Croatian music stars are climbing the charts as the nation’s music scene undergoes a dynamic shift in recent years.
While Gen Z leans towards international music, a new wave of Croatian artists are redefining the local sound.
Grše
Grše is one of the leading artists in Croatian rap today. While he began releasing solo music in 2019, he gained popularity in 2021 with his single “Highlife”.
In 2023, “Mamma Mia” debuted atop the Croatia Songs chart, making history as the longest charting Croatian number one song, spending 17 weeks at the top.
Grše’s music has become associated with summer on the Croatian coast, evoking the carefree atmosphere and vibrant nightlife that define the season.
Some of his other big hits include “Fantazija” featuring Miach, “Forza” and “SIP”.
Known for his deep voice and exciting beats, in 2024, Grše was the number one Croatian artist spending 25 weeks at the number one spot.
Miach
Miach is another artist quickly gaining recognition with her blend of R&B, pop, and soul.
With emotional lyrics and well-executed production, she represents the softer, melodic side of the new generation.
Shortly after she began gaining attention on Youtube, she released her debut single “23 32” in late 2021.
Following this she released “NLO” in collaboration with rapper Hiljson Mandela, which debuted at number 28, and became her first single to chart on the HR Top 40 chart.
Her collaborations and solo work continue to attract both mainstream and underground audiences, her most recent song “FAZA” climbing the charts.
Demonstrating her success, last year she spent 19 weeks in total on the top of the Croatian charts behind Grše.
Peki
With over 360 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, 22-year-old Peki is gaining attention for his authenticity.
Having released his debut album “Fortuna” just last year, the album features the stylings of Hiljson Mandela, Vojko V, Bore Balboa, Grše and Baks.
Following the success of the album, he released “Fortuna Deluxe” as an add-on containing an extra 4 songs, and a collaboration with Miach.
His most successful songs include “Mangio Pasta” featuring Grše (2024), peaking at number 4 on the charts and “Ganga I Rera” featuring Vojko V (2024), which won 2025 Empress January’s hit.
Baks
A more “underground artist” compared to the others, 20-year-old Baks is a rising voice with a style that mixes melodic trap and reflective lyrics.
Baks’ biggest songs are his collaborations. “PANAMA” featuring Bore Balboa, and Peki has over 2.4 million streams, “Gram” featuring Miach has over 1.2 million streams and Peki’s “Čim Se Pojavimo u Gradu” featuring Baks with over 900k streams on Spotify.
His first solo hit to debut on the Croatian top charts was “Mama, zaljubio sam se u njene ožiljke” at number 19.
With 126 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, Baks’ music is gaining popularity among Croatia’s youth.
Hiljson Mandela
Hiljson Mandela specialises in hip-hop and trap. The singer-songwriter began his career with his trap band KUKU$, with their biggest hit “Sve ili nista”.
He began his solo career in 2022, with his debut album Mandela Effect
His charismatic presence and genre-blending sound, merges trap, hip-hop, and Balkan influences effortlessly.
However, this risk-taking genre has proved him to be successful, as in 2023, he won Zlatni Studio’s “Best new face on the music scene”.
In 2024 he spent 9 weeks on top of the Croatian charts, with “Anđeo” featuring Miach and “Ankaran”.
Be sure to keep an eye out as these Croatian music stars climb the charts and continue to release music.
Together, they seem to be shaping a new era for Croatian music, by blending global trends with their local identities.