while a crowd of young people dance at a wedding ceremony is also incorporated.[16] Following that, he took a longer hiatus from the music industry as he felt used by the audience and suffered from a burnout.[17]

2019-present: Standalone singles and performances

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Petar Grašo released "Srce za vodiča" ("Heart as a Guide") featuring a debut by Hana Huljić on 6 April 2016.[18] When Grašo first introduced the idea of recording a song together with his daughter, Tonči was reluctant as he did not want the public to think that he is pushing his daughter into music the way he chose to build a career in that field.[19] In addition to the vocals she provided to the song, Hana also appeared in the music video in the role of an angel.[20] To further promote the song, they performed it love together on narodni's Day of Best Home Music on 27 January 2017.[21]

At the end of 2017, Petar Grašo recorded the song "Ako te pitaju" written by the Huljić duo. A music video for the song produced by Pilot Studio and directed by Vojan Koceić was released on 11 December 2017.[22] Speaking about it, Grašo revealed that he wanted to create a picture of a warm love story and capture the final lyrics "We only need to know how to love each other".[23] The song was very successful on the Croatian Singles Chart, remaining at the top spot for several weeks, with which it cemented his status as one of the most famous Ex-Yu singers. The song further received the award for Public Hit of the Year Award - Cesarica in the awards ceremony in 2019.[24]

On 10 November 2019, Grašo performed a medley together with singer Nina Badrić and Ante Gelo Band at the Zlatni Studio 2019 Awards. The medley consisted of the songs "Rekao si", "Trebam nekoga", "Čarobno jutro" and "Ako te pitaju".[25] On 27 December 2020, he participated at the talk show 5.com s Danielom on Hrvatska Radiotelevizija where he performed the song "Trebam nekoga" together with Ante Gelo Band.[26]

On 26 June 2023, Grašo released "Nemoj" together with Croatian singer Nina Badrić. A music video for the song, showing the duo playing each other's love interests premiered the same day.[27] The song had premiered through a live performance by the duo the day before at the Melodije Jadrana.[28] The song was highly commercially successful, debuting at number one on the Crotian HR Top 40 chart.[29] On 30 October 2023, he performed on guitar at a restaurant together with singer Jelena Rozga; they sang the songs "Pisi mi" and "Oprosti mi pape". The video caught media attention as they were accompanied by Croatian actor Goran Bogdan.[30] On 21 April, Grašo's guest appearance on Macedonian talk show Eden na Eden was broadcast on Kanal 5. A brief teaser had been released on YouTube 3 days prior in which the singer briefly discussed his hiatus from music in the period between 2006 and 2011.[17]

On 30 August 2024, Grašo appeared on the sixth edition of the "Trag u beskraju" concert held in commemoration of Oliver Dragojević's death. He performed the song "Navika" together with Rozga.[31] On 25 October 2024, he released the song "Šta bi ja bez tebe" by the Huljić duo as the opening song of the TV show U dobru i zlu broadcast on Nova TV. He decided to record the entire song after a request by the audience from hearing the chorus in the opening of the show. Additionally, he filmed a music video in black--and-white which featured three actors: Filip Juričić, Iva Mihalić and Mirna Medaković Stepinac.[32][33] The song was highly commercailly successful, reaching the top of the HR Top 40 in its third week on the chart for the issue dated 11 November 2024.[34]

On 14 March 2026, Grašo gave a concert in Skopje together with Doris Dragović as a guest performer. He also gave an interview for Backstage Media on 25 February 2026 as a promotion of the concert.[35] To promote the concert, he gave an interview for Macedonian TV Channel Sitel on 2 March and newspaper Sloboden Pečat on 4 March 2026 where he further spoke about Dragović and her mark on the music field in the ex-Yugoslav area.[36][37] At the concert, the two appeared together to perform their duet "Sto je od mene ostalo".[38]

Artistry

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During an interview with Sitel, Petar shared how he avoided opening a TikTok account despite knowing it would bring him a wider appeal to a younger audience as he tried to stay true to being "out of fashion" and produce "pure music". He also shared how he tried to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) in the process of song-making but gave the opinion how it would never be able to replace his intuition or an artist's soul.[36] He said that he considers the biggest influence in his music to be "Italian music with a bit of Dalmatian soul", citing Lucio Dalla, Jovanotti, Eros Ramazzotti and Zucchero as his biggest influencers.[37] Today, he is one of the most popular male pop singers in Croatia, and is also well known in post-Yugoslav countries Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, and North Macedonia.[5]

Personal life

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Grašo was in a relationship with Croatian singer Danijela Martinović for 24 years after meeting her at Dora in Opatija in 1995. He was 19 at the time the two met and was helping out in the country's preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Nostalgija".[39] Martinović, however started publicly humiliating him and during an interview in 2019 criticized his manliness. She also stated how "they were never love at first sight" and recalled how she was unpleasantly surprised by his appearance during their first lunch together.[40]

On 19 February 2022, he married Hana Huljić at the Saint Dominicus Church in Split. The high-profile wedding was attended by media from Serbia and the Huljić family among others. Singer Domenica Žuvela served as Hana's godmother, while Grašo's godfathers were basketball player Dino Rađa and Slovene horeca worker Tomaž Kavčić.[41][42] The pair had a daughter Alba together in January 2022. In October 2024, they got a son named Toni, born by Caesarean section.[43] During an interview, Grašo revealed how the two decided to live a more secluded life, far from the cameras in a circle of several close friends. In his free time, he likes to spend timeby the sea, eating seafood and socialize with friends.[44]

When discussing his "recipe to a happy life", Petar cited his family, music, travelling and joy on the "list of ingredients".[36] When asked where he would live if he had to live outside of Croatia, he chose Italy, specifically the city of Rome. He also elaborated how his biggest secret to success was being "genuine" and remaining constant on and off stage.[37]

On 28 January 2024, he gave an interview to Telegraf that he was against the court's decision to take away singer Severina's custody over her son and how the public with a healthy reasoning capacity shared the same sentiment. He also shared how he considers her an intimate year-long friend.[4]

Discography

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Main article: Petar Grašo discography
Solo
  • Mjesec iznad oblaka (1997)
  • Utorak (1999)
  • Šporke riči (2003)
Compilation albums
  • Best of Petar Grašo Uvertira 1995. – 2005. (2005)
  • The Platinum Collection (2007)
  • The Best Of Collection (2014)
With Tonči Huljić & Madre Badessa Band
  • Ka hashish (2011)

References

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  1. ^ Mileusnić, Jelena (4 April 2021). "Nije bio prvi prekid, ali je bio konačni: Grašo je ljubio Danijelu 24 godine, a sve je zanimalo zašto se nisu vjenčali" [It Was Not Their First Breakup, But It Was Their Last: Grašo Was in Love with Danijela for 24 Years, and Everyone Wondered Why They Did Not Marry]. Story.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. ^ J.Ž., D. (30 October 2025). Samozatajna sestra Petra Graše u rijetkom pojavljivanju u javnosti: Naš fotograf snimio ju je na Gripama [Petar Grašo's Self-deprecating Sister During a Rare Public Appearance: Our Photographer Filmed Her at Grip]. Jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  3. ^ Петар Грашо Сакав Хана пешки да ја однесам в црква, за жал моравме да бараме обезбедувње [Petar Grašo: I Wanted to Tae Hana to Church Walking, Unfortunately We Had to Look for Security] (in Macedonian). Reporter MK. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c K., M.; Š., A. (28 January 2024). "Petar Grašo pružio podršku Severini, pa se obratio pravosuđu: "Daj dete materi!"" [Petar Grašo Offered Support to Severina, then Directed His Word to Court: "Give the Child to Their Mother!"]. Telegraf. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Petar Grašo" (in Croatian). Croatia Records. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Petar Grašo: Sa Brenom sam baš rizikovao" [Petar Grašo: I Risked Quite a Lot with Brena]. Novosti (in Serbian). 26 November 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Doris – Baklje Ivanjske". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  8. ^ "Za kraj ovogodišnjeg Rokova koncert će održati Petar Grašo" [At the End of This Rock's Petar Grašo Will Hold a Concert]. Virovitica.net. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Povijest - Petar Grašo" [History - Petar Grašo]. Petar Grašo. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  10. ^ "Melodije Hrvatskog Jadrana 2000". Skalinada.hr. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  11. ^ "Sudamja 2020: Grašo na praznom Peristilu u čast svetog Dujma i Dana grada Splita" [Sudamja 2020: Grašo at the Empty Peristil in Honor of Saint Dujma and the day of Split] (in Croatian). Split.hr. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  12. ^ "'Hrvatska pjeva' na Jutarnji.hr Video: Pogledajte Ekskluzivni Koncert: Ante Gelo ft. Petar Grašo" ['Croatia Sings' on Jutarnji.hr Video: Look at Exclusive Concert: Ante Gelo ft. Petar Grašo]. Jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 20 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  13. ^ Rajković, Petar (15 March 2020). "Petar Grašo zbog koronavirusa promijenio riječi svoje pjesme - i poslao poruku svima" [Petar Grašo Due to Coronavirus Changed the Words to His Song - And Sent a Message to Everyone]. 24sata.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. ^ Marović, Tihana (3 April 2019). "Poznati restoran i pizzerija promijenili gazdu, više nisu vlasništvo splitske obitelji Grašo: Otkrivamo tko preuzima kultni objekt s najljepšim pogledom u gradu i kakvi su mu planovi" [Famous Restaurand and Pizzeria Changed Their Boss, They Are Not the Ownership of the Split Grašo Family: We Reveal Who Is Taking Over the Cult Object with the Best Look in Town and What Their Plans Are]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  15. ^ Petar Graso - Sta ti je svit - Audio 2005. Petar Grašo. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Jelena Rozga & Petar Grašo - Šta ti ne svit ("Villa Maria" Soundtrack 2004). Petar Grašo. Retrieved 30 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ a b "Видео | Петар Грашо: Се изморив од пеење, им реков на луѓето дека нема да дојдат до мене" [Video | Petar Grašo: I got tired of singing, I told people that they won't come to me]. Sloboden Pečat (in Macedonian). 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  18. ^ Petar Grašo feat. Hana Huljić - Srce za vodiča (official video) (in Croatian). Petar Grašo. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ Mileusnić, Jelena (4 October 2021). "Petar Grašo je godinama dobar prijatel s Haninim Ocem Tončijem: 'Smatram je dijelom obitelji'" [Petar Grašo Is a Good Friend with Hana's father Tonči: 'I Consider Her a Part of the Family'] (in Croatian). Story. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  20. ^ Mileusnić, Jelena (5 October 2021). "Grašu je upoznala sa samo pet godina: Tko je Hana, prelijepa i svestrana kći Tončija Huljića?" [She Met Grašo With Only Five: Who Is Hana, Very Beautiful and Versatile Daughter of Tonči Huljić?] (in Croatian). Story. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  21. ^ Petar Grašo ft. Hana Huljić - Srce za vodiča [LIVE] - Dan Najbolje Domaće Glazbe 2017 [Petar Grašo ft. Hana Huljić - Srce za vodiča [LIVE] - Day of Best Home Music 2017.]. bravo!. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ Petar Grašo - Ako te pitaju (official video) (in Croatian). Petar Grašo. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2024 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "'Ako te pitaju' Petar Grašo". Jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 7 November 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Video: Croatian music hit of the year awards held". Croatia Week. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  25. ^ Nina Badrić i Petar Grašo - Medley ("Rekao si", "Trebam nekoga", "Čarobno jutro", "Ako te pitaju") [Nina Badrić and Petar Grašo - Medley ("Rekao si", "Trebam nekoga", "Čarobno jutro", "Ako te pitaju")]. Ante Gelo Band. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2024 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Trebam Nekoga - Petar Grašo (5.com s Danielom, HRT). 5.com s Danielom. Hrvatska Radiotelevizija. 27 December 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  27. ^ Petar Grašo i Nina Badrić - Nemoj (official music video) [Petar Grašo and Nina Badrić - Nemoj (official music video)]. Petar Grašo. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2024 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ "Petar Grašo i Nina Badrić oduševili publiku novim duetom 'Nemoj'" [Petar Grašo and Nina Badrić Amazed the Audience with the New Duet 'Nemoj']. Večernji.hr (in Croatian). 26 June 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  29. ^ "HRtop40 27. tjedan 2023. (26.06.2023. – 02.07.2023.)" [HRtop40 27. Week 2023. (26.06.2023. – 02.07.2023.)]. top-lista.hr. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  30. ^ Jovanović, Filip (30 October 2023). "Petar Grašo svira, Jelena Rozga peva: Goran Bogdan se ne odvaja od pevačice, ona mu se naslonila na rame, a u pozadini se čuje plač bebe (Video)" [Petar Grašo Is Playing, Jelena Rozga Is Singing: Goran Bogdan Does not Separate from the Singer, She Leans on His Shoulder, and in the background a child weeping can be heard]. Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Savršene štikle? Moderna elegancija Jelene Rozge na koncertu posvećenom Oliveru" [Perfect High Heels? Jelena Rozga's Modern Elegance at the Concert Dedicated to Oliver]. Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Petar Grašo predstavio novu pjesmu "Šta bi ja bez tebe", u spotu su tri poznata glumačka lica" [Petar Grašo Presented New Song "Šta bi ja bez tebe", in the clip there are three famous acting faces]. Gloria.hr. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  33. ^ Petar Grašo - Šta bi ja bez tebe (Official music video). Petar Grašo. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ "HRtop40 47. tjedan 2024. (10.11.2024. – 17.11.2024.)" [HRtop40 47th Week 2024. (10.11.2024. – 17.11.2024.)] (in Croatian). top-lista. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  35. ^ Petar Graso: Moeto Ego Spie Bidejki Znam Kolku Vredam, Ne Za Drugite Tuku Za Sebe [Petar Graso: My Ego Is Sleeping Because I Know How Much I am Worth, Not for Others, But for Myself] (in Macedonian). Backstage Media. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  36. ^ a b c Една вечер, две ѕвезди - Концерт на Дорис Драговиќ и Петар Грашо на 14 март во Скопје [One Night, Two Stars - Concert by Doris Dragović and Petar Grašo on 14 March 2026] (in Macedonian). Sitel TV. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  37. ^ a b c Janeva, Ana (4 March 2026). Петар Грашо: "Дорис е вистинска дива, а публиката ќе доживее незаборавна вечер" [Petar Grašo: "Doris Is A True Diva, the Audience Will Have an Unforgettable Night"] (in Macedonian). Sloboden Pečat. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  38. ^ Doris Dragovic & Petar Graso - Sto je od mene ostalo (Live, Skopje, 14.03.2026). Doris Dragović (Dorotea Budimir). 15 March 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ Tubin Podgorščak, Isidora (5 May 2021). "Danijela Martinović i Petar Grašo raskinuli posle više od 24 godine: Već neko vreme ne žive zajedno" [Danijela Martinović and Petar Grašo Broke Up After More than 24 Years: They Do Not Leave Together For a While]. Telegraf (in Serbian). Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  40. ^ Danijela Martinović: 'Petar Grašo i ja nismo bili ljubav na prv pogled' | 24 pitanja [Danijela Martinović: 'Petar Grašo and I Were Not Love at First Sight' | 24 questions] (in Croatian). 24sata. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  41. ^ "Petar Grašo and Hana Huljić are married". Diglogs. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  42. ^ "Vjenčali se Grašo i Hana" [Grašo and Hana Got Married]. Index.hr. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  43. ^ "Petar Grašo i Hana Huljić dobili drugo dijete: Na svijet je stigao sin, ime je dobio po Petrovom djedu" [Petar Gračo and Hana Huljić Receive Second Child: A Son Arrived to the World, He Got His Name by Petar's Grandfather]. Jutarnji (in Croatian). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  44. ^ Vasilj, Gordan; C., J (7 May 2026). "Petar Grašo otkrio detalje obiteljske idile: Imamo ta dva mala gremlina koja nam se motaju oko nogu" [Petar Grašo Revealed Details of the Family Idyll: We Have Those Two Little Gremlins Who Run Around Our Legs]. Dnevnik (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 May 2026.
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