Edin Dervišhalidović (born 12 September 1962), known professionally as Dino Merlin, is a Bosnian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Born in Sarajevo, he was the founder and leader of Merlin, which eventually became one of the best-selling rock-bands of Southeast Europe.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he is considered one of the most prominent and commercially successful artists ever to emerge from former Yugoslavia.
Dino is recognized for his later solo work, which established him as one of the best-selling regional artists of all time. Over the course of his career, he has produced over a dozen chart-topping albums, held several record-breaking tours, won many awards including the Sixth April Award of Sarajevo, and has authored the first national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is widely known for his distinctive voice, stage performances and poetic lyrics.
Early life
Edin Dervišhalidović was born on 12 September 1962, in the historic neighbourhood of Alifakovac in Sarajevo, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina (at the time part of Yugoslavia). The Dervišhalidović family traces its origins to Novi Pazar. Dino's father, Abid, was a carpenter who came to Sarajevo as a teenager. His mother, Fatima (née Činjarević), was born and raised in Sarajevo, and was a Muslim clerk. His parents divorced when he was 7 years old and he was subsequently raised by his mother.
Dino attended the historic Moris Moco Salom elementary school, where he was the captain of the school's soccer, basketball and table tennis teams. The school and its historic surroundings – Emperor's Mosque, President Tito's residence and Hotel Nacional – all influenced his later art.
On his mother's insistence, and contrary to his own wishes of attending music school, Dino enrolled into the Sarajevo Technical High School. During after-school hours, he performed in a music duo with his childhood friend and keyboard player Mirsad Lutvica with whom he later established the band Merlin.
Music career
Early years
Although Dino's mother was against the idea of her son being a musician, she helped Dino buy his first guitar when he was 12 years old. After learning his first chords, Dino began writing his own melodies and lyrics. He penned his first song at 14 years old. Dino was mostly self-taught although he did take a couple lessons from an older neighbour called Mirsad. Mirsad's younger brother, Mensur Lutvica, played the keyboard and attended the same school as Dino. They soon became best friends and eventually became the founding members of the later band 'Merlin'. Mensur began accompanying Dino while performing on the streets of Sarajevo.
Dino was heavily influenced by the Yugoslavian musicians Bijelo Dugme, Zdravko Čolić, Kemal Monteno, Toma Zdravković, among others. He entered several music competitions covering the songs of the aforementioned artists. He would later become close friends with Goran Bregović, the founder and primary songwriter of Bijelo Dugme.
After enrolling in university, Dino formed a band, with Mensur on keyboards, Amir "Tula" Bjelanović on guitar, Džafer Saračević on drums and Enver Milišić on bass guitar. Each of the five put a paper with their idea for a band name in a hat; the name "Merlin" was the first to be pulled out of the hat and therefore chosen as the name of the band.
First album, period of struggle
After completing his first semester at university, Dino soon dropped out in order to pursue a music career. However, he did not have enough money to enter a recording studio. During this time, he married his high-school sweetheart Amela, and soon found himself working two shifts a day at a metal factory in the suburbs of Sarajevo in order to support his newly formed marriage. Dino ended up working in a factory for a couple of years before earning enough money to consider making an album. It was during the long nights at the assembly lane that he started writing most of the songs which would later be present in his first LP.