Tonči Huljić

Tonči Huljić (Croatian pronunciation: [tôntʃi xǔːʎitɕ]; born 29 October 1961)[1] is a Croatian musician, songwriter and music producer.

Huljić made his name in the late 1970s as the founder and key member of the pop band Dalmatinski magazin (later renamed into Magazin).[1] The band gradually built a reputation as one of the most popular and most enduring Croatian pop bands, with repertoire and music arrangements influenced by Dalmatian folk music.[2]

In the 1990s, following the breakup of Yugoslavia, Huljić was among the first Croatian musicians to introduce elements of folk music from other former Yugoslav republics into his repertoire.[1] Although many rock critics did not like that and accused Huljić of bringing turbo folk to Croatian music, Magazin became arguably the most popular music group in Croatia at the time.[1] Its popularity continued across republics of the former Yugoslavia, just as it had done previously.

At that time, Huljić showed great managerial ability and founded the Tonika record label that is among the most influential in Croatia. He has also written popular pieces for Croatian piano player Maksim Mrvica, such as Kolibre and Nostradamus, and Maksim's greatest hit, Croatian Rhapsody.

In 2006 Huljić released Waterland, his first solo album.[1]

He was one of the judges on the second series of X Factor Adria.[3]