Jakov Jozinović postpones his Belgrade concerts: officially "technical reasons", unofficially - a Thompson song

Croatian singer Jakov Jozinović's two concerts at Belgrade Arena, scheduled for 24 and 25 October, have been postponed. Jozinović himself posted on social media, giving "technical and organisational problems" as the official reason. In Serbia, few people are buying that explanation.

The reason everyone is talking about is a video that recently surfaced: in it Jozinović sings a song by Marko Perković Thompson, a singer whose concerts have for years been associated with Ustaša symbols - the emblems of Croatia's WWII fascist regime. Reactions in Serbia were furious. Even before the official announcement, people on X began reselling their tickets and asking how to get their money back.

What does this mean for the audience? Tickets for 24 October are valid for the new date - 28 November. There is no new date yet for the 25 October concert; it will be announced later. Anyone who cannot make the new date can request a refund. "I am aware how much you were looking forward to our arenas, how you planned to come and how much time and money you set aside," the singer told his fans.

The scandal has already engulfed Serbian showbiz. Jelena Karleuša publicly attacked fellow singer Milica Todorović for supporting Jozinović, and singer Pavle Petković weighed in too. One postponed concert - and an entire scene split along the line the region has been dragging along for decades.

Music in the Balkans has long crossed borders without a passport, and the audience in Belgrade bought tickets for an arena, not a political rally. The question is whether the "technical reasons" will ever be given their real name - and how long a regional hit can live above borders before someone else's past catches up with it.