Damir Urban was born on September 19, 1968, in Rijeka, Croatia. He began his musical journey as the founding member of the band La Bellona, where he played bass and wrote songs. He later rose to prominence as the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Laufer, which delivered major hits during the early 1990s including “Moja voda,” “Lopov Jack,” and “Svijet za nas.”
In 1996, he launched a solo career with his band Urban & 4, releasing the debut album *Otrovna kiša*. His seminal album *Žena dijete* (1998) became a major success, featuring standout tracks such as “Mala truba,” “Odlučio sam da te volim,” and “Black Tattoo.” Despite winning Album of the Year, he declined the award, asserting that his work represented rock rather than alternative music.
In 2004 he released the controversial concept album *Retro*, followed by *Hello!* in 2009. In 2012, Urban & 4 released *Kundera*, created during an artistic residency in the Žumberak mountains, which earned both a Porin and an MTV Gold Award.
He collaborated with renowned cellist Stjepan Hauser on *Urban & Hauser* projects and released albums such as *Mamut*, *Live at Lisinski*, and *Lipanj, srpanj, kolovoz*. Urban has achieved numerous accolades including multiple Porin awards and the Crni mačak, as well as the Rijeka City Award. Additionally, he is active in composing music for theater, as a painter, and occasionally as an actor.
During the 2020 lockdown, he spearheaded the multimedia collaborative project “Pseća oluja,” featuring creative input from fans and fellow artists. Today he continues to write and produce music from his own studio, collaborates with the theater community, and performs live — even alongside symphony orchestras like the Zagreb Philharmonic.
