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Tihomir Preradović
Birth name	Tihomir Preradović
Born	6th April 1960 Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia
Origin	Zagreb, Croatia
Genres	Pop-Rock
Occupation(s)	Music producer, composer
Years active	1974–present

Tihomir Preradović (born April 6, 1960) is an award winning Croatian music producer and composer. He is the owner of Apollo Music Production and during his career Preradović collaborated with some of the biggest musical artist from Croatia, Balkan region such as Arsen Dedić, Toše Proeski, Kaliopi, Severina, Tanja Žagar, Kaliopi, etc. Preradović is also the author of numeorus Croatian, regional and international commercials for the likes of Lidl, Kraš, Franck, etc.

Early Life

Born in the city center of Zagreb, Preradović displayed interest for music in preschool, often entertaining people in his household by playing an air guitar and singing popular songs from the radio. After finishing first grade of elementary school in 1967, he receives his first acoustic guitar as a gift from his parents. Soon after he is the lead performer in a school, where he plays and sings Yellow Submarine by The Beatles, with the backing of school colleagues playing cardboard guitars. In fifth grade he moves to Novi Zagreb where he, with his friends from class, forms a band Titanik which only never played or performed together. Preradović soon joined band Pupak which was formed by bass guitar player Damir Filipović. Band however changes its name from Pupak to Homo Kiborg within a few days. Together, Homo Kiborg quickly started working on their own music and after two years of working together start to play in various band competitions in Zagreb. In 1981, Homo Kiborg was noticed by editors of Hrvatski Radio Bahrija Golubović and Tonko Jović, who recommend the band to Vanja Lisak (music producer at Hrvatski Radio). Lisak liked the unconventional approach to music that the band had, with the band being considered first eclectic band. In Homo Kiborg, Tihomir Preradović had a large impact on the music arrangement. As Damir Filipović left the band in 1983 to serve his mandatory military service, Tihomir Preradović invites Mladen Majdak, bass player for group “Tora”, to join group. Majdak, who once Filipović returned to the band, joined band “Ritam s ovoga svijeta”. In 1984, Preradović leaves for his mandatory military service and in 1985, Homo Kiborg continues working on their music. Soon after, Preradović’s friends, today film director, Siniša Hajduk introduces him to Jadranka Krištof (Krištof sang back vocals on the first studio album by band ITD Band). With Krištof, Preradović collaborates on a project and immediately invited her to join Homo Kiborg. Around the same time he meets 16 year old bass player Ante Pecotić (today a distinguished music producer) in whom Preradović sees great potential and invites him to join Homo Kiborg. As Pecotić joins the band, Filipović switched from being a bass player to playing the guitar. After working for 10 years as a trio, Preradović and Filipović decide to expand Homo Kiborg with a singer and brass instrument players. Between 1986 and 1987, they start the final phase of their album production with ambition in Studio D&Z, inviting many friends to join them in the recording process. Some of them include: Miroslav Sedak Benčić who played the saxophone alongside saxophonist Igor Gorkič (band member), Zdenka Kovačiček, who sang back vocals, and drummers Miodrag Sekeli (band member), Goran Markić and Željko Tutunović Tuki. For recording, they borrowed an esoteric sampler Emulator II+ from the famous producer and composer Vladimir Delač. The band spent 200 studio hours recording their album and eventually brought the album to Jugoton (today Croatia Records ), to the editorVojno Kundić, who despite praising musicianship and production, decided not to release the album as it was not commercial enough for the market. After that, before the summer of 1987, album was brought to PGP RTB and Aleksandar Pilipenko who liked the album and decided to release it. The album was suppose to be released in the fall of 1987 however, Preradović and Filipović decided that too long had passed between the recording and release with the band member going their separate ways. Despite this, some songs were played on the radio, with the song “Tri boje na nebu” reaching first place on Zlatko Turkalj’s chart on the RVG (Radio Velika Gorica) which was, at the time, most popular radio station. As the band members decide to go their own separate ways, Filipović leaves the band with Preradović staying in the band for a little while. Homo Kiborg’s last concert was in 1988 in the sports hall Velika Gorica, as the guests in the show program of NAVIS. At this concert, in the brass section, Bruno Kovačević (playing the alto saxophone) joined the band. Also, during the 80s’, Preradović played in the first teen group in Yugoslavia, Prva Ljubav.

1990s’

During the late 80s’, shortly after finishing the album for his band Homo Kiborg, Preradović starts working as a sound mixer and soon starts to produce studio albums for bands such as Motus, Phantasmagoria, Sin Albert, Tamnichars, Studeni Studeni and others. He starts working with Vladimir Delač who offered Preradović to collaborate on his projects, with Preradović writing, arranging for other performers with whom Delač collaborated. Around that time, Preradović meets Zrinko Tutić and leaves for Jugovizija 1990 as the guitarist and backup singer for Massimo Savić. Soon after, Preradović starts working with Zrinko Tutić, composing and making arrangements for acrists such as Maja Blagdan, Severina, Crvena Jabuka, Jasna Zlokić, Divas, Davor Radolfi and others). With Zrinko Tutić, Preradović also works on arrangements and production for film music for films When the Dead Start Singing and Garcia. In 1992, Preradović writes music for film director Tihomir Žarn’s short film “Paranoia?” (film in which Goran Višnjić had his first movie role). Preradović also worked on a movie How the War Started on My Island with Mate Matišić. Between the late 80s’ and early 90s’, Preradović started collaborating with Arsen Dedić. With Dedić, Preradović worked on a few dozen theatre pieces, on music for the series Jedrima oko svijeta which was broadcast on Discovery Channel, as well as on several documentaries, animated movies and films. In 1994, Preradović meets Jurica Šiško (Jury de Simbo) who arrives with an idea of making a humorous and equivocal song. The song they made was “Tko je onda dirao Pipi”, which was a hit song the same year and even popular today with the younger generations. In 1996, Preradović started collaborating with Zdravko Šljivac who invites him to collaborate in producing an international festival “Modri Biser Rovinja” in 1996 and 1997. For the festival, Preradović writes and produces a duet and first studio recording for Sanja Parmač (today member of Gelato Sisters) and Mario Roth (singer of group Vigor), whilst between 1997 and 2004 working on a popular show Turbo Limach Show. Through-out the 90s’, Preradović collaborates on numerous commercials for Kraš with Vladimir Delač, as well as with Miro Buljan on Emilija Kokić’s studio album “S moje strane svemira”.

2000s’

In 2000, Preradović produces, in collaboration with Zrinko Tutić, albums for Željko Bebek , Sanja Doležal, Sergio Pavat and Davor Radolfi. The same year, he works on the opening theme and anthem for 2000 European Men's Handball Championship with Zrinko Tutić. In the early 2000s’, Preradović wrote the music for Ištvan Filaković’s short movies, such as Maradone iz Horvata. In the early 2000s’, Preradović begins working with young talents and in 2003 starts working with Dino Jelusić, with whom the same year, wins the Junior Eurovision Contest 2003 in Copenhagen with the song Ti si moja prva ljubav. The same year, in collaboration with Ines Prajo and Arjana Kunštek, Preradović produces music for Mija Martina who represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at Eurovision Song Contest 2003. In 2004, Preradović produces Dino Jelusić’s studio album No.1, with the English version of the album being released by EMI. For Jelusić's album, Preradović won the Porin (music award). In 2004, Preradović produces the song Nika Turković’s song Hej mali which placed 3rd in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Lillenhammer. Meanwhile, as Dino Jelusić took part in numerous international festivals (Cairo, Romania, Portugal, Italy, etc.) Preradović and Jelusić are mostly placed in the top three. During these years, Preradović becomes a regular member of Hrvatsko Društvo Skladatelja and HZSU (Hrvatska Zajednica Samostalnih Umjetnika). During the early 2000s’, Preradović collaborates with Rene Bitorajac and Tarik Filipović on “Noći gutača reklama”. In the mid-2000s’, Preradović starts collaborating with Mladen Matović, leader and conductor of internationally acclaimed choir “Banjalučanke”. With Matović as the author of songs, Preradović produces albums for Melani Šekularac and Miki Kojadinović, where folk genre was paired with western music production, a genre which may be seen as the predecessor of today’s Balkan trap and pop genre. In 2005, Preradović and Matović work with Jacques Houdek on a song “Nikada više sa njom”. In the years that followed, Preradović and Matović worked on projects for the likes of Žanamari Perčić, Marija Šestić , etc. In 2005, Preradović started collaborating with Darko Juranović D'Knock on numerous commercials for marketing agency Unex such as Konzum, PIK Vrbovec, Diners, Ledo, Pliva , Ožujsko, Franck, as well as on project such as “Papaya Motomusic”. Preradović also collaborates with foreign artists such as the London producer Silvastone, rapper Blak Twang under the pseudonym Slow Mo’T. In 2006, Preradović produces the song “Sve svoje pjesme poklanjam tebi” which was written and performed by Jelena Žnidarić (today known as Zsa Zsa). In 2009, Preradović worked on Arsen Dedić's album Rebus for which Preradović won his second Porin (music award).

2010s’ and 2020s’

In 2010, Preradović produces, makes musical arrangements and partially composed studio album for Slovenian singer Tanja Žagar, whilst in collaboration with Darko Juranović D’Knock, Preradović produced Macedonian singer Kaliopi's album Poraka (which was released in two versions: Macedonian and Croatian). Both albums became the albums of the year in the countries as well as best selling. The same year, Preradović works on Toše Proeski's posthumous album Još uvijek sanjam da smo zajedno – Zauvijek. Also, in 2010, Preradović works with Sandi Cenov. Over the course of next several years, Preradović was the author of many domestic commercials (Limona, Franck, Ledo ice creams Quattro, etc.), regional (Lidl Serbia, Nektar Pivo) and international (Lidl Portugal, Chernihivske), as well as the author of music for various 3D mapping events. In 2015 and 2016, Preradović was the advisor and musical producer in Jacques Houdek's team in the musical show The Voice Croatia. After their team won in the first season of the show, Preradović started collaborating with The Voice Croatia winner, Nina Kraljić, on her first and second album. In 2016, Preradović was nominated for the Porin (music award award for the Best Musical Arrangement for the song “Zaljuljali smo svijet”. In 2017, Preradović was in the Croatian jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. Preradović also wrote and produced music for a multimedia project about Croatian historical figures (science, arts and sports) for EXPO 2021 in Dubai.