The outstanding voice of Miljenko Matijevic

“She’s Gone – Steel Heart”

Director: Nick Morris

Release Date: 1991

“I’ve never worked harder in my life to get those high tunes”… Miljenko Matijevic front man of Steelheart

Matijevic burst into the mainstream as frontman for Steelheart, whose hit power ballad “She’s gone” and “I’ll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)” in the summer of 1990 and 1991 making it to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. Showcasing Matijevic’s impressive vocal range, the songs came from their self-titled debut album, which landed on shelves in July that same year.

There are a number of musicians with Croatian heritage born outside Croatia who have made an impact around the world, such as Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Toto’s David Paich, Michael Bublé, and Lorde.

One musician who was born in Croatia and has made an impact around the world is the frontman of the rock band Steelheart, Miljenko Matijević.

Miljenko was born in Zagreb and lived with his grandmother for the first few years of his life as his parents headed off to the US. When he was five, his parents came back and then took him back with them to the US where he has resided ever since.

The love for music was always in his blood.

“When I was three, I’d stand up on a chair in my grandmother’s kitchen and sing all the Croatian songs on the radio,” he told the All Things Croatia podcast.

Miljenko says early on in his life in the US he was influenced by his father’s love for country music, and he started listening to the greats like Johnny Cash and John Denver.

He says the defining moment that led him down the path of rock music came when he was 11 years old and was introduced to Led Zeppelin and the voice of Robert Plant.

Inspired by Led Zeppelin and other bands at the time like Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and Bad Company, Miljenko got into his first band at the age of 15, and when he was 17 he met up with the other members of Steelheart.

Miljenko, also sang the vocals for Mark Wahlberg’s character in the 2001 movie Rock Star..

He is now living in Croatia, he is still very active and he is touring all over the world