Alen Islamovic
Encyclopedia
Alen Islamović is a well-known and popular Bosnian
singer in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and other former Yugoslav
republics. Islamović is best known as the vocalist for the bands Divlje jagode
from 1979 to 1986 and Bijelo dugme
from 1986 to 1989.
, found in the northwestern part of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina
. Until Islamović was two and a half years of age his family lived in Sokolac. However, when his father found work in Bihać the whole family moved to the city. Islamović first accessed music through his brother who brought a gramophone home in the late 1960s.
He learned to play guitar
guided by his elder brother, and in 1974 he began playing bass guitar
in a band called Bag. He started singing because his brother had lots of LP records
so he was able to learn the lyrics.
Soon, Islamović's local popularity grew as did his band's gig activity and he performed many concerts in the local region. In addition to Bihać
, Bag performed in places like Prijedor
, Drvar
, Sanski Most
, and Banja Luka
, earning decent sums of money that way. He fancied music of Led Zeppelin
, Deep Purple
and Bijelo dugme
.
When his band dissolved, Alen started playing football
in Jedinstvo
from Bihać, then a second league
club
. After he served the army
, Sead Lipovača
invited him to Divlje jagode
. Start with Divlje jagode was very difficult, but it eventually paid off as the band became very successful hard rock
act throughout many parts of Yugoslavia. They were so promising that in April 1984 (when Željko Bebek
left Bijelo dugme
) Alen turned down Goran Bregović
's offer to sing in Bijelo dugme (this was partly result of his fear that Bebek might return to Dugme), and Divlje jagode (now called Wild Strawberries) where one step away from becoming world famous. But, everything failed, Divlje jagode fell apart and Alen returned to Bihać and decided get a traditional job and forget about the music. But then came another offer from Goran Bregović (when Tifa left Dugme) and this time Alen accepted.
At the time, vocal capabilities of the last singer of Bijelo dugme were regarded inferior to the band's former two singers. Goran Bregović reportedly invited Alen to join the band mainly for his healthy lifestyle (he allegedly stated that he had enough of drunkards and drug addicts).
Goran was right, and Alen didn't let fame get to him. After each tour he returned home to Bihać where he'd run his bar
, fish
, and play table tennis
. In 1989 he left the Bijelo dugme tour without notifying anybody from the band. He returned home in order to cure a kidney
problem he developed on the road, forcing the cancellation of the rest of the tour. Although it seemed like minor postponment at the time, this actually turned out to be the end of Bijelo dugme. Soon the war
started and the band went into 15-year hibernation.
After getting back to good health, Alen initially used this time off to record a 1989 solo album Haj, nek se čuje, haj nek se zna. The record received a lukeworm public response and was soon forgotten. When the war started in Bosnia, he fled Bihać for Zagreb
. He is still active and performs mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, and occasionally in the neighbouring countries as well. Islamović also plays gigs throughout Germany
, Austria
, and Switzerland
where he is popular amongst the gastarbeiter
communities from the former Yugoslavia. His repertoire consists mainly of Bijelo dugme songs, he is regarded as one-man tribute band to Bijelo Dugme.
In 2003, Alen took part in a duet with turbofolk star Indira Radić
. The song they recorded together "Lopov" went on to become a huge commercial hit. He would later do another duet with her in 2007 in a hit song called "Imali Smo Nismo Znali".
In 2005 he took part in 3 large farewell concerts of Bijelo Dugme.
He also played rhythm guitar
and singing in the band 4 Asa with Vlado Kalember
, Slavko Pintarić-Pišta, Rajko Dujmić, and Jurica Pađen.
In February 2006, Alen has released his latest album called "Mrtvo Hladno" with a Canadian
band called "Srčani Udar" (trans. Heart Attack). This is a double album with 11 songs and a DVD bonus with 2 music videos and a 30 minute documentary "in the making".
In October 2006, Islamovic joined Zeljko Bebek and Mladen-Tifa Vojicic in Bijelo dugme tribute band called B.A.T. Together, they performed on numerous stages around the world between 2006 and 2010. B.A.T.'s 2006 U.S.-Canadian tour was recorded in a documentary titled "B.A.T.: Balkan Rock Nostalgia", directed by Branislav R. Tatalovic.
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
singer in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and other former Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
republics. Islamović is best known as the vocalist for the bands Divlje jagode
Divlje jagode
Divlje Jagode is a Yugoslav and Bosnian hard rock and heavy metal band.-1970s:Divlje Jagode were formed in 1977 in Bihać by guitarist Zele Lipovača...
from 1979 to 1986 and Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...
from 1986 to 1989.
Biography
Alen Islamović was born in Sokolac to Bosniak parents, a hamlet approximately five kilometres from the city of BihaćBihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, found in the northwestern part of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. Until Islamović was two and a half years of age his family lived in Sokolac. However, when his father found work in Bihać the whole family moved to the city. Islamović first accessed music through his brother who brought a gramophone home in the late 1960s.
He learned to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
guided by his elder brother, and in 1974 he began playing bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in a band called Bag. He started singing because his brother had lots of LP records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
so he was able to learn the lyrics.
Soon, Islamović's local popularity grew as did his band's gig activity and he performed many concerts in the local region. In addition to Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, Bag performed in places like Prijedor
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
, Drvar
Drvar
Drvar is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the road between Bosansko Grahovo and Bosanski Petrovac, also near Glamoč. It is administratively part of Canton 10 of the Federation....
, Sanski Most
Sanski Most
Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, and Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, earning decent sums of money that way. He fancied music of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...
.
When his band dissolved, Alen started playing football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in Jedinstvo
NK Jedinstvo Bihac
NK Jedinstvo is a football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the city of Bihać. NK Jedinstvo was founded in 1919. The club's stadium is called Pod Borićima Stadion and it can seat 8,000...
from Bihać, then a second league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
. After he served the army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, Sead Lipovača
Sead Lipovaca
Zele Lipovača , is the lead guitarist and founder of the popular former Yugoslav hard rock band Divlje Jagode....
invited him to Divlje jagode
Divlje jagode
Divlje Jagode is a Yugoslav and Bosnian hard rock and heavy metal band.-1970s:Divlje Jagode were formed in 1977 in Bihać by guitarist Zele Lipovača...
. Start with Divlje jagode was very difficult, but it eventually paid off as the band became very successful hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
act throughout many parts of Yugoslavia. They were so promising that in April 1984 (when Željko Bebek
Željko Bebek
Želimir "Željko" Bebek is a popular Bosnian Croat singer most notable for being the lead vocalist of Bijelo dugme from 1974 to 1984....
left Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...
) Alen turned down Goran Bregović
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
's offer to sing in Bijelo dugme (this was partly result of his fear that Bebek might return to Dugme), and Divlje jagode (now called Wild Strawberries) where one step away from becoming world famous. But, everything failed, Divlje jagode fell apart and Alen returned to Bihać and decided get a traditional job and forget about the music. But then came another offer from Goran Bregović (when Tifa left Dugme) and this time Alen accepted.
At the time, vocal capabilities of the last singer of Bijelo dugme were regarded inferior to the band's former two singers. Goran Bregović reportedly invited Alen to join the band mainly for his healthy lifestyle (he allegedly stated that he had enough of drunkards and drug addicts).
Goran was right, and Alen didn't let fame get to him. After each tour he returned home to Bihać where he'd run his bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, fish
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and play table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
. In 1989 he left the Bijelo dugme tour without notifying anybody from the band. He returned home in order to cure a kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
problem he developed on the road, forcing the cancellation of the rest of the tour. Although it seemed like minor postponment at the time, this actually turned out to be the end of Bijelo dugme. Soon the war
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
started and the band went into 15-year hibernation.
After getting back to good health, Alen initially used this time off to record a 1989 solo album Haj, nek se čuje, haj nek se zna. The record received a lukeworm public response and was soon forgotten. When the war started in Bosnia, he fled Bihać for Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. He is still active and performs mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, and occasionally in the neighbouring countries as well. Islamović also plays gigs throughout Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where he is popular amongst the gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...
communities from the former Yugoslavia. His repertoire consists mainly of Bijelo dugme songs, he is regarded as one-man tribute band to Bijelo Dugme.
In 2003, Alen took part in a duet with turbofolk star Indira Radić
Indira Radic
Indira Radić is a Serbian folk, turbo-folk, pop-folk and pop singer. She has established herself on the Balkan music scene without creating controversy in the mass media.-Early life:...
. The song they recorded together "Lopov" went on to become a huge commercial hit. He would later do another duet with her in 2007 in a hit song called "Imali Smo Nismo Znali".
In 2005 he took part in 3 large farewell concerts of Bijelo Dugme.
He also played rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and singing in the band 4 Asa with Vlado Kalember
Vlado Kalember
Vladimir Kalember is a Croatian pop singer, famous for his recognisable, husky voice.In the 1970s, he was the vocalist of the popular pop band Srebrna Krila. After leaving the band, he continued with a solo career. In 1984, together with Izolda Barudžija, he represented Yugoslavia at the...
, Slavko Pintarić-Pišta, Rajko Dujmić, and Jurica Pađen.
In February 2006, Alen has released his latest album called "Mrtvo Hladno" with a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
band called "Srčani Udar" (trans. Heart Attack). This is a double album with 11 songs and a DVD bonus with 2 music videos and a 30 minute documentary "in the making".
In October 2006, Islamovic joined Zeljko Bebek and Mladen-Tifa Vojicic in Bijelo dugme tribute band called B.A.T. Together, they performed on numerous stages around the world between 2006 and 2010. B.A.T.'s 2006 U.S.-Canadian tour was recorded in a documentary titled "B.A.T.: Balkan Rock Nostalgia", directed by Branislav R. Tatalovic.
Discography
- Divlje Jagode - Stakleni hotel (1981)
- Divlje Jagode - Motori (1982)
- Divlje Jagode - Čarobnjaci (1984)
- Divlje Jagode - Vatra (1985)
- Bijelo Dugme - Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo (1986)
- Divlje Jagode - Wild Strawberries (1987)
- Bijelo Dugme - Live. Mramor, kamen i željezo (1987)
- Bijelo Dugme - Ćiribiribela (1988)
- Alen Islamović - Haj, nek se čuje, haj, nek se zna (1989)
- Alen Islamović - Gdje je moj rođeni brat (1993)
- Alen Islamović - Hitovi (1994)
- Alen Islamović - Bauštelac (1994)
- Alen Islamović - Nema meni bez tebe (1995)
- Alen Islamović - Live Eurotour (1996)
- Alen Islamović & Co - Samo nebo zna (1998)
- Alen Islamović - Istok, zapad, sjever, jug (2001)
- 4 Asa - Live (2003)
- 4 Asa - Nakon svih ovih godina (2004)
- Alen Islamović - Hitovi za sva vremena (2005)
- Alen Islamović & Srčani udar - Mrtvo hladno (2005)
- Bijelo Dugme - Turneja: Sarajevo-Zagreb-Beograd (2005)