Tedi Spalato

Tedi Spalato, born Tadija Bajić in Split in 1954, is a Croatian singer-songwriter, composer, instrumentalist and producer of Dalmatian popular music, and a Porin winner. He is known for quiet Dalmatian chansons with intimate, poetic lyrics, and critics describe his music as a deft blend of classic Dalmatian song, chanson, jazz and world music.

He was born into a family of amateur musicians whose roots are in Potpoletnica near Zadvarje. His first lessons came at home and from the professors Marinko Katunarić and Ljubo Stipišić. Until he was eighteen he played and sang in local klapas and groups, then joined the band Anima, where he studied soul and jazz. He worked as a studio musician until 1982, when he became the guitarist of More, a group whose members included Oliver Dragojević, Meri Cetinić, Jasmin Stavros, Doris Dragović and Remi Kazinoti. With More he recorded "Hajde da se mazimo" in 1983.

His solo career began in 1985, while he also performed in operettas, plays and ballets at the Croatian National Theatre in Split. Of all festivals he has been most loyal to the Split Festival, where he has appeared since the 1980s; in 1995 he sang "Moja Rozita" there with Dean Dvornik, Vlatka Pokos and Neno Belan. He has won several awards at the chanson festival in Šibenik and three Porins, and in 1990 he produced Ljupka Dimitrovska's album Zvona zvone.

His albums include Dalmatinska pismo moja (1998), the EP Ponoćka (1999), Live in Lisinski (2000), Kao da se vrime zaplelo u švere (2001), Lipote gladan, ljubavi žedan (2005), Kadenca (2009) and Najlipša na svitu (2018). He has worked with Gibonni, Dragojević, Cetinić, Zorica Kondža, Dimitrovska, Marijan Ban and Tamara Obrovac, and sang "Ne daj na nas" with the Zagreb band Pavel.

His best-known songs are "Konoba", sung with Meri Cetinić, "Dalmatino povišću pritrujena" with Josip Genda, "Dobro ti more bilo", "Sve ću preživit", "More snova" and "Lipote gladan, ljubavi žedan". He lives in Split. The playlist here is his Topic channel, studio and live recordings together.