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Mirko Pajčin (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирко Пајчин; born 13 October 1966), known by his stage name Baja Mali Knindža (Serbian Cyrillic: Баја Мали Книнџа, lit. 'Baja Little Kninja'), is a Bosnian Serb folk singer and songwriter. He is often described as part of the turbo-folk scene, and is well known for his Serbian nationalist songs. His cousin was the pop-folk recording artist Ksenija Pajčin.
Baja Mali Knindža | |
|---|---|
Баја Мали Книнџа | |
| Born | Mirko Pajčin 13 October 1966 |
| Occupation | singer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Ksenija Pajčin (cousin) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Pajčin[1] was born on 13 October 1966 into a Bosnian Serb family in the village of Gubin, near Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pajčin moved to SR Serbia in 1980, and began singing in 1984 in Surčin.[2]
Pajčin won a 1989 competition for amateur singers in Livno and released his first album in 1991. His career began just as Yugoslavia began to break up. Throughout the 1990s, he was known for his strong Serbian nationalism and Serbian nationalist songs during the Yugoslav wars; during the Croatian War of Independence he was dubbed Baja Mali-Knindža (literally meaning "Baja little Kninja" in reference to the de facto capital, Knin, of the Serbian ethnic breakaway state of the Republic of Serbian Krajina within Croatia and the Serb paramilitary unit known as Kninjas).[3][4]
His first professional success was the song "Врати се Војводо" (Come Back, Voivode), in which he appealed to Serbian World War II Chetnik commander Momčilo Đujić to come back to the areas of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and help lift the spirits of the Croatian Serbs.[5] He said that he would never consider going to Croatia as he claimed that Croatian soldiers "burned down his house and desecrated his ancestors' graves".[citation needed]
Baja performs at "Кочићев збор" (Kočić's Assembly) in Zmijanje near Banja Luka in mid-August every year, and he usually attracts tens of thousands of people. Since Operation Storm, Pajčin has written many songs about his dream of the Serbs returning to live in territories now inhabited by Croats following the Croatian War for Independence. The song "После Олује" (After the Storm) details the aftermath of Operation Storm in 1995.[6]
Controversies
Pajčin is controversial due to his Serbian nationalism, far-right views and bias in his song lyrics.[7] Most of his songs are condemned in non-Serb parts of Bosnia and Croatia because of their xenophobic lyrics, which often reference war leaders during the Yugoslav Wars. For example, his song "Не волим те Алија" describes his strong dislike for Bosnian wartime president Alija Izetbegović.[8]
One song titled "Ћути, ћути, Ујко!" (featuring Serbian rock singer Bora Đorđević) contains the lyrics "Shut up, shut up, Ujko, I will kill you" as well as "Shut up, shut up, Mujo, I will kill you".[9] He has also sung "Ја не волим људе те", which included the lyrics "Fuck their šahovnica".[10]
Despite many of his songs having a nationalistic lyrical theme, he is also known for his often humorous non-political songs such as "Umri Baba" and "Poker Aparat".[citation needed] He is banned from performing in Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland due to his nationalist music.[11][12]
Family
Pajčin lives with his wife, three daughters and three sons in Zemun.[13] His mother and father live in a newly built house in Surčin.
His cousin Ksenija Pajčin, pop-folk recording artist, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend on March 16, 2010.[14][15] Later that same year, Baja released the song "Спавај, краљице" (Sleep, Queen) in her memory, stating that he was very "shaken" by her death.[16]
Politics
He is a supporter of the Serbian Radical Party, and has sung at the party's conventions. He also released an album in 1998 titled "Српским радикалима" (Serbian Radicals), which glorifies the party and its leader Vojislav Šešelj.[17]
Language skills
Besides his native language, he also fluently speaks English and Russian.[citation needed]
Order of Njegoš, First Class (2024)[18][19]
See also: Discography of Baja Mali Knindža
Solo
- 1991 — Ne dam Krajine (I won't give Krajina)
- 1992 — Stan'te paše i Ustaše (Stand back, Pashas and Ustašas)
- 1993 — Živeće ovaj narod (This nation will live on)
- 1993 — Sve za srpstvo, srpstvo nizašta (All for Serbdom, Serbdom for nothing)
- 1993 — Još se ništa ne zna (Nothing is yet known)
- 1993 — Rat i mir (War and peace)
- 1993 — Kockar bez sreće (Gambler without luck)
- 1994 — Pobediće istina (The truth will win)
- 1995 — Igraju se delije (The Delije are dancing)
- 1995 — Idemo dalje (Let's keep on going)
- 1995 — Zbogom oružje (Goodbye, weapons)
- 1997 — Ne dirajte njega (Don't touch him)
- 1998 — Povratak u budućnost (Back to the future)
- 1998 — Srpskim radikalima (To the Serbian radicals)
- 1999 — Biti il ne biti (To be or not to be)
- 2000 — Zaljubljen i mlad (In love and young)
- 2001 — Đe si legendo (Where are you, legend)
- 2002 — Zbogom pameti (Goodbye, reason)
- 2003 — Baja Mali Knindža: uživo (Baja Mali Knindža: live)
- 2003 — Luda Žurka - uživo (Crazy Party - live)
- 2006 — Za kim zvona zvone (For whom the bell rings)
- 2007 — Gluvi barut (Deaf gunpowder)
- 2011 — Idemo malena (Let's go, baby)
- 2012 — Lesi se vraća kući (Lassie is coming home)
- 2014 — Govor duše (Speech of the soul)
With Braća sa Dinare
- 1994 — Braća sa Dinare (Brothers from the Dinara)
- 1995 — Bila jednom jedna zemlja (Once there was a land)
- 1996 — Plači voljena zemljo (Cry, beloved land)
- 1997 — Ja se svoga, ne odričem do groba (I won't give up what's mine until the grave)
- 1998 — Idemo do kraja (We are going till the end)
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