Dino Merlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dino Merlin
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Merlin in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edin Dervišhalidović |
| Born | 12 September 1962 Sarajevo, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Genres | Pop-rock, ethno-pop, pop, disco, world |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | Magaza, Croatia Records |
| Associated acts |
Various
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Edin Dervišhalidović (born September 12, 1962), known as Dino Merlin, is a famous singer, songwriter, and music producer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was born in Sarajevo. Dino Merlin started and led a band called Merlin. This band became one of the most popular rock groups in Southeast Europe.
People often call Dino Merlin "The Wizard" (Čarobnjak). He is known as one of the most successful artists from the area that used to be Yugoslavia. Throughout his career, he has released many hit albums. He has also gone on huge tours that broke records. Dino Merlin has won many awards, including the important Sixth of April Sarajevo Award. He even wrote the national anthem for the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, called "Jedna si jedina". Fans love his unique voice, exciting stage shows, and beautiful song lyrics.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Edin Dervišhalidović was born on September 12, 1962. He grew up in the Alifakovac neighborhood of Sarajevo. At that time, Sarajevo was part of Yugoslavia. His parents divorced when he was seven years old. After that, his mother raised him.
Edin went to Moris Moco Salom primary school. He was a great athlete there. He was the captain of the school's soccer, basketball, and table tennis teams. The area around his school, with places like the Emperor's Mosque, later inspired his music.
He later went to Sarajevo Technical High School. After school, he played music with his friend Mensur Lutvica. Mensur played the keyboard. They later started the band Merlin together.
Starting His Music Journey
Dino's mother did not want him to be a musician. But she still helped him buy his first guitar when he was 12. He wrote his first song when he was 14 years old. Dino mostly taught himself how to play music. He took a few lessons from an older neighbor named Mirsad.
Mirsad's younger brother, Mensur Lutvica, played the keyboard. Mensur went to the same school as Dino. They quickly became good friends. Soon, they started playing music together on the streets of Sarajevo.
Dino was inspired by many famous musicians from Yugoslavia. He entered several music contests. He would sing covers of their songs. Later, he became good friends with Goran Bregović. Goran was the leader of the band Bijelo Dugme.
After starting university, Dino formed a band. Mensur Lutvica played keyboard. Amir "Tula" Bjelanović played guitar. Džafer Saračević was on drums. Enver Milišić played bass guitar. They each wrote a band name idea on paper. They put the papers in a hat. The name "Merlin" was picked, and that became their band's name.
Dino Merlin's Music Career
The Band Merlin's Success
After his first semester at university, Dino left to focus on music. He did not have enough money to rent a recording studio. During this time, he married his girlfriend, Amela. He worked two jobs a day at a metal factory for a few years. It was during this time that he wrote most of the songs for his first album.
In 1984, Dino rented a studio in Sarajevo. He wrote all the songs and paid for the recordings himself. Many big record labels in Sarajevo turned him down. Dino only had enough money to record six songs. While he was mixing the last song, a music agent named Muradif Brkić came into the studio. After hearing the song "Kokuzna Vremena," Brkić offered Dino a contract. His record label, Sarajevo Disk, agreed to pay for the rest of the songs.
The band Merlin released their first album, Kokuzna vremena, in 1985. With the band, Dino recorded five studio albums:
- Kokuzna vremena (1985)
- Teško meni sa tobom (1986)
- Merlin (1987)
- Nešto lijepo treba da se desi (1989)
- Peta strana svijeta (1990)
Starting a Solo Career
Dino Dervišhalidović started his solo career in 1991. He began using the name Dino Merlin. Since then, he has released six studio albums. His albums include Moja bogda sna (1993), Fotografija (1995), Sredinom (2000), Burek (2004), Ispočetka (2008), Hotel Nacional (2014), and Mi (2025).
During the Bosnian War, some members of the band Merlin passed away. This included their long-time manager, Kemal Bisić, who was very close to Dino.
After the band broke up, the Bosnian government asked Dino to write the country's first national anthem. It was called "Jedna si jedina". This song was the national anthem until the late 1990s. In 1993, he wrote "Sva bol svijeta" ("All the grief in the world"). He sang this song at Bosnia's first Eurovision Song Contest in 1993. The song talks about the difficulties people faced during the war and asks for peace.
Dino also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest again in 1999. He sang "Putnici" with French singer Béatrice Poulot. He returned to Eurovision in 2011 with his song "Love in Rewind". Dino has also performed at other big European music events. These include the Copenhagen festival in 1996 and the Turkovision Song Contest in 1997.
Huge Success and Breaking Records
In 2000, when he was 38, Dino released his most successful album. It was called Sredinom ("Through the Middle"). This album was a top seller in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was also sold in all the countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia.
Sredinom became a classic album. It was the highest-selling album in the region for 30 years. Some people estimate that about 2,000,000 copies of the album were sold.
The tour for Sredinom included over 200 concerts. One concert was at the Koševo City Stadium in Sarajevo. About 80,000 people came to watch. This was the biggest crowd ever at Bosnia's national stadium. Dino Merlin has performed at this stadium three more times since then. He is the only artist to have filled this stadium four times.
Recent Achievements and Billboard Recognition
After taking a break for six years, Dino returned with his eleventh album, Hotel Nacional. It came out in June 2014. This album was featured in the top 10 on the Billboard World Albums list. This happened because of many online sales in the region. It is the only album from Slavic-speaking Europe to ever appear on the Billboard charts.
The album featured famous musicians like Yoad Nevo and Richard Niles. The "Hotel Nacional World Tour" was huge. About 900,000 people attended concerts across four continents. It is the biggest tour ever by an artist from Southeast Europe.
Dino released his song "Mi" in October 2020. Then came "Dođi" in early 2021. He released two more songs, "Mir svim dobrim ljudima" and "Jedan dan, jedna noć," in May 2021.
Personal Life
Dino Merlin lives in his hometown of Sarajevo. He lives in the same house and on the same street where he was born. This is in the Alifakovac neighborhood. He has two children, a daughter named Naida and a son named Hamza.
Dino enjoys playing chess, skiing, collecting art, and reading. He also owns a record label and a music store. It is called Magaza and is in the center of Sarajevo, in Baščaršija.
Philanthropy and Charity Work
Dino Merlin actively helps children in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He donates to scholarships for children who need financial help. He has been a member of the Hastor Foundation since 2008. This is the largest organization that gives scholarships to students in the country. Dino sponsors over a dozen students every year.
For five years, Dino worked for free as the honorary president of AMUS. This is the main association for music artists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He helped start the organization in 2013. In early 2018, he left his position because he did not have enough time for the work.
Dino has played many charity concerts. During the 2014 Southeast Europe floods, his team helped a lot. They gave water, food, blankets, and other supplies to areas most affected in Bosnia and Serbia.
In 2013, Dino received the International Humanitarian Award in Urfa, Turkey.
Discography
Albums
Merlin Band Albums
- Kokuzna vremena (1985)
- Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe) (1986)
- Merlin (1987)
- Nešto lijepo treba da se desi (1989)
- Peta strana svijeta (1990)
Solo Albums
- Moja bogda sna (1993)
- Fotografija (1995)
- Sredinom (2000)
- Burek (2004)
- Ispočetka (2008)
- Hotel Nacional (2014)
- Mi (2025)
Compilation Albums
- Najljepše pjesme (1995)
- The Best of Dino Merlin (2001)
DVDs
- Live Koševo 2004 (2005)
- Koševo 19. Juli (2009)
- Beograd 2011 (2016)
- Hotel Nacional - Koševo 2015 (2016)
Blu-rays
- Arena Zagreb (2018)
- Arena Pula (2020)
Singles
- 1989: "Kad zamirišu jorgovani" (with Vesna Zmijanac)
- 1991: "Ja joj trijezan prići ne smijem" (from Bračna putovanja)
- 1993: "Zaboravi" (with Ceca)
- 1995: "Beograd" (with Ceca)
- 1997: "Zaspao je mjesec"
- 1999: "Putnici" (with Béatrice Poulot)
- 1999: "Smijehom strah pokrijem"
- 2000: "I have no cannons that roar" (with Yusuf Islam)
- 2001: "Tako prazan" (with Adi Lukovac)
- 2002: "Pustite me" (with Osman Hadžić)
- 2005: "Kako starim, sve te više volim" (with Bata Zdravković)
- 2006: "Kao moja mati" (with Zdravko Čolić)
- 2007: "Otkrit ću ti tajnu"
- 2008: "Med" (with Emina Jahović)
- 2011: "Love in Rewind"
- 2011: "Undo"
- 2014: "Ruža" (with Hüsnü Şenlendirici)
- 2020: "Mi"
- 2020: "Dođi" (with Senidah)
- 2021: "Jedan dan, jedna noć"
- 2022: "Krive karte"
- 2022: "Kako da ti kažem"
- 2023: "Skoro će zima"
- 2023: "Ne radujemo se"
- 2025: "Briga"
Tours
- Kokuzna vremena - Yugoslavian Tour (1985–1986)
- Teško meni sa tobom - Yugoslavian Tour (1986–1987)
- Nešto lijepo treba da se desi - European Tour (1988–1989)
- Fotografija - Balkan Tour (1997–1998)
- Sredinom - World Tour (2000–2003)
- Burek - World Tour (2004–2007)
- Ispočetka - World Tour (2008–11)
- Hotel Nacional - World Tour (2014–2019)
- Mi - World Tour (2022–present)
See also
In Spanish: Dino Merlin para niños
