Dino Jelusick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dino Jelusick
Jelusick in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Dino Jelusić
Born	(1992-06-04) 4 June 1992 (age 33) Požega, Croatia
Genres	Hard rock blues rock heavy metal progressive rock groove metal
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Frontiers Records

Dino Jelusić (born on June 4, 1992), known as Dino Jelusick, is a talented singer, musician, and songwriter from Croatia. He won the very first Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Dino is known for starting the hard rock and heavy metal band Animal Drive, which was active from 2012 to 2021. Since 2016, he has toured with the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2021, he also joined the famous band Whitesnake. In 2023, his new band, Jelusick, released their album Follow the Blind Man.

Early Life and Education

Dino Jelusick was born Dino Jelusić on June 4, 1992, in Požega, Croatia. He spent most of his life in Zagreb, the capital city. He studied music and earned a master's degree from the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, in 2020.

Dino's Musical Journey

How Did Dino Jelusick Start in Music?

Dino Jelusick started his musical journey very early because his parents also played instruments. He was introduced to music and singing at just three years old. By the age of five, he was already performing on TV, at festivals, and on big stages.

Winning Junior Eurovision and First Album

Dino wrote his first English song when he was seven. In 2003, he took part in the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark. He won the contest with his song "Ti si moja prva ljubav", which he wrote when he was ten. He scored 134 points!

After his big win, Dino released his first solo album, No. 1, in 2003. An English version came out a year later. He then toured in the United States, Scandinavia, and Australia until 2005. This tour included four huge concerts in Denmark, with 100,000 people watching. In the same year, at just twelve years old, Dino became the youngest person ever nominated for the Croatian music award Porin. In 2005, he was one of the main performers at the Langeland festival in Denmark, sharing the stage with famous bands like UB40 and Ronan Keating.

Changing His Musical Style to Rock and Metal

Around 2007, as Dino grew older, his voice changed. He had always loved rock and metal bands like King's X, Slash, Whitesnake, Dream Theater, and Toto. So, he decided to change his music style to hard rock and metal.

In 2009, Dino started recording an album in Melbourne, Australia. It was finished in Malmö, Sweden, and released in August 2011. The album was called Living My Own Life. However, since he didn't write any of the songs on this album, he doesn't perform them live.

Between 2012 and 2013, Dino worked on an international music project in South Africa called Synkropation. This project involved many different artists. Even though the album was never fully released, Dino sang on several songs and performed for 50,000 people.

Dino Jelusick in 2014

In 2014, Dino won second place at the international festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk in Belarus. After this, he had some voice problems and had surgery in September for a condition called Reinke's edema. After recovering, he recorded another album, Prošao sam sve, which he wrote entirely himself. This album, released in November 2014, was based on a true story from the 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence.

In 2015, Dino won four awards at the Discovery Fest in Bulgaria, including one for his song "Father". In 2016, he won at New Wave in Sochi, Russia.

Dino's Bands and Projects

Animal Drive and Jelusick

In 2012, Dino formed the hard rock band Animal Drive. He was the main songwriter for the group. Their biggest inspiration was the band Whitesnake. They often performed songs by Whitesnake, Skid Row, and Dream Theater in their live shows.

Before Dino joined the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour, Animal Drive recorded some songs. Another singer, Jeff Scott Soto, heard their music and suggested them to Frontiers Records. In 2017, Animal Drive signed a record deal with this major label, becoming the first Croatian rock band to have an album released worldwide by such a big company.

Their first album, Bite!, came out in February 2018 and received great reviews. In April 2019, they released an EP of cover songs called Back to the Roots. It included their versions of Skid Row's "Monkey Business" and Roxette's "The Look". In June 2021, Animal Drive broke up due to disagreements with their record label.

In November 2022, after a two-year legal process, Dino started recording new songs with his new band, Jelusick. Their first album, Follow the Blind Man, was released in September 2023. In Croatia, it won a Porin award for Best Rock Album and was also nominated for Album of the Year.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Whitesnake, and Other Bands

February 2016 was a very important time for Dino's music career. He had faced many challenges in the Croatian music industry and was even thinking about quitting music. However, his performance of Queen's "The Show Must Go On" caught the attention of the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO). They were looking for two male singers for their tours. After an audition, Dino was chosen and joined their 2016 tour.

In 2015, American drummer John Macaluso was looking for a singer and keyboardist for his new band, Stone Leaders. Dino joined them and helped record their first album, which was released in March 2019. During this time, Dino was also part of the Croatian metal band The Ralph, releasing the album Enter Escape with them in February 2017.

In May 2019, Tony Hernando from Lords of Black released his solo album, Restless Spirits. Dino sang on two songs: "Cause I Know You're the One" and "Lost Time (Not to Be Found Again)". In late 2018, Dino recorded vocals and keyboards for a project called Dirty Shirley, which also featured George Lynch. Their album was released in January 2020 and received good reviews.

Dino Jelusick (left) performing with Whitesnake in Helsinki, Finland, on June 6, 2022.

In July 2021, Dino Jelusick joined the famous British hard rock band Whitesnake as a backing vocalist and keyboardist.

In March 2022, Dino teamed up with Michael Romeo and sang all the vocals on Romeo's solo album War of the Worlds, Pt. 2. Critics praised Dino's performance, saying he "lifts" the album to a higher level.

In December 2023, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal started a new progressive metal band called Whom Gods Destroy. They asked Dino to be their singer, along with Yas Nomura on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums. Their first album, Insanium, was released in March 2024.

TV Appearances

In 2018 and 2019, Dino appeared on several episodes of A-strana, a music show on Croatian TV. He was also the youngest mentor on the Croatian version of the BBC show Just the Two of Us. He and his partner, actress Tara Thaller, won the competition. From November 2023 to January 2024, Dino was a mentor on the fourth season of The Voice Hrvatska.

Selected Discography

See also

In Spanish: Dino Jelusić para niños