Marko Bošnjak is back at Building Bridges for a second time this Eurovision season! We last spoke to him about a month ago, just before he won Croatia’s Dora 2025 with his song Poison Cake.

While winning a national selection is usually a euphoric moment for an artist, Marko’s journey has been anything but smooth. Since securing his spot as Croatia’s Eurovision 2025 representative, he has faced a wave of both overwhelming support and intense criticism—some directed at his music, and some at his identity.

In this exclusive podcast episode, we take a closer look at Marko’s journey, his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Poison Cake, and how he is turning adversity into motivation on the road to Basel.

In what was our most candid interview to date, Marko opened up about the challenges he’s faced in the aftermath of Dora, from online backlash to personal struggles:

“I wasn’t expecting this amount of just straight-up hate because it’s one thing to not like a song or a performance or to say that it was bad, which for some parts I can agree with, but the amount of hate that I received was just based on me being gay or me being a Satanist or something.”

_{Dave: “Wait. Why are they calling you a Satanist?”}

“I don’t know, I think that they took the ‘Poison Cake’ too literally, too serisously, I don’t know.”

— Marko Bošnjak

For some artists, this would be too much. However, Marko remains determined to fulfill his Eurovision dream and bring an unforgettable performance to the Eurovision stage in Basel:

“”I think that the whole thing just like really blew out of proportion. So it’s been a lot, but I’m gathering my strength back. I’m gathering my energy, my voice, my power back and everything is going to be amazing in Basel, which is what I’m focusing and preparing for. […] I really think that we’re going for a dark horse kind of performance. I feel like people’s expectations are very low. So I can only improve and play with that.”

— Marko Bošnjak

As a proud representative of Croatia, he remains focused on his artistic vision, resilience, and the message of self-expression that Eurovision stands for:

“Well, it’s definitely been a dream come true. And I really know that I wanted to have this goal achieved. So now that it’s happening, everything feels a little bit surreal, but I’m very much aware that this is my reality now. And I’m just trying to soak it all in and to enjoy every moment from now on.”

— Marko Bošnjak

Additionally, Marko is determined not to let the hate he is receiving keep him down. He highlighted the importance of having a queer voice front and center in Croatia’s media landscape:

“This is why representation matters, because I haven’t had the representation in Croatian media and I never got to see anyone who is like out and proud about being gay and about being queer. So I’m happy that maybe some generations after me will be on a much easier path than what I’m going through right now.”

— Marko Bošnjak

Be sure to check out our full interview with Marko Bošnjak in the latest episode of Building Bridges (link above)! You’ll hear more about the highs and lows he’s been through since the Dora final, some teasers about what he’s planned for the stage in Basel, and what he’s hoping to accomplish at the upcoming Eurovision pre-parties!

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We wish Marko the very best of luck, as we look forward to what’s sure to be a very artistic and meaningful performance of Poison Cake during Semi Final 1 on 13^th May! Let us know what you thought of the interview in the comments and on our social media profiles @buildingbridgespod !