Branimir Štulić facts for kids

Branimir "Johnny" Štulić (born April 11, 1953) is a famous singer, songwriter, and musician from Yugoslavia. He is best known as the leader of the popular rock band Azra. Johnny was known for his exciting stage shows and meaningful song lyrics. His songs often mixed rock poetry with ideas about society, which made him a very popular and inspiring figure.

Early Life and Education

Branimir Štulić was born on April 11, 1953, in Skopje. At that time, his father was an officer in the Yugoslav army. His family came from Nin, a town in Croatia. When he was seven, his family moved to Jastrebarsko. In 1967, Johnny moved to Zagreb, where he went to high school. He later studied phonetics and history at the University of Zagreb for two years before leaving.

Music Career Highlights

Johnny Štulić started his music journey with a band called "Balkan Sevdah band." They played his own songs and covers of popular groups like The Beatles. In 1977, the band's name changed to Azra. The first members of Azra later formed another famous band called Film.

Azra's Rise to Fame

During the 1980s, Azra became one of the most important and popular bands in Yugoslavia. Being in Azra made Johnny Štulić very famous across the country. He had many dedicated young fans. Johnny often used his music to share his thoughts on the social and political situations in Yugoslavia.

Solo Work and Life in the Netherlands

Since 1986, Johnny has been living in the Netherlands. From 1989, he started performing on his own with a band called "Sevdah Shuttle Band." He released solo albums like Balkanska rapsodija (1989) and Balegari ne vjeruju sreći (1990).

When it became clear that Yugoslavia would break apart, Johnny recorded the album Sevdah za Paulu Horvat in 1991. He also made a documentary called Das ist Johnny. He visited Belgrade in 1995, where he released the album Anali and promoted his book Božanska Ilijada.

Views on Yugoslavia

After the changes in Yugoslavia, Johnny Štulić often spoke about his sadness over the country's breakup. He strongly believed in the idea of "Yugoslavism," which meant people from Yugoslavia living together in unity. He once said that he no longer had a Yugoslav passport because the country was gone. He felt like he had lost his home. He released two more solo albums in Belgrade, with the last one, Blase, coming out in 1997.

Life in the Netherlands Today

In 2005, Johnny Štulić published his autobiography called Smijurija u mjerama. Many books and documentaries have been made about him because he is so popular. For example, Hrvoje Horvat wrote a biography called Fantom slobode ("The Phantom of Freedom") in 2006, which was very popular.

Today, Johnny Štulić lives a simple and private life in Houten, Netherlands, with his wife. He usually does not give interviews. He has said he is not interested in returning to his rock career. However, he has recorded and shared over 600 traditional songs, cover songs, and some new material on YouTube. He has also worked on translating many old books from ancient and medieval times into Serbo-Croatian.

Disagreements and Privacy

In 2012, he had a disagreement with a music company called Croatia Records about who owned the rights to his music. He also had a similar issue with a book publisher in Belgrade for using his work without permission. Johnny Štulić has stated that Azra is not just a Croatian band. He has also said that he does not want to perform in the countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia. He sees himself as Yugoslav and believes Yugoslavia is his only true home country. He has explained that he moved far away from people who were fighting. He also mentioned that he does not have a passport and is not interested in getting one to visit the region.

Discography

• Balkanska rapsodija (1989, Jugoton)
• Balegari ne vjeruju sreći (1990, Jugoton)
• Sevdah za Paulu Horvat (1991, Komuna)
• Anali (1995, Komuna)
• Blase (1997, Hi-Fi Centar)
• splet (2021 self released)
• kavern (2022 self released)