Jozinovic and Thompson: I'm a Musician, Not a Politician
The singer responded on Instagram to a video of him performing a song by Marko Perkovic Thompson, while online calls grow to cancel his Belgrade Arena concerts and tickets are being resold.
Jakov Jozinovic has publicly addressed a video of him singing “Ako ne znas sta je bilo” by Marko Perkovic Thompson for the first time. In an Instagram post he says the video is nearly two years old and that this is all he will say on the subject. He spoke up after days of comments and attacks, and after a petition was launched on social media to cancel his concerts at Belgrade Arena.
What did Jozinovic write in his post?
According to the portal Nova, the video was posted online by the page “Nasa Cukarica” and spread quickly. In his post, the singer places it at the start of his career:
“In recent days there has been a lot of talk about me and a video that is almost two years old, from a time when I was 19 and just starting my musical path, singing in cafes.”
He also rejected any intent to offend anyone. “I never thought in terms of nationality, religion or skin color, nor did I sing in order to offend anyone,” Jozinovic wrote, adding that he understands that “music, especially in this region, can carry painful historical and personal meanings.”
He also turned to the media, saying that in recent months there have been attacks and statements attributed to him that he never made:
“I am a musician, not a politician. That is why this is my only statement on this subject.”
Where and when was the video recorded?
The singer speaks of cafes and of the time when he was 19, but the sources we reviewed give neither the exact place nor the date of the recording. Nova writes about a performance in Croatia, while Republika describes the same video as footage from a private celebration. The two accounts do not match, and neither has been confirmed. We have written before about the video and the demands to ban the singer from performing.
Informer reports that Jozinovic gained great popularity in Serbia and that his shows at Sava Centar were sold out.
What about the Belgrade Arena concerts?
Jozinovic’s concerts at Belgrade Arena are scheduled for October 24 and 25, 2026. A petition to cancel them has been launched on social media. According to Informer, its organizers believe the promoters should consider whether it is appropriate for the concerts to go ahead. The number of signatures has not been published.
Republika writes that tickets are being offered for resale in Facebook groups, on X and on resale sites, often well below the original price, without naming specific amounts. One X user wrote that he was selling his ticket, and others replied under the post, including some who asked whether a refund is possible. We could not verify how many tickets have actually been put up for sale. The sources we reviewed contain no statement from the organizers or from the Arena.
What did Jelena Karleusa say?
Jelena Karleusa commented on the case on Sunday, on her return from Vienna, at the Belgrade airport. According to Telegraf, she said:
“A serious project by foreign services that Serbs fell for, as usual, like everything that comes from abroad.”
In the same remarks, Karleusa said she hoped people would “be wiser” and would value domestic performers more. Telegraf reports that the singer had earlier performed at a shopping center in Vienna.
