Eurovision 2024: Meet Croatia's entrant Baby Lasagna and the story behind 'Rim Tim Tagi Dim'

Despite protests taking place in Malmo today amidst the growing discontent surrounding Israel’s entry into this year’s contest, there is still a singing contest taking place - and already there is a frontrunner to take this year’s contest. 

Having traded places with earlier favourite Nemo, Croatia’s young entry, Baby Lasagna, is considered by bookmakers as of writing to be the favourite to win this year’s event with the catchy “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” - despite having to progress through the semi-finals on May 7 2024 due to Croatia not winning the last contest, nor being a member of Eurovision’s “Big Five.”

But considering the raucous reaction that Baby Lasagna received from the audience during his semi-final performance, we’d also be fools not to have a flutter on Croatia’s entry this year, if we were the betting type.

But who is Baby Lasagna? Is he a musician solely for Eurovision or has he had a career before the contest, and what is his song all about? More importantly, what are the lyrics given how catchy “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is? NationalWorld takes a look at this year’s Croatian entry in a little bit more detail. 

Who is Baby Lasagna?

Baby Lasagna, whose real name is Marko Purišić, was born on July 5, 1995, in the beautiful town of Umag, Croatia, and comes from a family of teachers. He started his music career playing the guitar for the Croatian rock band Manntra, with whom he placed fourth in Dora 2019 - Croatia’s competition to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Later, he decided to pursue a solo career and launched his music in 2023 under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna. His debut single "IG BOI" was released in October 2023, followed by "Don't Hate Yourself, But Don't Love Yourself Too Much" in December 2023.

In Dora 2024, Baby Lasagna represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest with his song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" and won the competition. The song debuted at number 24 on the HR Top 40 chart and later reached number one, making it Purišić's first chart-topping entry in Croatia.

Besides his music career, Baby Lasagna has also been involved in other projects, such as co-writing tracks for Mono Inc.'s 12th studio album, “Ravenblack,” which reached number one in Germany. His music style is an eclectic mix of pop punk, techno, metal, and house influences, and his songs often explore autobiographical and societal themes.

What is ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ about? 

The song's lyrics address the issue of young adults leaving Croatia for better opportunities abroad. Purišić takes a humorous and light-hearted approach to this serious topic, telling the story of a young, rural man who leaves his village for a foreign country. Despite his excitement, the protagonist experiences anxiety about the move. The song's title, "rim tim tagi dim," refers to a fictional folk dance from the narrator's village.

Purišić created the song in his bedroom, inspired by his decision to turn down a job offer on a cruise ship. Initially intended as a filler track for his upcoming debut album, "Demons and Mosquitoes," the song gained popularity, prompting Purišić to enter it into Dora 2024, Croatia's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.

What are the lyrics to Croatia’s Eurovision 2024 entry?

How successful has Croatia been historically at Eurovision?

In fairness to the country, Croatia has had a rather late start in Eurovision compared to other countries; it previously participated in the contest when it was part of Yugoslavia, but after gaining independence made its debut as Croatia in 1993.

The country has competed 30 times but has never won the competition; the best result Croatia has had at the contest is placing fourth on two occasions; first in 1996 with Maja Blagdan's song "Sveta ljubav" and then in 1999 with Doris Dragović's song "Marija Magdalena.”