{{Short description|Croatian singer-songwriter (born 1966)}} {{about||the footballer|Marko Perković (footballer)|similarly-named individuals|Marko Perović (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = person | name = Marko Perković | image = Marko Perkovic Thompson 23082013 01 roberta f (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = Marko Perković wearing tight, dark blue jeans and a tight dark t-shirt, with dark armband on left side, standing onstage, holding a microphone stand, appearing to speak or shout towards audience | caption = Perković performing in 2013 | birth_name = Marko Perković | alias = Thompson | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|10|27|df=y}} | birth_place = Čavoglave, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | origin = | genre = {{hlist|Pop rock|folk rock|Christian rock|hard rock|heavy metal|progressive metal}} | occupation = Singer-songwriter | instrument = Vocals | works = Discography | years_active = 1991–present | label = Croatia | current_member_of = | past_member_of = | website = {{URL|thompson.hr}} | module = {{Infobox person | embed = yes | spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Danijela Martinović|1995|1998|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Sandra Rogić|2003}} | children = 5 }} {{Infobox military person | embed = yes | branch = Croatian National Guard<br />Croatian Army | unit = Čavoglave Battalion | service_years = 1991, 1995 | allegiance = {{flagicon|Croatia}} Republic of Croatia }} }} }}
'''Marko Perković''' (born 27 October 1966), better known by his stage name '''Thompson''', is a Croatian far-right<!--Do NOT change without consensus on the talk page--> nationalist<ref name="France24" /><ref name="Globus18" /><ref name=":4" /> rock singer-songwriter. Born in the village of Čavoglave, he participated in the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), during which he started his musical career with the nationalist song "Bojna Čavoglave" in 1991. He achieved commercial success during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the albums ''Vjetar s Dinare'' (1998) and ''E, moj narode'' (2002). His domestic success continued with ''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj'' (2006), ''Ora et labora'' (2013), and ''Hodočasnik'' (2025). Perković leans strongly into traditional themes, singing about the Croatian homeland, family, and Christianity.
His song "{{ill|Lijepa li si|hr}}" became an unofficial Croatian anthem, often used in sports events, and since 2005, he has organized an unofficial celebration of Croatian Victory Day in his birthplace of Čavoglave. On 5 July 2025, Perković's concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome broke the world record for the highest number of concert tickets ever sold and the most attended ticketed concert ever, at half a million.
During his career, Perković has attracted controversy in the media over his alleged sympathies for the World War II-era Croatian fascist Ustaše regime—which he denies—resulting in occasional banned performances in several European countries.<ref name="France24">{{Cite news |date=2 July 2025 |title=Nazi-sympathising singer's huge gig to paralyse Zagreb |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250702-nazi-sympathising-singer-s-huge-gig-to-paralyse-zagreb |access-date=6 July 2025 |work=France 24 |agency=AFP}}</ref>
==Early life== Perković was born on 27 October 1966 in Čavoglave (at the time SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia).<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson pokazao kako je izgledao s 26 godina, ne čudi što mu Danijela nije mogla odoljeti |url=https://www.dnevno.hr/magazin/thompson-pokazao-kako-je-izgledao-s-26-godina-zbog-ovog-mu-danijela-nije-mogla-odoljeti-2680190/ |website=Dnevno magazine |date=16 March 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson showed what he looked like at 26, it's no wonder Danijela couldn't resist him}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Matijević |first1=Ivana |title=Marko Perković Thompson: Čavoglavac |url=https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/marko-perkovic-thompson-cavoglavac/ |work=Danas |date=20 May 2017}}</ref> He attended high school in the city of Split. In 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, prompting the Croatian War of Independence. Perković joined the Croatian forces and used the American Thompson submachine gun during his time in the war, which became his nickname and eventual stage name.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Petersen |editor1-first=Hans-Christian |editor2-last=Salzborn |editor2-first=Samuel |title=Antisemitism in Eastern Europe: History and Present in Comparison |date=2010 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=9783631598283 |page=78 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k6sqlTGHpsAC&pg=PA78}}</ref><ref name="Razsa">{{cite book |last1=Razsa |first1=Maple |title=Bastards of Utopia: Living Radical Politics After Socialism |date=2015 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=9780253015884 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KzF3BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46}}</ref>
==Career== ===Beginning and ''Moli mala'' (1991–1995)=== It was while he was defending his home village that Perković became inspired to write one of the most popular songs during the war, "Bojna Čavoglave" ("Čavoglave battalion"), which launched his music career.<ref name="Baker1">{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Catherine |title=Making War on Bodies: Militarisation, Aesthetics and Embodiment in International Politics |date=2020 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=9781474446204 |page=198 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1noxEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA198}}</ref><ref name="Baker2">{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Catherine |title=Sounds of the Borderland: Popular Music, War and Nationalism in Croatia since 1991 |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317052418 |pages=1993–1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ap7eCwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA1993}}</ref> The song portrays Perković and his comrades defending the village of Čavoglave from Serb rebel forces. It was first played on Radio Split on New Year's Eve 1991, and two weeks later, it won the radio station's contest for "most patriotic song".<ref name="Baker2" /> Eduard Gracin, music editor for Radio Split at the time, reportedly said that Perković had no intention to profit from it or to pursue a music career.<ref name="RTL">{{cite web |title=Ovo je urednik koji je prvi pustio 'Bojnu Čavoglave' |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yi2H0UEwSlA&pp=ygUtb3ZvIGplIHVyZWRuaWsga29qaSBqZSBwdXN0aW8gYm9qbnUgY2F2b2dsc3Zl |website=YouTube | date=29 June 2025 |publisher=RTL |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=This is the editor who first released 'Bojna Čavoglave'}}</ref> A music video, filmed by a local television station, aired on Croatian Radiotelevision, and the newspapers ''Slobodna Dalmacija'' and ''Nedjeljna Dalmacija'' helped popularize it.<ref name="Baker2" /> The song quickly became a symbol of Croatian nationalism, and it helped raise the morale of Croatian soldiers; it eventually became Perković's trademark.<ref name="RTL" />
In 1992, Perković released his debut album, ''Moli mala'' ({{langx|en|"pray, baby"|italic=no}}), on Croatia Records, with producer Tonči Huljić. It includes contributions from his future wife, pop singer Danijela Martinović. The songs, based on his experiences, focused on heartbreak and war. By this time, Perković had left the army, and he performed with other musicians as part of the anti-war concert tour Rock za Hrvatsku, though he briefly returned to military service in 1995 to participate in Operation Storm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/p/perkovic/marko |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621092247/http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/p/perkovic/marko/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 June 2007 |title=Marko Perković profile |publisher=Vojska.net |date=11 December 2006 |access-date=5 February 2014}}</ref>
===Breakthrough with ''Geni kameni'' and ''E, moj narode'' (1995–2005)=== In 1995, Perković started working on his second studio album, ''Vrijeme škorpiona'', which he released the same year. The song "Anica − Kninska kraljica" gained attention for its patriotic theme. The following year, he issued the record ''Geni kameni'', with the title track becoming another breakthrough. Through his subsequent albums, ''Vjetar s Dinare'' in 1998 and ''E, moj narode'' in 2002, Perković became a symbol of Croatian patriotism. His song "Lijepa li si" became an unofficial Croatian anthem, and he later re-recorded it with Alen Vitasović, Mladen Grdović, Mate Bulić, Miroslav Škoro, and Giuliano. In 2011, it was named the best Croatian patriotic song by Narodni Radio.<ref name="Vecernji">{{cite web |title=Thompsonova skladba 'Lijepa li si' najbolja je domoljubna pjesma |url=http://www.vecernji.hr/scena/thompsonova-skladba-lijepa-li-si-najbolja-je-domoljubna-pjesma-clanak-303711 |work=Vecernji.hr |date=23 June 2011 |accessdate=6 January 2012 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson's song 'Are You Beautiful' is the best patriotic song}}</ref> Other songs from ''E, moj narode'' gained significant popularity, including "Prijatelji", "Neću izdat ja", "Moj Ivane", and "Iza devet sela", which interpolates ABBA's "Super Trouper".<ref>{{cite web |title=Najveći plagijati hrvatske glazbene scene |url=https://marul.ivgimnazija.hr/najveci-plagijati-hrvatske-glazbene-scene/ |website=marul.ivgimnazija.hr |date=14 January 2022 |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=The biggest plagiarisms of the Croatian music scene}}</ref><ref name="Dezulović">{{cite web|url=http://www.bhdani.com/arhiva/275/t27518.shtml|title=Greška 404 – Dani|publisher=Bhdani.com|date=31 January 2014|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Error 404 – Days|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522104840/http://bhdani.com/arhiva/275/t27518.shtml|archive-date=22 May 2013}}</ref> The album was certified diamond in Croatia, with over 60,000 copies sold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/vijest.php?OBJECT_ID=752104|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121170711/http://www.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/vijest.php?OBJECT_ID=752104|title=Thompson: "Vjetar S Dinare" – 15 godina poslije (reizdanje legendarnog albuma)|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson: "Wind from Dinara" – 15 year later (re-release of legendary album)|archive-date=21 January 2016|website=crorec.hr|publisher=Croatia Records)}}</ref><ref name="crorec.hr">{{cite web|url=http://www.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/vijest.php?OBJECT_ID=207619|title=Croatia Records|website=crorec.hr|publisher=Croatia Records|access-date=5 February 2014}}</ref>
After the 2000 Croatian parliamentary election, a left-wing government was formed, led by the president of the Social Democratic Party, Ivica Račan, last secretary-general of the League of Communists of Croatia and a prominent leader in Croatia's push for independence.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mz-fXRsedPMC&q=Ivica+Ra%C4%8Dan+walkout&pg=PT147|title=Profiles of People in Power|isbn=9781857431261|access-date=5 February 2014|last1=East|first1=Roger|last2=Thomas|first2=Richard J.|last3=Thomas|first3=Richard|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.people.com.cn/200704/12/eng20070412_365749.html|title=Croatian opposition leader resigns for health reasons|publisher=English.people.com.cn|date=12 April 2007|access-date=5 February 2014}}</ref> Perković experienced a boost in popularity after embracing right-wing critics of Račan's cabinet, who protested the government's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in extraditing indicted war criminals.<ref name="Razsa" /> During this period, Perković made obscene comments about Račan and then-Croatian President, Stjepan Mesić, in his concerts.<ref name="Dezulović" />
[[File:M. P. Thompson.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Perković in Frankfurt, 2007]]
Perković toured to promote ''E, moj narode''. During a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split, attended by some 40,000 spectators,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/moje-zdravlje/thompson-zapjevao-pred-40000-ljudi-722896|title=Thompson zapjevao pred 40.000 ljudi|date=16 September 2002|work=Večernji list|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson sang in front of 40,000 people}}</ref> he stated that his songs mark his "three loves: God, homeland, and family".<ref name="vjesnikPoljud2002">{{cite web |last=Boić |first=Petra |date=17 September 2002 |title=Pjesma i politika na Poljudu pred 40 tisuća ljudi |url=http://www.vjesnik.hr/Pdf/2002%5C09%5C17%5C21A21.pdf |language=hr |trans-title=Songs and politics at Poljud in front of 40 thousand people| url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040121223020/http://www.vjesnik.hr/Pdf/2002%5C09%5C17%5C21A21.pdf |archive-date=21 January 2004 |access-date=29 July 2008 |work=Vjesnik}}</ref> The event sparked controversy, however: Two seats in the audience were reserved for Mirko Norac (a convicted war criminal who was on trial at the time) and Ante Gotovina (found not guilty in 2012 on all charges by an appeals panel at the ICTY, but at the time a fugitive). At the beginning of the concert, just moments before Perković stepped onstage, the audience sang the Ustaše song "Evo zore, evo dana".<ref name="Dezulović" /><ref name="vjesnikPoljud2002" />
In 2003, Perković released the greatest hits album ''Sve najbolje''. In 2004, he collaborated on several songs on then-Thompson bassist Tiho Orlić's solo album ''Tiho''. In May 2005, Perković performed in Australia at Sydney's Entertainment Centre and Melbourne's Vodafone Arena.<ref name="2005 Australian Concert">{{cite web|author=mir.net.au |url=http://www.mir.net.au/thompson/m_venues.php |title=BlackCro Presents-MP Thompson 2005 Concert Tour Australia |publisher=Mir.net.au |access-date=5 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126061606/http://www.mir.net.au/thompson/m_venues.php |archive-date=26 January 2014 }}</ref>
===''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj'' and mainstream success (2006–2008)=== Perković's sixth studio album, ''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj'', was released in December 2006 and soon became his best-selling record, with over 120,000 copies sold.<ref name="Thompson">{{cite web|url=https://www.croexpress.eu/thompson-slavi-rodendan-roden-je-prije-52-godine-u-opjevanim-cavoglavama/|title=Thompson slavi rođendan Rođen je prije 52 godine u opjevanim Čavoglavama|date=27 October 2018|work=CroExpress|access-date=18 December 2022|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson celebrates his birthday. He was born 52 years ago in the famous Čavoglave|author=CroExpress}}</ref> Perković subsequently announced a tour of Croatia and select European cities, beginning after the Lenten season through summer, culminating with a performance at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, in front of 60,000 people.<ref name="Vukovar">{{cite web|url=http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak.aspx?id=344183|title=Thompson u Vukovaru: Opća mobilizacija|publisher=Index.hr|date=14 April 2007|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson in Vukovar: General mobilization|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222134625/http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak.aspx?id=344183|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/s-thompsonom-pjevalo-60000-ljudi-832059|title=S Thompsonom pjevalo 60.000 ljudi|date=18 June 2007|work=Večernji list|language=hr|trans-title=60,000 people sang with Thompson}}</ref> As part of the second leg of the tour, Perković performed at Split's Stadion Stari plac in front of 25,000 people, and the show was recorded for the live album ''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj: Split – Stari plac''.<ref name="Vecernjilist1">{{cite web |last1=Grubišić |first1=Petar |title=Prvi Thompsonov CD uživo u prodaji s Večernjakom |url=http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/scena/2967075/index.do;jsessionid=CEC21DD8A3955BE1136A6F321E0A5CD3.2 |website=Vecernji.hr |publisher=Vecernji list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106133854/http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/scena/2967075/index.do%3Bjsessionid%3DCEC21DD8A3955BE1136A6F321E0A5CD3.2 |archive-date=6 January 2008 |date=4 December 2007|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson's first live CD on sale with Večernjak}}</ref>
[[File:Thompson Toronto.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Banner from Toronto-area concert]]
Perković had two shows scheduled in November 2007 in New York City, which provoked protests from several Jewish groups,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/65117|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215225608/https://www.nysun.com/article/65117|title=Neo-Nazi Band Set to Play Amid Protests|publisher=New York Sun|date=24 October 2007|archive-date=15 February 2008}}</ref> who called on the Archdiocese of New York to stop the performances. The archdiocese declined, however, reportedly finding no evidence that the singer promoted neo-Nazism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/01/2007-11-01_ny_archdiocese_sees_no_nazi_evidence_in_-1.html|title=N.Y. Archdiocese sees no Nazi evidence in Croat rock band|work=New York Daily News|date=1 November 2007|access-date=5 February 2014}}</ref> His concert in Toronto, Canada, attracted 5,000 people to the Croatian center where it was held, after the original venue, Kool Haus, with a capacity of 2,500, cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak.aspx?id=363880|title=Video: Thompson zapalio Toronto na "zabranjenom koncertu"|publisher=Index.hr|date=5 November 2007|access-date=5 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222131359/http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak.aspx?id=363880|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=dead|language=hr|trans-title=Video: Thompson sets Toronto on fire at "forbidden concert"}}</ref>
Perković continued the tour with shows in various Bosnian-Herzegovinian cities, including Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Novi Travnik, Široki Brijeg, and Čapljina.<ref name="Vecernjilist1" /> His last performance in Croatia, before heading to Australia, was Cibona's annual Christmas benefit show at Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall, with proceeds going to the Zagreb Cathedral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.katolici.org/dogadjanja.php?action=c_vidi&id=12009|title=19. Božić u Ciboni|publisher=Katolici.org|date=26 December 2007|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Christmas in Cibona|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223031400/http://www.katolici.org/dogadjanja.php?action=c_vidi&id=12009|archive-date=23 February 2014}}</ref> The Australian leg included shows at Melbourne's Festival Hall, Sydney's Sydney United Sports Centre on New Year's Eve, Adelaide, and Perth. The B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission of Australia lobbied to prevent the singer and his band from receiving Australian visas, but government officials found they did not violate any terms that would prevent them from visiting Australia. After several guest appearances in Croatia, the rapper Shorty was confirmed to be joining Perković for the Australian leg of the tour, which collectively drew in 22,000 fans at four shows.<ref name="croatianherald1">{{cite web |last1=Basic |first1=Mate |last2=Loncaric |first2=Josip |title=Interview: Croatian megastar Thompson on the eve of the highly anticipated Australian leg of his "Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj" tour.... |url=http://newgeneration.croatianherald.com/Interview/tabid/100/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2360/Default.aspx |website=thenewgeneration.croatianherald.com |publisher=Croatian Herald English Supplement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617021823/http://newgeneration.croatianherald.com/Interview/tabid/100/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2360/Default.aspx |archive-date=17 June 2008 |date=23 December 2007}}</ref>
The tour continued in 2008, with shows in Rijeka, Krapina, and Čakovec, before pausing for the group's usual Lenten break,<ref name="Javno135812">{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/hr/film-i-glazba/clanak.php?id=135812 |title=Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj – Thompson ide dalje |publisher=Javno.com |access-date=5 February 2014 |language=hr |trans-title=Once Upon a Time in Croatia – Thompson Moves On |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403064353/http://www.javno.com/hr/film-i-glazba/clanak.php?id=135812 |archive-date=3 April 2008}}</ref> which was followed by performances in Zadar's Jazine Arena and in Gothenburg, Sweden.<ref name="Javno135812" /> A show in Nova Gradiška had proceeds going to the construction of a local Catholic church. After Nova Gradiška, Perković went to Varaždin, Karlovac, and Županja. Local authorities threatened to block his 21 May concert in Stuttgart, Germany.<ref name="Vecernjilist2">{{cite web |last1=Puđa |first1=Stipe |title=Marseljeza presudila da se Thompsonov koncert ipak održi! |url=http://www.vecernji.hr/home/showbiz/3081552/index.do |website=Vecernji.hr |publisher=Vecernji list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516033555/http://www.vecernji.hr/home/showbiz/3081552/index.do |archive-date=16 May 2008 |date=14 May 2008 |language=hr |trans-title=La Marseillaise ruled that Thompson's concert would still take place!}}</ref> However, they backed down after the concert's German Croat backers threatened legal action against the city and translated twenty songs into German for the authorities' benefit.<ref name="Vecernjilist2" /> The tour officially ended on 28 December 2008, at the Borovo Naselje venue where it had begun,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/35716/Default.aspx|title=Thompsonov koncert za obnovu vukovarske bolnice|date=9 January 2009|publisher=Slobodna Dalmacija|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson's concert for the reconstruction of Vukovar hospital}}</ref> with profits going to the Vukovar Hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Spektakli/tabid/79/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/36049/Default.aspx|title=Vesna Bosanac na Thompsonovu koncertu: Najdraža mi je pjesma "Moj dida i ja"|date=12 January 2009|publisher=Slobodna Dalmacija|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Vesna Bosanac at Thompson's concert: My favorite song is "My Grandpa and Me"}}</ref>
It was estimated by Perković's staff that close to 950,000 tickets were sold during the two-year tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barkun.hr/2009/03/05/thompson-ponovo-trazi-arenu-odluka-krajem-ozujka |title=Thompson ponovo traži Arenu, odluka krajem ožujka – Barkun |publisher=Barkun.hr |access-date=5 February 2014 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson seeks Arena again, decision at the end of March – Barkun |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221160206/http://www.barkun.hr/2009/03/05/thompson-ponovo-trazi-arenu-odluka-krajem-ozujka/ |archive-date=21 February 2014 }}</ref> In June 2008, Perković was named the third most influential person in Croatian show business by ''Globus'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak/globus-objavio-listu-100-najmocnijih-ljudi-u-hrvatskom-soubiznisu/393433.aspx|title=Globus objavio listu 100 najmoćnijih ljudi u hrvatskom šoubiznisu|date=2 July 2008|access-date=13 May 2013|work=Index.hr|language=hr|trans-title=Globus publishes list of 100 most powerful people in Croatian show business}}</ref>
===''Ora et labora'' and tour (2013–2022)=== thumb|250px|Marko Perković and his band in 2013
Perković released his seventh studio album, ''Ora et labora'', on 10 April 2013, to critical acclaim. It contained heavy Christian and Catholic themes. The record topped iTunes charts in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.<ref name="vecernji">{{cite news | url=http://www.vecernji.hr/zvijezde/thompson-hit-na-itunesu-u-austriji-i-svicarskoj-uz-bok-beatlesima-539089 | title=Thompson hit na iTunesu u Austriji i Švicarskoj, uz bok Beatlesima|date=15 April 2013|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson a hit on iTunes in Austria and Switzerland, alongside the Beatles|newspaper=Večernji list}}</ref> Perković subsequently launched the Ora et labora Tour, on 22 June 2013, at the Zenith in Munich, Germany, in front of 4,000 people. The tour continued with a concert at Stadion Poljud in Split on 30 June, which was reportedly attended by 50,000 spectators.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marko Perković Thompson na Poljudu okupio 50 tisuća posjetitelja |url=https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/mozaik/scena/showbiz/marko-perkovic-thompson-na-poljudu-okupio-50-tisuca-posjetitelja-205252 |work=Slobodna Dalmacija |date=30 June 2013 |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Marko Perković Thompson gathered 50 thousand visitors at Poljud}}</ref>
In 2019, on behalf of the city of Split and its veterans, on the eve of Croatian Victory Day, Perković held a concert in front of 80,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson u Splitu izazvao delirij krcate Rive |trans-title=Thompson caused a delirium on the crowded Riva in Split |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/thompson-u-splitu-izazvao-delirij-krcate-rive-1336524 |work=Večernji list |date=4 August 2019 |language=hr |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> In 2022, Perković stopped performing due to his son's health issues, returning two years later, upon his son's insistence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Na nagovor sina, zbog čijeg se zdravlja povukao, Thompson se vraća na pozornicu, i to u Imotski: 'Ovo mu je obećao' |trans-title=At the urging of his son, due to whose health he had retired, Thompson is returning to the stage, in Imotski: 'He promised him this' |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/scena/domace-zvijezde/na-nagovor-sina-zbog-cijeg-se-zdravlja-povukao-thompson-se-vraca-na-pozornicu-i-to-u-imotski-ovo-mu-je-obecao-15463812 |work=Jutarnji list |date=23 May 2024 |language=hr |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref>
===''Hodočasnik'' and Zagreb Hippodrome concert (2024–present)=== {{multiple image | align = left | direction = vertical | width = 300 | image1 = Marko Perković Thompson 2025 Zagreb Hipodrom concert.jpg | caption1 = | image2 = MPT2025 Zagreb, Oluja.jpg | caption2 = 2025 record-breaking concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome }}
In August 2024, Perković issued the single "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo" and held a concert in Dugopolje, in front of 40,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Spektakularni prizori iz Dugopolja: Thompson bacio publiku u trans, uglas pjevalo 40.000 ljudi |trans-title=Spectacular scenes from Dugopolje: Thompson puts the audience into a trance, 40,000 people sing in unison |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/showbiz/foto-velicanstveni-prizori-iz-dugopolja-marko-perkovic-thompson-bacio-publiku-u-trans-uglas-pjevalo-40-000-ljudi-1792997 |date=16 August 2024 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> His eighth studio album, ''Hodočasnik'', was released in June 2025, through Croatia Records. His first in 12 years, the record quickly became one of the most promoted releases of his career.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 June 2025 |title=Hodočasnik – Thompson presents album of the decade |url=https://www.vibecovery.com/2025/06/13/hodocasnik-thompson-presents-album-of-the-decade/ |access-date=7 August 2025 |website=vibecovery.com}}</ref> It debuted at number one on the official Croatian music charts and remained there for weeks. In three weeks, it became the best-selling domestic album of the first half of 2025.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/mozaik/scena/showbiz/jos-jedan-veliki-uspjeh-marka-perkovica-thompsona-ostavio-je-iza-sebe-baby-lasagnu-gibonnija-i-divlje-jagode-1491492 |title=Još jedan veliki uspjeh Marka Perkovića Thompsona: ostavio je iza sebe Baby Lasagnu, Gibonnija i Divlje jagode |work=Slobodna Dalmacija |date=7 June 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Another great success for Marko Perković Thompson: he left Baby Lasagna, Gibonni and Wild Strawberries behind |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref>
In January 2025, Perković's management team submitted a request to rent the Zagreb Hippodrome, with the aim of organizing a major concert.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson najavio koncert u Zagrebu, ovdje su nastupali najveći: 'Uputili smo zahtjev' |url=https://www.zagreb.info/magazin/thompson-najavio-koncert-u-zagrebu-ovdje-su-nastupali-najveci-uputili-smo-zahtjev/701801/ |website=zagreb.info |date=23 January 2025 |access-date=23 January 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson announced a concert in Zagreb, the biggest one performed here: 'We made a request'}}</ref> In March, the ticket sales company Entrio confirmed that 281,774 tickets were sold on the first day of sales, officially making it the concert with the largest number of tickets sold in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oglasio se Thompson nakon što je rasprodao Hipodrom, evo što je poručio publici |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/showbiz/oglasio-se-thompson-nakon-sto-je-rasprodao-hipodrom-evo-sto-je-porucio-publici-1851132 |website=vecernji.hr |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson made a statement after selling out the Hippodrome, here's what he said to the audience}}</ref> After a second batch of tickets went on sale, the concert sold another 160,000 in a single day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson rasprodao koncert na hipodromu: stize pola milijuna ljudi |url=https://zadarskiportal.com/thompson-rasprodao-koncert-na-hipodromu-stize-pola-milijuna-ljudi |website=zadarskiportal.com |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson sells out concert at the hippodrome: half a million people arrive}}</ref> In June, a Dubai-based entertainment and stagehand company approached Perković's management and began setup at the Zagreb Hippodrome. The stage stood 33 m high and 150 m wide, with five LED screens and thousands of drones, and it quickly became one of the most logistically complex productions ever held in Croatia, with 14,000 police, firefighter, emergency medical service, and Red Cross personnel being involved in the event.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson – Ekskluzivni intervju za HRT Dnevnik (28.06.2025) |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Esc2HtJCL7I&pp=ygURdGhvbXNwb24gaW50ZXJ2anU%3D |website=YouTube.com | date=28 June 2025 |publisher=Kralj Tomislav (AS) |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson – Exclusive interview for HRT Dnevnik (28.06.2025)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Video: Thompson plays to 504,000 to break world record in Zagreb |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/video-thompson-plays-to-504000-to-break-world-record-in-zagreb/ |website=croatiaweek.com |date=6 July 2025 |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref>
The concert was held on 5 July 2025, selling an estimated total of 485,000 tickets, with Perković's manager claiming a total of 504,000 attendees at the event, breaking the record for the highest number of concert tickets ever sold and the most attended ticketed concert ever.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thompson pred pola milijuna ljudi na Hipodromu: Ekstaza, baklje, dronovi i 'Za dom spremni' |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/scena/domace-zvijezde/uskoro-pocinje-jedan-od-najvecih-koncerata-u-povijesti-ocekuje-se-skoro-pola-milijuna-ljudi-15600963 |work=Jutarnji list |date=5 July 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson in front of half a million people at the Hippodrome: Ecstasy, torches, drones and 'Ready for home'}}</ref> A makeshift field hospital was set up in preparation for the event, including 200 patient beds and approximately 100 medical staff,<ref name="24sata_med">{{cite web|url=https://www.24sata.hr/news/ekskluzivno-pogledajte-kako-izgleda-poljska-bolnica-na-hipodromu-cuvaju-je-zastitari-1061220|title=Ekskluzivno Evo kako izgleda poljska bolnica na Velesajmu za koncert Thompsona u subotu!|author=Luka Safundžić|date=4 July 2025|website=24sata|language=hr|trans-title=Exclusive: Here's what the field hospital at the Velesajam looks like for the Thompson concert on Saturday!}}</ref> who were supported by 17 ambulance teams stationed around the concert venue,<ref name="24sata_med" /> along with 175 members of the Red Cross.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/na-hipodrom-stiglo-i-175-clanova-crvenog-kriza-evo-sto-su-porucili-posjetiteljima---922654.html|title=Na Hipodrom stiglo i 175 članova Crvenog križa: Imaju važnu poruku za sve posjetitelje|date=5 July 2025|website=Dnevnik|language=hr|trans-title=175 members of the Red Cross arrived at the Hippodrome: They have an important message for all visitors}}</ref> The city of Zagreb implemented a state of heightened preparedness for the concert, with police restricting traffic in the neighbourhoods surrounding the venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/uoci-thompsonova-koncerta-na-hipodromu-poseban-rezim-prometa---922617.html|title=Svi detalji posebnog režima koji vrijedi u Zagrebu zbog koncerta|date=4 July 2025|website=Dnevnik|language=hr|trans-title=All the details of the special regime in effect in Zagreb due to the concert}}</ref> Fans from 45 countries came to the concert, and the largest number of foreign tickets were sold in Vienna, Munich, Mostar, and Graz, followed by Argentina, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, and China.<ref name="RTL" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Na Thompsonov koncert dolaze iz Argentine, Obale Bjelokosti |url=https://www.24sata.hr/show/na-thompsonov-koncert-dolaze-iz-argentine-obale-bjelokosti-1043153 |website=24sata.hr |date=4 April 2025 |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=People from Argentina, Ivory Coast come to Thompson's concert}}</ref>
A follow-up concert was held on 4 August 2025 at the Sinj hippodrome, attracting around 150,000 attendees, further solidifying the Hodočasnik Tour as one of the most attended in Croatian music history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thompson holds massive concert in Sinj |url=https://glashrvatske.hrt.hr/en/domestic/thompson-holds-massive-concert-in-sinj-12277711 |access-date=7 August 2025 |website=Hrvatska radiotelevizija}}</ref> It continued from November 2025, with two sold-out concerts in each city of Osijek, Varaždin, Zadar, Zagreb (second banned), Poreč, Split, and Rijeka, and is set to wrap up in February 2026.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Thompson u 27 minuta rasprodao koncert u Rijeci. Već je najavio novi |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/scena/domace-zvijezde/thompson-rijeka-rasprodano-27-minuta-dodan-drugi-koncert-dvorana-mladosti-15662044 |date=15 January 2026 |work=Jutarnji list |access-date=19 January 2026 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson sold out concert in Rijeka in 27 minutes. He's already announced a new one}}</ref>
==Lyrics and themes== Perković's material is often marked by social, historical, and religious themes, and it includes elements of folklore.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lovrić |first=Ivo |date=17 July 2025 |title=Hrvatsko društvo zna kamo ide |url=https://www.matica.hr/vijenac/818%20-%20820/Hrvatsko%20dru%C5%A1tvo%20zna%20kamo%20ide/ |journal=Vijenac |issue=818–820 |language=hr |trans-title=Croatian society knows where it is going. |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> His music often employs politicized narratives that blame "communists" in cooperation with "historic enemies" of Croatia.<ref name="Baker1" /> Notable songs include: homeland—"{{ill|Lijepa li si|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"how beautiful you are"}}), "{{ill|Ako ne znaš šta je bilo|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"if you don't know what it was"}}); history—"{{ill|Dolazak Hrvata|hr|Dolazak Hrvata (Thompson)}}" ({{langx|en|"the arrival of the Croats"}}), "{{ill|Kletva kralja Zvonimira|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"King Zvonimir's curse"}}), "{{ill|Nepročitano pismo|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"unread letter"}}); politics—"Bojna Čavoglave" ({{langx|en|"Čavoglave battalion"}}), "Ne varaj me" ({{langx|en|"don't deceive me"}}), "Neka ni'ko ne dira u moj mali dio svemira" ({{langx|en|"may nobody touch my little part of the universe"}}); religion and love—"Radost s visina" ({{langx|en|"joy from above"}}), "Neću izdat ja" ({{langx|en|"I won't betray"}}), "Dan dolazi" ({{langx|en|"the day is coming"}}), "Početak" ({{langx|en|"the beginning"}}), "{{ill|Samo je ljubav tajna dvaju svjetova|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"only love is the secret of the two worlds"}}), "Put u raj" ({{langx|en|"travel to heaven"}}); family and birthplace—"{{ill|Zaustavi se, vjetre|hr|Zaustavi se vjetre}}" ({{langx|en|"stop yourself, wind"}}), "Iza devet sela" ({{langx|en|"behind nine villages"}}), "Moj dida i ja" ({{langx|en|"my grandpa and I"}}), "Sine moj" ({{langx|en|"oh, my son"}}).
Perković has mentioned being a fan of such bands as Nightwish, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, and Dream Theater, among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Reflektor/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4131/Default.aspx|title=Thompson: Ako Bog da, možda zapjevam na engleskom|publisher=Slobodnadalmacija.hr|access-date=5 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001302/http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Reflektor/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4131/Default.aspx|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref> In 2007, a ''Washington Post'' writer described the New York stop on the ''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj'' tour as sounding "like Iron Maiden doing Eastern European folk".<ref name="WashingtonPost">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/04/AR2007110401620.html|title=Rocking the Boat|work=Washingtonpost.com|date=5 November 2007|access-date=5 February 2014}}</ref>
At the Porin Croatian music awards, he received a nomination in 1999 for "Zaustavi se, vjetre",<ref>{{cite news |date=6 February 2025 |title=Thompsonova nominacija za Porin izazvala negodovanje glazbenika: Remi poziva na bojkot glasanja; 'Iščekujem reakcije...' |url=https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/mozaik/scena/showbiz/thompsonova-nominacija-za-porin-izazvala-negodovanje-glazbenika-remi-poziva-na-bojkot-glasanja-iscekujem-reakcije-1452456 |work=Slobodna Dalmacija |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson's nomination at Porin sparks outrage among musicians: Remi calls for a boycott of the vote; 'I await reactions...' |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Čulić |first=Ilko |date=13 June 2025 |title=Kako se kalio Thompson |trans-title=How Thompson was shaped |url=https://www.portalnovosti.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Novosti_1330.pdf |magazine=Novosti |issue=1330 |page=35 |language=hr |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> two nominations in 2003, including for ''E, moj narode'' as best album and "Iza devet sela" as hit song of the year.<ref>{{cite news |date=24 February 2003 |title=Porin: Thompson nominiran za hit i album godine |url=https://www.index.hr/magazin/clanak/porin-thompson-nominiran-za-hit-i-album-godine/120706.aspx |work=Index.hr |language=hr |trans-title=Porin: Thompson nominated for hit and album of the year |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> In 2014, he received the award for hit song of the year for "Samo je ljubav tajna dvaju svjetova",<ref>{{cite news |last=Bosno |first=Kristina |date=27 June 2014 |title=A Porina za hit godine osvojio je – Thompson! |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/showbiz/rozga-thompson-ili-silente-tko-je-vlasnik-porina-za-hit-godine-947249 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=And the Porin award for hit of the year went to – Thompson! |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> and in 2025, he obtained three nominations—for best song, best vocal collaboration, and best music video for "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo".<ref>{{cite news |last=G. |first=L. |date=12 February 2025 |title=Thompson nominiran za Porina u čak tri kategorije, objavljeno tko mu je sve konkurencija |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/glazba/thompson-nominiran-za-porina-u-cak-tri-kategorije-objavljeno-tko-mu-je-sve-konkurencija-15552662 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson nominated at Porin in three categories, his competition announced |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> He has also received Cesarica awards for the song "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo" for Hit of the Month in August 2024,<ref>{{cite news |date=24 September 2024 |title=Domoljubni hit "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo" osvojio Cesaricu za Hit mjeseca kolovoza |url=https://glazba.hr/vijesti/domoljubni-hit-ako-ne-znas-sta-je-bilo-osvojio-cesaricu-za-hit-mjeseca-kolovoza/ |work=Glazba.hr |language=hr |trans-title=Patriotic hit "Ako ne znaš šta je bilo" won Cesarica for Hit of the Month in August |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> "Nepročitano pismo" in March, "{{ill|Oluja (Marko Perković song)|lt=Oluja|hr|Oluja (Thompson)}}" ({{langx|en|"storm"}}) in May, and "{{ill|Ravnoteža|hr}}" ({{langx|en|"balance"}}) in July 2025.<ref>{{cite news |date=26 August 2025 |title="Ravnoteža" je Hit srpnja! |url=https://glazba.hr/vijesti/cesarica/m-p-thompson-ravnoteza-je-hit-srpnja/ |work=Glazba.hr |language=hr |trans-title="Ravnoteža" is the Hit of July! |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref>
His song "Lijepa li si" is traditionally played as a "national song" after and at halftime at all matches of the Croatia national football team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/simunic-zasto-nam-nisu-pustili-thompsona/361533.aspx|title=Šimunić: Zašto nam nisu pustili Thompsona? – Sport|publisher=Index.hr|date=14 October 2007|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Šimunić: Why didn't they play Thompson? – Sport}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pjesma "Lijepa li si" uvjerljiv odabir hrvatskih navijača |url=https://hns.team/vijesti/12855/pjesma-lijepa-li-si-uvjerljiv-odabir-hrvatskih-navijaca/ |date=27 January 2016 |work=Croatian Football Federation |access-date=19 January 2026 |language=hr |trans-title=The song "Lijepa li si" is a convincing choice of Croatian fans}}</ref> His 2025 song "Ako ne znaš što je bilo" became closely associated with the Croatia national handball team.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 February 2025 |title=Rukometaši na putu kući: Ludnica u avionu, ori se Thompsonova pjesma |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/sport/video-hrvatski-rukometasi-slave-srebrnu-medalju-uz-thompsonovu-pjesmu-koja-im-je-postala-himna-1835274 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Handball players on the way home: Crazy on the plane, Thompson's song is playing |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref>
==Charity work== [[File:Marko Perković Thompson Vatroslav Lisinski 7 rujna 2008 2.jpg|thumb|250x350px|right|Perković at the humanitarian concert "Križ nek' ti sačuva ime" at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, on 7 September 2008]]
Throughout his career, Perković has supported a number of charities and causes. In 2006, he held a concert with singer Mate Bulić in Slavonski Brod, with proceeds going to the building of a shrine near the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sbtv.hr/Vijesti/6%20-%202006-2-6%20-%2012/SB_INFO_06_12_02_2006.htm |title=Thompson i Bulić okupili više od 2000 Brođana |access-date=13 November 2008 |work=sbtv.hr |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson and Bulić gathered more than 2,000 people from Brodarica |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208205420/http://www.sbtv.hr/Vijesti/6%20-%202006-2-6%20-%2012/SB_INFO_06_12_02_2006.htm |archive-date=8 December 2008 }}</ref> Following the 2007 Croatian coast fires, Perković participated in the recording of the memorial song "Ovo nije kraj" as well as a charity football match at Stadion Poljud, attended by 30,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glasdalmacije.com/index.php?show=0&article=4056|title=Ovo nije kraj|publisher=Glasdalmacije.com|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=This is not the end}}</ref> Perković performed at the ''Pjesmom za život'' humanitarian concert in Ljubuški on 30 October 2008, with proceeds going to the ill Herzegovinian Croat singer Jozo Milićević-Galini.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uotv.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=822&Itemid=26|title=Humanitarni koncert|date=3 November 2008|access-date=13 November 2008|work=uoft.biz|language=hr|trans-title=Humanitarian concert|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210163242/http://www.uotv.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=822&Itemid=26|archive-date=10 December 2008}}</ref> In November 2008, Perković appeared at a concert in Zagreb headlined by Mate Bulić, with proceeds going to the Ana Rukavina Foundation, which supports a nationwide bone marrow donation network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Spektakli/tabid/79/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/31253/Default.aspx|title=Bulić i Thompson zapalili 'Cibonu', ali opet bez Škore|date=22 November 2008|access-date=22 November 2008|work=Slobodna Dalmacija|language=hr|trans-title=Bulić and Thompson set 'Cibona' on fire, but again without Škora}}</ref>
==Controversies== ===Neo-Ustashaism=== Perković's alleged sympathies and glorification of the WWII-era Ustaše have led to accusations by many sources, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, of being a "fascist singer".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maldini |first1=Pero |last2=Paukovic |first2=Davor |title=Croatia and the European Union: Changes and Development |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-31715-697-0 |page=73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Li1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73 |quote=Curiously, on the date of Croatia's accession to the EU, neo-fascist singer Marko Perkovic Thompson organized a concert in Split as an alternative to official celebration...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Adar |first1=Shaul |title=Croatia's National Soccer Team Celebrates with a Nazi-supporting, Fascist Singer, Dividing the County |url=https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/2018-07-24/ty-article/.premium/fascist-singers-victory-lap-with-team-divides-croatia/0000017f-dbb6-d3ff-a7ff-fbb6c41f0000 |work=Haaretz |date=24 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Wiesenthal Center Slams Inclusion of Fascist Singer Thompson in Croatian Football Team Celebration/Reception in Zagreb |url=http://www.wiesenthal.com/about/news/wiesenthal-center-slams-9.html |publisher=Simon Wiesenthal Center |date=18 July 2018}}</ref> Jurica Pavičić and Ivo Goldstein have described him as a "propagator of Ustashaism" and a "rural fascist", but at the same time a bearer of a "hot, offensive counterculture that can burn promoters of liberal democratic values".<ref name="Globus18">{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Ivo |author-link=Ivo Goldstein |date=4 August 2018 |title=Dok negacionisti niječu ustaške zločine, Thompson čini nešto mnogo gore: slavi ih. A sva strahota ove zemlje je da je on u Hrvatskoj danas mainstream |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/globus/dok-negacionisti-nijecu-ustaske-zlocine-thompson-cini-nesto-mnogo-gore-slavi-ih-a-sva-strahota-ove-zemlje-je-da-je-on-u-hrvatskoj-danas-mainstream-7688058 |work=Globus, Jutarnji list |language=hr |trans-title=While the deniers deny the Ustaše crimes, Thompson does something much worse: he celebrates them. And the whole horror of this country is that he is mainstream in Croatia today |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> Ivo Banac has stated that Perković's popularity is related to the Croatian failure to confront its Yugoslavian communist past and symbols, that prohibiting his concerts is a "violation of his civil rights", which is only making him a "martyr", but also that Perković, contrary to his claimed intentions, is only providing material for prejudice about Croats.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 September 2008 |title=Croat Human Rights Activists Clash |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2008/09/02/croat-human-rights-activists-clash/ |work=Balkan Insight |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=22 July 2008 |title=Ivo Banac: I Thompson ima pravo na slobodu govora |trans-title=Ivo Banac: Thompson also has the right to freedom of speech |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/naslovnica/ivo-banac-i-thompson-ima-pravo-na-slobodu-govora-3878331 |work=Jutarnji list |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=7 July 2007 |title=Izvan institucionalne politike ideološke podjele su neuništive |trans-title=Outside institutional politics, ideological divisions are indestructible |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/naslovnica/izvan-institucionalne-politike-ideoloske-podjele-su-neunistive-3786234 |work=Jutarnji list |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> Writing for ''Globus'' in 2018, Ivo Goldstein explained that Perković's authenticity as a war veteran and singer in the context of the 1990s had broad sympathy, but that his rise in popularity is related to the drastic change in Croatian politics during the early 2000s, when the right-wing Croatian Democratic Union lost and the left-wing Social Democratic Party of Croatia paved the way for Croatian Europeanisation. In such a moment, Perković became a person who managed to shape an attractive nationalist ideology and vision with right-wing values through folk rock, while also infiltrating provocative and strategic flirting with Ustashaism into the Croatian mainstream through the celebration of Croatianism.<ref name="Globus18" /> Joe Orovic of ''The New York Times'' concluded that Perković "uses the salute and nationalist rhetoric to cast himself as a guardian of Croatian heritage".<ref name=":4">{{cite news |last=Orovic |first=Joe |date=24 August 2025 |title=A Singer's Fascist-Era Salute Evokes a Bloody Time in Croatia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/world/europe/croatia-marko-perkovic-thompson-fascism.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2 February 2026}}</ref> In 2025, Hrvoje Klasić of ''France24'' stated that the singer's popularity does not reflect an increasing support for far-right movements in mainstream society and that the vast majority of fans perceive Perković as a "patriot, presenting traditional values like homeland, religion, family".<ref name="France24" /> Guy Delauney of the ''BBC'' expressed that Perković's rhetoric "exposes a divided society".<ref>{{cite news |last=Delauney |first=Guy |date=18 August 2025 |title=Croatian ultra-nationalist mega-gig exposes divided society |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz60nyp3714o |work=BBC |access-date=2 February 2026}}</ref>
The most notable accusations against Perković relate to the song 1991 "Bojna Čavoglave", which opens with the WWII NDH fascist salute "Za dom spremni" ("for home ready"), equivalent to the Nazi salute.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Milekic |first1=Sven |title=News: Croatian Nationalist Singer Acquitted of Inciting Hatred |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2018/06/06/croatian-nationalist-singer-acquitted-for-using-fascist-chant-06-06-2018/ |work=Balkan Insight |date=6 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="AP25">{{cite news |title=Croatian right-wing singer Marko Perković and fans perform pro-Nazi salute at massive concert |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/croatian-right-wing-singer-marko-perkovic-fans-perform-nazi-salute-mas-rcna217100 |work=NBC News |agency=Associated Press |date=6 July 2025}}</ref> The salute was commonly used by Croatian soldiers and the short-lived Croatian Defence Forces during the Croatian War of Independence to boost morale against Serb forces.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beti |first=Ivica |date=3 September 2017 |title=Poklič 'ZDS' u Thompsonovoj pjesmi nema veze s ustaštvom |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/poklic-zds-u-thompsonovoj-pjesmi-nema-veze-s-ustastvom-1192095 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=The 'ZDS' chant in Thompson's song has nothing to do with the Ustaše movement |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> Critics note that its use outside the context of the war and time period relativizes and normalizes Ustashaism in Croatia.<ref>{{cite news |last=K. |first=M. |date=29 December 2025 |title=Totalno razočaran – Klasić: Thompson je, na meni neobjašnjiv način, uspio povezati Domovinski rat s ustaštvom |url=https://www.nacional.hr/totalno-razocaran-klasic-thompson-je-na-meni-neobjasnjiv-nacin-uspio-povezati-domovinski-rat-s-ustastvom/ |work=Nacional |language=hr |trans-title=Totally disappointed – Klasić: Thompson, in a way that is inexplicable to me, managed to connect the Homeland War with the Ustaše |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> The salute has a complicated legal status in Croatia, and parallels were made with use of the Ukrainian salute ''Slava Ukraini'' during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 June 2023 |title=Ruski mediji slave Milanovića: "Predsjednik Hrvatske parolu 'Slava Ukrajini' nazvao fašističkom" |url=https://www.nacional.hr/ruski-mediji-slave-milanovica-predsjednik-hrvatske-parolu-slava-ukrajini-nazvao-fasistickom/ |work=Nacional |language=hr |trans-title=Russian media celebrate Milanović: "The President of Croatia called the slogan 'Glory to Ukraine' fascist" |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Vurušić |first=Vlado |date=14 July 2025 |title=Hrvatska desnica tvrdi da je 'Za dom spremni' isto što i 'Slava Ukrajini', ali sjetite se samo što je rekao Hasanbegović... |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/hrvatska-desnica-tvrdi-da-je-za-dom-spremni-isto-sto-i-slava-ukrajini-ali-sjetite-se-samo-sto-je-rekao-hasanbegovic-15603536 |work=Jutarnji list |language=hr |trans-title=The Croatian right claims that 'Ready for Homeland' is the same as 'Glory to Ukraine', but just remember what Hasanbegović said... |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> In 2008, Perković stated that "if they ban it, I won't sing it, because I fought for a state governed by the rule of law".<ref name="JL2008">{{cite web|url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/naslovnica/thompson-ne-donosite-fasisticka-obiljezja-3935781|title=Thompson: Ne donosite fašistička obilježja|trans-title=Thompson: Don't bring fascist symbols|date=31 May 2008|publisher=Jutarnji list|language=hr|access-date=22 January 2026}}</ref> In 2020, after a public and legal dispute, a High Misdemeanour Court allowed Perković to use the salute in the song and in concerts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vladisavljević |first=Anja |date=3 June 2020 |title=Croatian court rules 'Thompson' song did not break law |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/03/croatian-court-rules-thompson-song-did-not-break-law/ |work=Balkan Insight |access-date=4 July 2025}}</ref>
During the 1990s, Perković was publicly supportive of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), a far-right political party often described by its critics as neo-fascist.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sulimanec |first=Filip |date=1 July 2025 |title=Thompson je pjevao za HSP besplatno, kaže Đapić. Onda je Sanader dao novce za crkvu |url=https://express.24sata.hr/politika-i-drustvo/kad-je-thompson-pjevao-za-hsp-na-koncert-isao-i-racan-a-onda-je-sanader-dao-novac-30087 |website=Express |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson sang for HSP for free, says Đapić. Then Sanader gave money for the church}}</ref> One of his more notable appearances took place at a political rally in Split in 1992, where he performed songs associated with the Ustaše.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=C.D. |date=4 August 2019 |title=Thompson danas ima koncert u Splitu. 1992. se orilo: "Zovemo se poglavnikovi" |url=https://www.index.hr/mobile/vijesti/clanak/thompson-danas-ima-koncert-u-splitu-1992-se-orilo-zovemo-se-poglavnikovi/2013135.aspx |website=Index |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson has a concert in Split today. In 1992, the eagle was heard: "We are called Poglavnikovi"}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2o7NuVvpk |title=Thompson Split 1992.g.na skupu HSP-a u originalnoj verziji Čavoglava |date=13 September 2021 |last=Damir Lapuh Ustaša |access-date=2 February 2026 |via=YouTube |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson Split 1992 at the HSP meeting in the original version of Čavoglav}}</ref>
In 1996, Perković visited Vancouver, Canada, at the invitation of members of HSP. During the visit, he made statements later published by the Croatian weekly magazine ''Arena'', in which he said that he collected and received gifts depicting Ante Pavelić and other Ustaše figures, and that he intended to place an original Ustaše flag, allegedly smuggled from Europe to North America, in a planned museum in Čavoglave. Photographs published alongside the article showed him with portraits of Pavelić and Ustaše military commander Jure Francetić.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Šimičević |first=Hrvoje |date=2 August 2025 |title=MPT Show |url=https://www.portalnovosti.com/mpt-show/ |website=Portal Novosti}}</ref>
In early 1997, following his appearance on Croatian Radiotelevision in a programme hosted by Željka Ogresta, Perković faced cancelled television appearances after reiterating positive views toward the Ustaše and Ante Pavelić. In subsequent interviews with ''Slobodna Dalmacija'', ''Globus'', and ''Nedjeljna Dalmacija'', he stated that he respected Pavelić, expressed sympathy for the Ustaše movement, and claimed that the Independent State of Croatia was a prerequisite for modern Croatian statehood.<ref name=":0" />
In the early 2000s, Perković was repeatedly associated with Ustaše symbols and chants at his concerts. Media reports described audiences chanting "Ustaše" and displaying extremist slogans, while Perković stated in interviews that such expressions did not bother him, saying that he viewed them as part of Croatian history or expressions of patriotism. In one interview with ''Večernji list'', he stated, "Why shouldn't they shout Ustaše? ... That is our history", and he acknowledged that he did not object to Ustaše songs being performed at his concerts.<ref name=":0" />
In December 2003, Perković generated controversy by allegedly performing "Jasenovac i Gradiška Stara", a song that openly glorifies the Ustaše regime, particularly its crimes against humanity during World War II in the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška concentration camps, in which the genocide of Serbs took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/73b55b52-8b6d-11e8-bf9e-8771d5404543|title=Croatia scores own goal after World Cup success|publisher=Financial Times|date=21 July 2018|accessdate=28 July 2019}}</ref> However, the authenticity of the audio recording, found on the internet by journalists from the Croatian left-leaning tabloid Index.hr,<ref name="Index-2003">{{cite web |url=http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak.aspx?id=178032 |publisher=Index.hr |title=Thompson – domoljub ili fašist? Konačan odgovor je... |first=Matija |last=Babić |author-link=Matija Babić |date=18 December 2003 |accessdate=24 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710152545/http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak.aspx?id=178032 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2008 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson – patriot or fascist? The final answer is...}}</ref> was never confirmed.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Jović |first=Josip |date=29 January 2009 |title=Komu je kriv Thompson |url=https://www.matica.hr/vijenac/389/komu-je-kriv-thompson-3781/ |journal=Vijenac |issue=389 |language=hr |trans-title=Who is Thompson to blame? |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> Perković first denied, then acknowledged on his official website in 2004, and later continued to deny performing the song, claiming it was a montage made and shared by the journalists Denis Latin and Aleksandar Stanković from Croatian Radiotelevision, and part of a wider conspiracy by UDBA.<ref name="SD25">{{cite news |date=6 August 2025 |title=Thompson kaže da mu je ustaška pjesma 'Jasenovac i Gradiška' odvratna, te da je snimka na kojoj je pjeva montaža UDBE!? |url=https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/thompson-kaze-da-mu-je-ustaska-pjesma-jasenovac-i-gradiska-odvratna-te-da-je-snimka-na-kojoj-je-pjeva-montaza-udbe-1494536 |work=Slobodna Dalmacija |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson says he finds the Ustaše song 'Jasenovac and Gradiška' disgusting, and that the recording of him singing it is a montage of UDBA!? |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> An organizer for a Thompson tour of New York City in 2007 defended Perković, claiming the musician did not write the song nor is a version of it available on any of his albums.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/International/Croatian-singers-alleged-Nazi-sympathies-strike-a-sour-note|title=Croatian singer's alleged Nazi sympathies strike a sour note|first=Michal|last=Lando|work=The Jerusalem Post|accessdate=21 October 2008|date=27 October 2007}}</ref> In his 2020 interview for ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', Perković condemned the song, calling it "completely contrary to my worldview and the ideology I belong to. Being associated with that song is offensive to me", and he called the lyrics "disgusting".<ref name="SD25" />
[[File:Thompson Maksimir 17.6.2007 2.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Young boy wearing a shirt with a Black Legion, Ustaše Militia sign at a Thompson concert at Stadion Maksimir in 2007]]
In 2007, the Anti Defamation League reported that many Thompson concert attendees, primarily young people, wore clothing with Ustaše symbols and carried banners with "anti-Serb, anti-semitic, and anti-Roma rhetoric". They also performed Nazi salutes in response to the band's "traditional 'war cry' of the Ustašes" at the beginning of a concert.<ref name="ADL">{{cite web |title=Backgrounder: Marko Perkovic and Thompson |url=http://www.adl.org/marko_perkovic/ |website=ADL.org |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029145525/http://www.adl.org/marko_perkovic/ |archive-date=29 October 2008}}</ref> Ustaše material was also sold at venues.<ref name="ADL" /> In 2008, in a conference before the free concert at Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/naslovnica/60.000-ljudi-na-koncertu-thompsona-3936564|title=60.000 ljudi na koncertu Thompsona|date=31 May 2008|publisher=Jutarnji list|access-date=21 January 2026|language=hr|trans-title=60,000 people at Thompson's concert}}</ref> Perković stated, "we don't want fascist, Nazi, communist, Bolshevik symbols at the concert. As a Croatian defender, I am honored to be able to perform on the main square of all Croats. The victory of the Croatian army in the war deserves a dignified concert".<ref name="JL2008" /> As a response to such accusations, Perković also claimed that he did not see Ustaše iconography at concerts,<ref name="Vecernjilist3">{{cite web |last1=Grubišić |first1=Petar |title=Thompsonov novi koncert u Splitu i BiH |url=http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/1220062/index.do |website=Vecernji.hr |publisher=Vecernji list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707055352/http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/1220062/index.do |archive-date=7 July 2007 |date=4 July 2007 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson's new concert in Split and Bosnia and Herzegovina}}</ref> that individual incidents were not his responsibility, but that he condemned such behavior.<ref name="SD25" /> However, the incidents continued: for example, in 2015, Perković performed in Knin in front of some 80,000 spectators for the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Croatian military's Operation Storm, with many in attendance singing pro-Ustaše songs and chanting slogans such as "kill a Serb" and "here we go Ustaše".<ref name="Milekic">{{cite web |last1=Milekic |first1=Sven |title=Croats Chant Anti-Serb Slogans at Nationalist Concert |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2015/08/06/croats-chant-anti-serb-slogans-at-nationalist-concert-08-06-2015/ |work=Balkan Insight |publisher=BIRN |date=6 August 2015}}</ref> During the Zagreb Hippodrome concert in 2025, Perković also wore a t-shirt that read "03941158", the inmate number of Croatian political activist Zvonko Bušić. In 1976, Bušić hijacked TWA Flight 355 and planted a bomb at Grand Central Terminal in New York City that killed a police officer attempting to disarm it, an act intended to draw international attention to Croatia's position under Yugoslav rule.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thompson na majici nosi broj 03941158: Znate li što znači? |url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/thompson-nosi-majicu-s-brojem-03941158-evo-sto-znaci---922776.html |work=Dnevnik |date=5 July 2025 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson wears the number 03941158 on his shirt: Do you know what it means?}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Inmate locator: 03941158 |url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |website=bop.gov |publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons}}</ref> News coverage of the concert showed attendees performing pro-Nazi and Ustaše salutes.<ref name="AP25" /> In the following months, as the Ustaše salute and historical revisionism increasingly appeared in public discourse and within the Croatian parliament, United Against Fascism Marches took place in November 2025.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 November 2025 |title=Thousands march in Croatia against far-right surge and WWII revisionism |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20251130-thousands-march-in-croatia-against-far-right-revival-and-wwii-revisionism |work=France24 |access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref>
In 2019, Perković gave an interview to the German daily ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', but instead of releasing the authorized full transcript, the newspaper published a critical article about him in 2020, causing Perković to feel deceived and publishing the full interview on his website.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 July 2020 |title=Thompson o intervjuu u njemačkim medijima: Prevaren sam |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/thompson-o-intervju-u-njemackim-medijima-prevaren-sam-1418762 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson on interview in German media: I was deceived |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="FAZ20">{{cite news |date=22 July 2020 |title=Thompson objavio cijeli intervju iz FAZ-a koji je uzburkao javnost: Ovo su mi cenzurirali |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/thompson-objavio-cijeli-intervju-iz-faz-koji-je-uzburkao-javnost-ovo-su-mi-cenzurirali-1418858 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson published the entire interview from FAZ, which stirred up the public: They censored me |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> In it and elsewhere, Perković has renounced and distanced himself from the Ustaše and their leader Ante Pavelić on repeated occasions, and he has additionally condemned all totalitarian regimes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bosno |first=Kristina |date=25 April 2014 |title=Thompsonov menadžer: Koncert je otkazan zbog pritisaka jugokomunista |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/showbiz/thompsonov-menadzer-marko-je-tuzan-ali-je-uvjeren-da-ce-u-berlinu-pjevati-935016 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson's manager: The concert was canceled due to pressure from the South Communists |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pavelić |first=Boris |date=29 June 2025 |title=Anđelo Jurkas: Thompson se u intervjuu sa mnom i pred kamerama HTV-a odrekao ustaštva i Ante Pavelića |url=https://www.nacional.hr/andelo-jurkas-thompson-se-u-intervjuu-sa-mnom-i-pred-kamerama-htv-a-odrekao-ustastva-i-ante-pavelica/ |work=Nacional |language=hr |trans-title=Anđelo Jurkas: Thompson renounced Ustaše and Ante Pavelić in an interview with me and in front of HTV cameras |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> Perković has claimed that his use of the salute "Za dom spremni" is exclusively in the patriotic context of the Croatian War of Independence, and that in the last decades, there has been a "leftist Yugo-nostalgic conspiracy" of identifying Croatian patriotism with fascism and that the anti-fascist and progressive associations who are trying to ban his activity are closely related to "Yugoslavian communist and Greater Serbian" organizations.<ref name="FAZ20" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Ćubela |first=Ivana Brkić |date=23 July 2025 |title=Intervju koji je Thompson dao Nijemcima: Ruše me udruge bliske velikosrpstvu! |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/intervju-kojeg-je-thompson-dao-njemackim-novinama-ruse-me-udruge-bliske-velikosrpstvu-1419098 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=The interview Thompson gave to the Germans: I am being targeted by associations close to Greater Serbia! |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=11 July 2025 |title=Thompson objavio snimku s koncerta i poslao poruku stranim medijima: 'Smetamo jugonostalgičarima' |url=https://www.telegram.hr/vijesti/thompson-objavio-snimku-s-koncerta-i-poslao-poruku-stranim-medijima-smetamo-jugonostalgicarima/ |work=Telegram.hr |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson released a recording from a concert and sent a message to foreign media: 'We are bothering Yugo-nostalgia fans' |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref>
===Banned performances=== In 2003, Perković was barred from performing in Amsterdam. In response, he allegedly told a Croatian newspaper, "It is all to blame on the Jews. I have nothing against them and I did nothing to them. I know that Jesus Christ also did nothing against them, but still they hanged him on the cross. So what can I expect as a small man?"<ref name="ADL" /> He was also been banned from performing in Switzerland multiple times, including in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ne žele "fašiste": Thompsonu zabranjen koncert i ulaz u Švicarsku |url=http://arhiva.nacional.hr/clanak/67932/ne-zele-fasiste-thompsonu-zabranjen-koncert-i-ulaz-u-svicarsku |website=Nacional.hr |date=29 September 2009 |language=hr |trans-title=They don't want "fascists": Thompson banned from concert and entry into Switzerland}}</ref> Perković's planned 2014 Berlin performance was cancelled,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vidov |first1=Petar |title=Fašist koji se prodao Sanaderu Berlin zabranio Thompsona |url=https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/FASIST-KOJI-SE-PRODAO-SANADERU-Berlin-zabranio-Thompsona/741690.aspx |website=Index.hr |date=24 April 2014 |language=hr |trans-title=The fascist who sold out to Sanadero Berlin Bans Thompson}}</ref> and in 2017, he was barred from performing in Austria.<ref>{{cite web |title=Austrijanci zabranili koncert Thompsona, previše im je ekstreman |url=https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/austrija-zabranjen-koncert-thompsona/966411.aspx |website=Index.hr |publisher=HINA |date=27 April 2017 |language=hr |trans-title=Austrians ban Thompson concert, saying it's too extreme}}</ref> He was banned in Maribor in Slovenia the same year and again in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petkovič |first1=Blaž |title=V Mariboru prepovedali koncert; Thompson se bo obrnil na diplomacijo |url=https://www.vecer.com/v-mariboru-prepovedali-koncert-thompson-se-bo-obrnil-na-diplomacijo-6263337 |website=vecer.com |date=17 May 2017 |language=sl |trans-title=Concert banned in Maribor; Thompson will turn to diplomacy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Romac |first1=Denis |title=Mariborske vlasti i po drugi put zabranile Thompsonov koncert |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/mariborske-vlasti-i-po-drugi-put-zabranile-thompsonov-koncert-1403740 |website=Večernji list |date=20 May 2020 |language=hr |trans-title=Maribor authorities ban Thompson's concert for the second time |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref>
The most controversial case in Croatia occurred in the region of Istria, noted for its antifascist history.<ref>{{citation |last=Dukovski |first=D. |title=Antifašizam |url=https://istra.lzmk.hr/clanak/antifasizam |encyclopedia=Istrian Encyclopedia |publisher=Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography |year=2005 |language=hr |access-date=20 January 2025}}</ref> The town of Umag banned a Thompson concert in July 2008.<ref name="TPortal">{{cite web |title=Kajin halts Thompson concert through Mesic |url=http://daily.tportal.hr/article.aspx?aID=3372&kID=1 |website=daily.tportal.hr |publisher=RadioNET |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208224150/http://daily.tportal.hr/article.aspx?aID=3372&kID=1 |archive-date=8 December 2008 |date=18 July 2008}}</ref> Afterward, Perković asked for permission to perform at the Pula Arena, Istria's most populous city and biggest concert venue. When this was denied, he initiated and lost court actions against the city for "human rights violations".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=11&dd=27&nav_id=55348 |title=Singer's fans threaten to blow up Pula Arena |publisher=B92 |access-date=5 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203723/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=11&dd=27&nav_id=55348 |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref> After the court decision, Perković's lawyer declared that sooner or later, he would perform in Pula. In late December 2008, Perković managed to secure permission to organize a concert in Pazin, despite fierce opposition from the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), the county's leading political party. These attacks led to an increase in tensions, which reached their climax on the night of 11 December, when an explosive device was ignited outside the concert venue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/iz-minute-u-minutu/clanak.php?id=572922 |title=Na mjestu gdje Thompson treba pjevati eksplodirala bomba – Iz Minute u Minutu |publisher=Javno.com |access-date=5 February 2014 |language=hr |trans-title=A bomb exploded at the place where Thompson was supposed to sing – Minute by Minute |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804005501/http://www.javno.com/iz-minute-u-minutu/clanak.php?id=572922 |archive-date=4 August 2009 }}</ref> Although IDS MP Damir Kajin accused Perković's fans, it turned out that the offender, Vilim Bon, who was injured in the conflagration and arrested by police, was acting to stop the concert. The show took place as planned on 20 December, followed by two more on 21 and 22 December, due to reported demand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/35196/Default.aspx|title=Na Thompsonovom koncertu u Pazinu povici|date=5 January 2009|publisher=Slobodnadalmacija.hr|access-date=5 February 2014|language=hr|trans-title=At Thompson's concert in Paza's shout}}</ref> Perković was once again barred from performing in Pula in 2025, but he played two concerts at Žatika Sport Centre in Poreč.<ref>{{cite news |last=M. |first=A. |date=12 January 2026 |title=Traže, ali neće gledati – Grbin: Dok sam ja gradonačelnik, Thompson neće nastupati u Puli |url=https://www.nacional.hr/traze-ali-nece-gledati-grbin-dok-sam-ja-gradonacelnik-thompson-nece-nastupati-u-puli/ |work=Nacional |language=hr |trans-title=They're looking, but they won't watch – Grbin: While I'm mayor, Thompson won't perform in Pula |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref>
In December 2025, despite being told by local authorities in Zagreb not to use the Ustaše salute in the song "Bojna Čavoglave", Perković did so regardless on 26 December at Arena Zagreb and was banned from holding a second concert the following day. This caused a political controversy, with Perković and his lawyer announcing legal action against the mayor, Tomislav Tomašević, and calling for his political overthrow together with his We Can! party.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 December 2025 |title=Thompson kreće s tužbama, odvjetnik otkrio: 'Tomašević je radio iz osobnog interesa na štetu Zagreba...' |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/thompson-krece-s-tuzbama-odvjetnik-otkrio-tomasevic-je-postupao-na-stetu-interesa-grada-zagreba-1920052 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson starts filing lawsuits, lawyer reveals: 'Tomašević acted out of personal interest to the detriment of Zagreb...' |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Despot |first=Zvonimir |date=29 December 2025 |title=Ako Thompson želi u politiku, neka osnuje stranku i s drugima se bori u istom ringu |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/ako-thompson-zeli-u-politiku-neka-osnuje-stranku-i-s-drugima-se-bori-u-istom-ringu-1919821 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |trans-title=If Thompson wants to go into politics, let him start a party and fight with others in the same ring |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> The dispute with the city continued on 2 February 2026 with the welcoming of the men's national handball team at Ban Jelačić Square, leading to controversial intervention of the Croatian government in the event's organization.<ref>{{cite news |last=K. |first=M. |title=Zagreb pod lupom: Evo što svjetske agencije pišu o skandalu vezanom za doček rukometaša |url=https://www.nacional.hr/zagreb-pod-lupom-evo-sto-svjetske-agencije-pisu-o-skandalu-vezanom-za-docek-rukometasa/ |work=Nacional |date=2 February 2026 |access-date=2 February 2026 |language=hr |trans-title=Zagreb under the spotlight: Here's what world agencies are writing about the scandal surrounding the handball players' welcome}}</ref>
==Personal life== In the mid-1990s, Perković was in a relationship with Croatian singer Danijela Martinović.<ref>{{cite news |author=Morić, Danijela-Ana |url=https://www.tportal.hr/magazin/clanak/danijela-i-thompson-kemija-raspjevanih-bivsih-supruznika-20161018 |title=Danijela i Thompson: Kemija raspjevanih bivših supružnika |work=Tportal.hr |date=18 October 2016 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |language=hr |trans-title=Danijela and Thompson: The chemistry of the singing ex-spouses}}</ref> He is married to Sandra Rogić, a Croatian-Canadian he met during a concert in Canada. They have five children.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tportal.hr/magazin/clanak/thompson-sa-suprugom-sandrom-na-glazbeno-scenskom-spektaklu-20161126 |title=Thompson sa suprugom Sandrom na glazbeno-scenskom spektaklu |website=Tportal.hr |date=26 November 2016 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |language=hr |trans-title=Thompson with his wife Sandra at a musical and stage spectacle}}</ref>
[[File:Cavoglave crkvica.JPG|thumb|right|The Church of Croatian Martyrs in Čavoglave, built on Perković's initiative and funding]]
In 2004, it was reported that Perković bought a 20% share of the radio station Narodni radio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/thompson-kupio-20-narodnog-radija-za-4000-kuna/196676.aspx|title=Thompson kupio 20% Narodnog radija za 4000 kuna|work=Index.hr|date=14 April 2004|accessdate=3 April 2012|language=hr|trans-title=Thompson bought 20% of National Radio for 4,000 kuna}}</ref> The same year, Perković initiated and funded the building of the Church of Croatian Martyrs in Čavoglave.<ref name="VL14">{{cite news |last=Grubišić |first=Petar |date=21 September 2014 |title=Thompsonovu crkvu u Čavoglavama već je obišlo više od milijun vjernika |trans-title=Thompson's church in Čavoglave has already been visited by more than a million believers |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/thompsonovu-crkvu-u-cavoglavama-vec-je-obislo-vise-od-milijun-vjernika-962333 |work=Večernji list |language=hr |access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref> In December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI received Perković for an audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/papa-primio-thompsona-dan-prije-mesica.html|title=Papa primio Thompsona dan prije Mesića|trans-title=Thompson received by Pope before Mesić|publisher=Dnevnik.hr|accessdate=18 April 2012|language=hr}}</ref>
Perković has on several occasions expressed political support for Croatian conservative candidates and parties who participated in the creation of the Croatian state, fought in its defense during the Croatian War of Independence, and have Christian values and admiration for Croatian veterans.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 January 2020 |title=Thompson pozvao svoje fanove da izađu na izbore kako ne bi 'pobijedili komunisti' |url=https://www.nacional.hr/thompson-pozvao-svoje-fanove-da-izadu-na-izbore-kako-ne-bi-pobijedili-komunisti/ |trans-title=Thompson called on his fans to go to the election so that 'the communists don't win' |work=Nacional |language=hr |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=3 July 2020 |title=Prepoznajete li na koga misli? Thompson poručio obožavateljima za koga trebaju glasati, a tko ne smije doći na vlast |url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/parlamentarni-izbori-2020/prepoznajete-li-na-koga-misli-thompson-porucio-obozavateljima-za-koga-trebaju-glasati-a-tko-ne-smije-doci-na-vlast---611732.html |trans-title=Do you recognize who he's referring to? Thompson tells fans who they should vote for and who shouldn't come to power |work=Dnevnik.hr |language=hr |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>
==Awards and nominations== ===Porin=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Performer / work ! Result ! class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- |1999 |rowspan="2"|Song of the year |"Zaustavi se vjetre" |{{nom}} |<ref name="porin1999">{{cite web|url=https://hrti.hrt.hr/api/api/ott/socialshare?target=social&referenceId=06DE02B4-1104-4&channelReferenceId=NULL&mobile=true&serie=true&operatorReferenceId=hrt|title=Dodjela glazbene nagrade Porin 1999|language=hr|trans-title=Porin Music Award 1999}}</ref> |- |rowspan="2"|2003 |"Iza devet sela" | {{nom}} |<ref name="porin2003">{{cite web|url= https://hrti.hrt.hr/api/api/ott/socialshare?target=social&referenceId=0836CE00-B47E-4&channelReferenceId=NULL&mobile=true&serie=true&operatorReferenceId=hrt|title=Dodjela glazbene nagrade Porin 2003|language=hr|trans-title=Porin Music Award 2003}}</ref> |- | Album of the year |''E, moj narode'' | {{nom}} |<ref name="porin2003"/> |- |2014 | Song of the year |"Samo je ljubav tajna dvaju svjetova" | {{won}} |<ref name="porin20124">{{cite web|url=https://hrti.hrt.hr/api/api/ott/socialshare?target=social&referenceId=56EA4E2E-4B86-4&channelReferenceId=NULL&mobile=true&serie=true&operatorReferenceId=hrt|title=Dodjela glazbene nagrade Porin 2014|language=hr|trans-title=Porin Music Award 2014}}</ref> |}
==Discography== {{further|Marko Perković discography}} '''Studio albums''' * ''Moli mala'' (1992) * ''Vrijeme škorpiona'' (1995) * ''Geni kameni'' (1996) * ''Vjetar s Dinare'' (1998) * ''E, moj narode'' (2002) * ''Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj'' (2006) * ''Ora et labora'' (2013) * ''Hodočasnik'' (2025)
==See also== * Baja Mali Knindža – Bosnian Serb nationalist singer-songwriter
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Marko Perković}} * {{official website|thompson.hr}} * [https://www.hds.hr/clan/perkovic-thompson-marko/ Biography] at the Croatian Composers' Society website
{{Marko Perković}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkovic Thompson, Marko}} Category:Marko Perković Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:People from Ružić, Croatia Category:20th-century Croatian male singers Category:21st-century Croatian male singers Category:Croatian pop singers Category:Croatian rock singers Category:Croatian male singer-songwriters Category:Croatian Roman Catholics Category:Croatian businesspeople Category:Croatian soldiers Category:Croatian nationalists Category:Croatian anti-communists Category:Anti-Serb sentiment Category:Croatia Records artists