Žanil Tataj - Žak
Žanil Tataj – Žak (born 2 May 1967 in Rijeka, Croatia) is a Croatian musician, singer, composer and producer. He plays many instruments, including vocals, guitar, bass, violin, viola and keyboards. He studied violin and viola in Rijeka and learned singing from his mother.
In the 1980s he joined the band Jersey and released the album Pustite Da Živim with Jugoton, touring across Yugoslavia. From 1988 to 1991 he played viola in the opera orchestra of HNK Ivan Zajc. In the early 1990s he joined Divlje Jagode (Wild Strawberries) and helped record the album Magic Love in English. After the Yugoslav wars, Divlje Jagode paused, and Žak began working with Mary Rose. They recorded Pleasure & Pain, but it was never released due to a fire at the Tivoli studio. He also contributed to projects with Helloween and Gamma Ray, and worked with Zoran Šerbedžija on Madcap Laf in Germany. In 1995–1996 he played with Turbo on two albums, The Power Of Metal and A Glimpse Of Home, and founded the Croatian band Aqua, which released a self-titled album. He returned to Divlje Jagode for the Final top 1000 in Stuttgart, and they toured Europe until 1999, recording the album Sto Vjekova.
In 1999 Žak released his first solo album and performed at festivals Neumski and Splitski. He also released a symphonic album, Božićne Pjesme (Christmas Songs). In 2000 he played with Slovenian cover bands Črna Gradnja and Ambasada. He reformed Mary Rose in 2004 and, with new material, released Feniks in 2006. That same year he started the jazzy band Norne in Rijeka, playing bass and performing in several languages. In 2013 he joined Slovenian heavy metal band Black Diamond and sang on their album Last Man Standing. He also works as a vocal coach at Studio Maraton.
In 2019 he started a band under his own name, Žanil Tataj – Žak, and released the singles Prosule se divlje jagode and Tišina. Mary Rose released a new album, Resničen Svet, on May 17, 2019, with a promotional concert in Postojna, Slovenia.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:59 (CET).