Vatreni Poljubac

Vatreni Poljubac (Fiery Kiss) is a hard rock and heavy metal band founded in October 1977 in Sarajevo, then part of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia. Since 1998, the group has been based in Belgrade, Serbia. The band was created and led by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Milić Vukašinović, and it became a prominent name in the Yugoslav hard rock and heavy metal scene.

Vukašinović had previously spent a year as the drummer for the hugely popular band Bijelo Dugme, leaving in October 1977 to form Vatreni Poljubac. The original lineup included Vukašinović, bassist Shefqet Hoxha, and drummer Perica Stojanović.

Their first single, "Doktor za rock and roll," was an immediate hit, named Hit of the Year 1977 by the Yugoslav teen magazine Zdravo. The band’s debut album, Oh, što te volim, joj!, followed in 1978, recorded in London and featuring a hard rock and heavy metal sound with folk influences. While the audience received it well, some Yugoslav music critics criticized Vukašinović for using folk motifs, comparing the band’s work to "newly composed folk music."

After a three-year hiatus starting in 1982, Vukašinović reformed the group for the 1985 comeback album Iz inata. The 1986 album 100% Rock 'n' Roll was recorded with former Bijelo Dugme vocalist Mladen Vojičić "Tifa" and is the only Vatreni Poljubac album without Vukašinović on vocals. The band disbanded after that release, and Vukašinović worked with Yugoslav folk singers and released solo albums.

In 1997, he moved from Sarajevo to Belgrade, where he revived Vatreni Poljubac in 1998. Over the next two decades, he released new Vatreni Poljubac albums with various lineups, alongside his solo work. Although his later output saw little critical or commercial success, the band retains a loyal fanbase across the former Yugoslav republics.