Alen Islamović facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alen Islamović
Islamović performing in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Alija Islamović
Born	(1957-08-17) 17 August 1957 (age 67) Bihać, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
Genres	Pop-rock rock pop-folk
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Bass vocals guitar
Years active	1974–present
Labels	Nimfa Sound

Alija "Alen" Islamović (born 17 August 1957) is a famous rock singer from Bosnia. He is best known for being the lead singer of two very popular rock bands: Divlje jagode (from 1981 to 1986) and Bijelo Dugme (from 1986 to 1989).

Alen Islamović was born as Alija Islamović in Bihać. He came from a Bosniak family. His family moved to Bihać when he was very young. He first got into music in the late 1960s. His older brother brought home a record player, which sparked his interest.

Biography

Becoming a Musician

Alen Islamović learned to play the guitar with help from his older brother. In 1974, he started playing bass guitar in a band called Bag. He began singing because he had many LP records. This helped him learn song lyrics easily.

Soon, Alen and his band became quite popular in their area. They played many concerts in towns like Bihać, Prijedor, Drvar, Sanski Most, and Banja Luka. They even earned good money from their shows. He was really inspired by bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Bijelo Dugme.

Joining Divlje Jagode

After his first band, Bag, broke up, Alen Islamović started playing soccer. He played for a club called Jedinstvo in Bihać. After he finished his time in the army, Sead Lipovača, the lead guitarist of Divlje jagode, asked him to join his band.

Starting with Divlje jagode was tough at first. But their hard work paid off. The band became a very successful hard rock group across Yugoslavia. In 1984, Goran Bregović asked Alen to join Bijelo Dugme. But Alen said no because he was doing well with Divlje jagode.

Eventually, Divlje jagode faced some challenges and broke up. Alen went back to Bihać and thought about quitting music. But then, Goran Bregović asked him again to join Bijelo Dugme. This time, Alen said yes!

Singing with Bijelo Dugme

When Alen joined Bijelo Dugme, some people wondered how his singing style would compare to the band's previous singers. But Alen proved them wrong. He didn't let fame change him. After every concert tour, he would return home to Bihać. There, he would run his bar, go fishing, and play table tennis.

In 1989, Alen Islamović had to leave the Bijelo Dugme tour early. He needed to go home to treat a kidney problem. This meant the rest of the tour had to be canceled. What seemed like a short break turned out to be the end of Bijelo Dugme for a long time. Soon after, the war started, and the band took a 15-year break.

Alen recorded two studio albums with Bijelo Dugme. These were Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo in 1986 and Ćiribiribela in 1988. He also recorded one live album called Mramor, kamen i željezo in 1987. By joining Bijelo Dugme, Alen became one of the most famous musicians in Yugoslavia.

After Bijelo Dugme

After getting better, Alen Islamović recorded his first solo album in 1989. It was called Haj, nek se čuje, čuje, haj, nek se zna. This album didn't become a big hit. When the Bosnian War started, he moved to Zagreb. He recorded three more albums there, but they didn't do very well. After the war ended, he returned to Bihać.

In 2002, Alen sang a duet with popular singer Indira Radić. The song was called "Lopov" and it became a huge hit! He sang two more duets with her later: "Imali smo, nismo znali" in 2007 and "Ljubav stara" in 2011.

In 2005, Alen Islamović joined Bijelo Dugme again for three big farewell concerts. These shows were in Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Belgrade. It was the first time the band played live together since 1989.

He also played rhythm guitar and sang in a band called "4 Asa". He released a song called "Mrtvo hladno" in 2005. A full album with the same name came out in April 2005 with a Canadian band called "Srčani Udar" (which means "Heart Attack"). In 2006, Alen joined Željko Bebek and Mladen Vojičić Tifa in a Bijelo Dugme tribute band called "B.A.T. Together". They performed many shows around the world until 2010.

Recent Years

In 2013, Alen Islamović performed at the Belgrade Beer Fest. He played songs by Bijelo Dugme and his own solo music. This was a big show for him in Belgrade after many years.

In 2014, Alen released his new album called Alcatraz. This was his first new music since 2005. The album was released in March.

Alen Islamović and Goran Bregović reunited again in June 2014 for a Bijelo Dugme concert in Ljubljana. They planned a tour across the region. After a successful show for over 10,000 people, they toured Europe and the United States.

In 2017, Alen Islamović, along with Tifa, Bregović, and Bregović's Wedding and Funeral Orchestra, toured the United States. They played in Chicago, Atlanta, and New Jersey.

Personal life

Alen Islamović lives in Bihać today. He is married and has two daughters. He helped start the Una Gem Tennis club in Bihać and is its president.

Discography

Solo albums

• Haj, nek se čuje, čuje, haj, nek se zna (1989)
• Gdje je moj rođeni brat (1992)
• Hitovi (1994)
• Bauštelac (1994)
• Nema meni bez tebe (1995)
• Live Eurotour (1996)
• Samo nebo zna (1999)
• Divlje Dugme (2000)
• Istok, zapad, sjever, jug (2001)
• Hitovi za sva vremena (2005)
• 30 godina sa vama (2011)
• Alcatraz (2014)
• Tajno (2019)

Guest singles

• "Jugoslovenka" - with Lepa Brena on her album Četiri godine (1989)
• "Lopov" - with Indira Radić on her album Pocrnela burma (2002)
• "Imali smo, nismo znali" - with Indira Radić on her album Lepo se provedi (2007)
• "Ljubav stara" - with Indira Radić on her album Istok, sever, jug i zapad (2011)
• "Obećaj mi" - with Sanja Doležal (2011)
• "Još se branim ćutanjem" - with Milica Pavlović (2016)

with Divlje jagode

• Stakleni hotel (1981)
• Motori (1982)
• Čarobnjaci (1983)
• Vatra (1985)
• Wild Strawberries (1986)

with Bijelo Dugme

Studio albums

• Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo (1986)
• Ćiribiribela (1988)

Live albums

• Mramor, kamen i željezo (1987)

with 4 Asa

• "Ljubavna priča iz Dubrovnika" (2002)
• "Live (2003)"
• "Nakon svih ovih godina" (2004)

with Srčani Udar

• Mrtvo hladno (2005)