| Ivan Huljić | |
| Birth Date: | 17 January 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Years Active: | 2006–present |
| Father: | Tonči Huljić |
| Mother: | Vjekoslava Tolić |
| Alma Mater: | University of Split |
| Awards: | Best Song (Split Festival) |
Ivan Huljić (born 17 January 1988) is a Croatian composer and songwriter. He first emerged as a songwriter in 2006 with the song "Zadnja epizoda" for the popular Croatian band Magazin. He has since written songs for Croatian pop singers, including Doris Dragović, Domenica, Damir Kedžo, Joško Čagalj Jole and Lorena. In addition to the lyrics, Ivan Huljić has also served as the composer and producer for several songs. Huljić has received numerous awards for his music and songwriting work, including Best Song at the Split Festival for "Mi protiv nas". In addition to his songwriting work, Huljić also served as a keyboard player for the band Magazin. In 2022, he served as the creative director for the Fusion World Music Festival held for the first time in Split.
Ivan Huljić was born on 17 January 1988 in Split, Croatia, to father Tonči Huljić, a musician, producer and composer and Vjekoslava Huljić, a lyricist, songwriter and writer. He has an older sister, pop singer and performer Hana Huljić. Huljić first started playing keyboards, when he was 9 years old. He finished high school at the private gymnasium Kraljica Jelena where he finalized all the exams related to music school.[1] Already in high school, Huljić was convinced to serve as the keyboard player with Magazin by his father, although he was initially reluctant to take on such a role. Huljić finished law studies at the University of Split.[2]
He first played keyboards for the song "Piši mi" in 2008 when he joined the band at the restaurant Kokolo. He has since played in the group for several years. Huljić first emerged as a songwriter in 2006 when he wrote the song "Zadnja epizoda" for the popular Croatian band Magazin. He continued writing the lyrics and music of several of the band's songs while Ivana Kovač served as the main singer. In addition to that, since 2008, he also served as the keyboard player for the band. In 2011, Huljić was credited as one of the keyboardists for the album Bižuterija by Jelena Rozga.[3]
In 2015, Huljić together with Vjekoslava, served as the producer and songwriter of several songs on Doris Dragović's album Ja vjerujem, including "Ni riči", "Svit ne more znat", "Zvir".[4] In 2018, Huljić received the award for Best Song at the Split Festival for the song "Mi protiv nas" for which he served as the main songwriter and was performed by Domenica and Damir Kedžo.[5] In 2021, Huljić wrote the music to "Sna'ću se ja" by Doris Dragović.[6]
In the summer of 2022, Huljić served as the creative director of the World Music Fusion Festival in Split which marked his first musical project on such a scale. He invented the festival's concept which featured performances by international as well as Croatian artists. He commented that with the festival, he wanted to fight against the 2022 economic crisis in Europe.[7] After the success of the show, Huljić also announced his plans to work on a 3-day festival the following year.[8]
In the summer of 2022, he wrote the music and lyrics for the song "Shakespeare" by Joško Čagalj Jole which was released on 7 June 2022. He also wrote the music and collaborated on the lyrics with Vjekoslava of the song "Sve smo mogli imat" by Doris Dragović released on 23 June 2022.[9] [10] In March 2023, Huljić wrote the song "Igračka", which was recorded by Antonia Dora and presented at the Zagreb Festival. For the song, Huljić, who first wrote the music and then the lyrics, drew inspiration for the solo from Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It" (1984).[11]
In 2024, two songs written and arranged by Huljić see the light of day. The song „Od čega sam ja“ English: What Am I of written for Rozga was released on 21 March 2024. Huljić workes independently on the music and lyrics while he collaborated with Leo Škaro and Darko Dimitrov on the arrangement.[12] On 11 April 2024, Marino Jakobikj released „Lučija“ as his debut single; both the lyrics and the music are written independently by Ivan Huljić, while the arrangement was finalized by Huljić in collaboration with Hrvoje Domazet.[13] [14]
In 2022, Ivan Huljić stated during an interview, that he finds it important to work on several fronts in the music-making process simultaneously, including creative, lyrical and musical direction, to "break the monotony". He has revealed that the biggest musical inspiration comes when he performs on the guitar or the piano. He has also worked on librettos and lyrics for musicals together with Vjekoslava Huljić, which have not managed to come to fruition due to restrictions and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Huljić stated that he prefers to refrain from giving interviews and only do it a few times long term.
Huljić is friends with Croatian singer-songwriter Matija Cvek with whom he often celebrates his birthday.[15]
The full discography of writing or composing credits is taken from Ivan Huljić's profile on the Croatian Copyright Collection Society for the Music Sector.[16]