Dino Jelusick
Dino Jelusić (born 4 June 1992), also known by his stage name Dino Jelusick, is a Croatian rock singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the founder, principal songwriter, and lead singer of progressive rock band Animal Drive, which was formed in 2012, and since 2017 has been signed to Frontiers Records. Besides working on several hard rock and metal projects, since 2016, Jelusick has been a touring member for American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He was the winner of the inaugural edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003.
Dino Jelusick | |
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Jelusick in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dino Jelusić |
| Born | 4 June 1992 Požega, Croatia |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Frontiers Records |
| Website | dino-jelusick |
Early life
Jelusick was born Dino Jelusić on 4 June 1992 in Požega, Croatia.[1] He lived most of his life in the capital city of Zagreb. He earned a master's degree from the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, in 2020.[2]
Career
1997–2005: First musical efforts and Junior Eurovision Song Contest
As his parents also played musical instruments, Jelusick was introduced to music and singing at the age of three, and started performing at the age of five[3] by appearing on television, on stages, and festivals.
Jelusick wrote his first song in English at the age of seven.[3] In 2003, he participated in the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Denmark with a song he wrote at the age of ten, "Ti si moja prva ljubav", and won with 134 points.[4] Jelusick released his debut solo album, No. 1, in 2003, and an English version in 2004.[1] He toured the United States, Scandinavia, and Australia until 2005, and the tour included four large concerts in Denmark with a total audience of 100,000 people.[5] The same year, Jelusick became the youngest nominee of the Croatian music award Porin, at the age of twelve.[5] In 2005, he was one of the three main acts at the Langeland festival in Denmark, along with UB40 and Ronan Keating.[5]
2006–2014: Solo career and change to rock and metal musical style
Around 2007, as part of adolescence, Jelusick's voice changed and lost part of its upper register.[3][6] Jelusick had grown up listening to King's X, Slash, Whitesnake, Dream Theater, and Toto, among others, he decided to change his musical direction to hard rock and metal.[3][6]
In 2009, Jelusick began recording a new studio album in Melbourne, Australia, with producer Mark Berry, but finalized it with Swedish producer Robert Ahrling in Malmö. The album, released in August 2011, was titled Living My Own Life.[4] However, as he did not write any of the songs on the album,[6][7] Jelusick does not perform them live.[3]
Between 2012 and 2013, Jelusick was hired to take part in an international project in South Africa called Synkropation.[4] The project consisted of an album featuring the collaboration of different artists, including Mandoza and Dilana.[4] Though the album was never released, Jelusick was featured on several songs,[8] and played to an audience of 50,000 people.[9]
In 2014, Jelusick was awarded second place at the international festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk in Belarus. Afterward, he began experiencing problems with his voice. In September, he underwent surgery for Reinke's edema. After the surgery, he recorded another album, this one entirely composed by him. A concept album titled Prošao sam sve (English: "I went through everything"), it was released in November 2014. The album is based on the autobiographical novel 260 days by Marijan Gubina, about a 10-year-old boy who survives 260 days of imprisonment in a war camp during the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995).[4][10]
2015–present: Band projects and joining Trans-Siberian Orchestra
In 2015, American drummer John Macaluso was looking for a singer and keyboardist for his new American-Croatian band Stone Leaders. Jelusick joined and helped record their self-titled album, which was eventually released in March 2019.[3][11][12] During this time, Jelusick was also a member of Croatian metal band The Ralph, with whom he released the album Enter Escape in February 2017.[13][14]
The same year, Jelusick won four awards at the Discovery festival in Bulgaria, one of which was for his song "Father".[15] In 2016, he won at New Wave in Sochi, Russia, the largest singing contest for young performers in the world.[16][17]
February 2016[18] was a turning point in Jelusick's music career. He later commented that until the mid–2010s, he had faced numerous difficulties within the Croatian music industry. Due to these problems, he considered ending his musical career. [19][20][21][22] Reportedly, his live performance of Queen's "The Show Must Go On" was noticed by American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who were searching for two male touring vocalists. After auditioning and meeting with producer Paul O'Neill, Jelusick was chosen to join the group. He took part in their 2016 winter tour.[3][4] During the 2017 winter tour, the band, with Kayla Reeves on the East, and Jelusick on the West lineup, honored O'Neill while playing "The Safest Way into Tomorrow".[23][24][25]
In the meantime, Jelusick's main project was working with the progressive hard rock band Animal Drive, founded in 2012. Their final lineup came together in 2015. Initially, this was his solo band,[18] and he is the project's main songwriter.[3] The group's biggest influence is the British hard rock band Whitesnake. Their live performances feature Whitesnake's 2004 cover version of Deep Purple's "Burn",[3] as well as songs by Skid Row and Dream Theater.[26] Before Jelusick joined TSO's tour, Animal Drive recorded a few songs, and on the recommendation of TSO's vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, the record label Frontiers Records listened to their work, and decided to sign a record deal with the band in 2017.[3][26] They are the first Croatian rock band to sign with such a major record label and have an album published worldwide.[3][27] Their debut studio album, Bite!, was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim.[4][18] In April 2019, they released a covers EP titled Back to the Roots. It included a rendition of Skid Row's "Monkey Business" as its first single,[28] and Roxette's "The Look" (with guest vocalist Rosa Laricchiuta) as its second single, in May 2019. The album received very good reviews.[29][30][31]
In 2018 and 2019, Jelusick performed in several episodes of the entertainment and music program A-strana of Hrvatska Radiotelevizija, and was the youngest mentor in the Croatian version of the BBC show Just the Two of Us. His appearance with partner and actress Tara Thaller managed to win the competition.[19][32][33]
In May 2019, Lords of Black's Tony Hernando released a self-titled album with his solo project Restless Spirits. Jelusick sang on two of the album's tracks, "Cause I Know You're the One" and "Lost Time (Not to Be Found Again)". The record also included guest artists including Deen Castronovo, Johnny Gioeli, and Alessandro Del Vecchio.[34] In late 2018, Jelusick recorded vocals and keyboards for a George Lynch project titled Dirty Shirley, which also featured Will Hunt on drums and Trevor Roxx on bass. The self-titled album was released in January 2020,[35][36] to positive reviews.[37]
In July 2021, Jelusick joined Whitesnake as a backing vocalist.[38]
In March 2022, Jelusick joined Michael Romeo performing all vocals on Romeo's solo album War of the Worlds, Pt. 2. Matthias Mineur of the German edition of Metal Hammer said Jelusick "lifts" the album "to an even higher level" than that of its predecessor and finished his review saying that the release "inspires on two levels, so that the listener can hardly decide which of them is the more important.""[39]
Selected discography
| Project | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | No. 1 | 2003 |
| Living My Own Life | 2011 | |
| Prošao sam sve | 2014 | |
| Jeff Scott Soto | Give in to Me (backing vocals) | 2016 |
| The Ralph | Enter Escape | 2017 |
| Chaos Addict | Sacrament of Hope (guest vocals) | 2017 |
| Animal Drive | Bite! | 2018 |
| Back to the Roots EP | 2019 | |
| Stone Leaders | DV84U4IA | 2019 |
| Restless Spirits (with Tony Hernando) | Restless Spirits | 2019 |
| Dirty Shirley (with George Lynch) | Dirty Shirley | 2020 |
| Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall | We Are the Night | 2020 |
| Michael Romeo | War of the Worlds, Pt. 2 | 2022 |
References
- ^ a b "Autogram: Dino Jelusic: "Uvijek sam težio koheziji glazbe i teksta"" (in Croatian). Croatian Composers' Society ZAMP. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Dino Jelusić pohvalio se velikim uspjehom: "Od danas sam..."" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Roth, Dan (8 August 2017). "A Conversation with Dino Jelusić". musicandartinterviews.com. Blogger. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maude, James (21 November 2018). "Junior Eurovision: What happened to 2003 winner Dino Jelusic?". ESC United. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Buva, Mia (21 November 2018). "Prije 15 godina pokorio je Europu, nakratko odustao od svega, a pogledajte gdje je danas!" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Georgi (21 November 2010). "Dino Jelusic – An Exclusive Interview". TheSkyKid.Com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Carević, Ivana (18 December 2010). "Dino Jelusić: Franka Batelić mi je baš jako zgodna" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Tytan Entertainment - Synkropation album progress report". Tytan Group. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Carević, Ivana (11 October 2012). "Dino Jelušić pjevao pred 50 tisuća ljudi i u 20 dana osvojio Afriku" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Matošević, Dragutin (11 March 2015). "Dino Jelusić - Prošao sam sve (Recenzija)". barikada.com (in Croatian). Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Stone Leaders, Featuring Drummer John Macaulso - Debut Out Now In The U.K., Next Week In Europe". bravewords.com. Bravewords. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Hrvatsko-američki bend Stone Leaders predstavlja prvi singl". mixer.hr (in Croatian). Polak Media. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Jagatić, Dubravko (6 March 2017). "Glazbene Recenzije: Rolo, The Ralph, Ivana Picek". nacional.hr (in Croatian). Nacional. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Recenzija: The Ralph – Enter Escape". Metal Jacket Magazine (in Croatian). 28 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Dino Jelusić dobio četiri nagrade" (in Croatian). Glas Slavonije. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Carević, Ivana (29 September 2016). "Turneja po zapadnoj Americi: Dino Jelusić novi je član američkog hit benda" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Carević, Ivana (19 October 2016). "Pročitajte što je predsjednica napisala mladom pjevaču Dini Jelusiću" (in Croatian). Večernji list. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Rockpit, Mark (12 March 2018). "INTERVIEW: Dino Jelusić of Animal Drive". The Rockpit. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b Fatušić, Damir (12 March 2019). "Intervju, Dino Jelusić: Nova stara zvijezda hrvatske i svjetske glazbene scene" (in Croatian). In Portal. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Morić, Danijela-Ana (30 November 2018). "Dino Jelusić živi svoj san: Prije 15 godina bio je idol djevojčicama, a danas 'praši' na turnejama od Amerike do Europe". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Hrvatski Telekom. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Samaržija, Ana (19 January 2019). "Pobijedio na Eurosongu, danas je član planetarno popularnog benda, ali nije sve bilo lako: "Pao sam u depresiju"" (in Croatian). Dnevnik.hr. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Križanec, Sandra (20 February 2019). "Dino Jelusić". N1 Pressing (in Croatian). 16:15–17:06, 19:30–19:52 minutes in. N1. Hrvatska. Jednostavno od trenutka kad sletim u Ameriku i kad me dočeka limuzina i kad me odvedu u hotel koji je najbolji u svijetu i kad imamo probe u areni gdje mi se svi obračaju s poštovanjem, nekako je lijepo jer to u Hrvatskoj je teško doživjeti ... dobiti napokon ovakav respekt za sve ove godine rada, u Americi, je prije svega šamar Hrvatskoj što mi je izuzetno drago jer sam se mučio stvarno ovdje, nisam mogao s nikim dobiti ugovor, svi su me htjeli držati pod svoje, raditi mi pjesme, raditi od mene ono što rade od drugih mladih izvođača, ja nisam htio, i onda se morala dogoditi Amerika da bi me napokon počeli zvati ovdje ... diskografska kuća može štopati izvođača i postavljati uvjete, tu privremenu mjeru gdje zabrane da se uopće pojavljuješ i izdaješ išta bez njih i da oni ti ne žele išta izdat. To se meni dogodilo s jednom našom diskografskom kućom, i sedam godina sam sjedio doma, nisam smio svirat, nisam smio ništa, na kraju sam uspio raskinuti ugovor. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Barabanov, Gleb; Mrazik, Tina (17 December 2017). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve". South Florida Insider. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Marshall, Clay (2 February 2018). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra Emerges Triumphant on First Holiday Tour Following Founder's Death". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ Greene, Tammy (11 December 2017). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra live at the Citizens Business Bank Arena". Greene Sound Lens Photography. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Croatia's ANIMAL DRIVE Signs With FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL". Blabbermouth.net. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Poljak, Vanda (21 November 2017). "Animal drive, bend Dina Jelusića, prvi je bend u hrvatskoj povijesti s albumom koji izlazi u cijelom svijetu" (in Croatian). Net.hr. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "ANIMAL DRIVE Covers SKID ROW, WARRANT, WHITESNAKE Classics On 'Back To The Roots' EP". Blabbermouth.net. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Thorley, Andy (19 March 2019). "Review: Animal Drive - Back To The Roots (2019)". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Johnson, Darren (12 March 2019). "Ep review: Animal Drive - Back To The Roots". Get Ready to Rock!. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Barnard, Rich (9 April 2019). "Animal Drive - Back To The Roots EP (Album Review)". Red Guitar Music. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Ćosić, Morana (27 January 2019). "'Razvalio' Vanninu pjesmu: Svi pričaju o nastupu Dine Jelusića" (in Croatian). 24sata. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Pobjedio najmlađi pjevački par - Tara Thaller i Dino Jelusić!" (in Croatian). Večernji list. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "RESTLESS SPIRITS Featuring Tony Hernando - "Restless Spirits"". Frontiers Music. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Front Row Joe (29 December 2018). "GEORGE LYNCH Has Recorded A 'Super-Fun' Album With TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Vocalist DINO JELUSIC". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Dirty Shirley". Frontiers Music. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Mann, Wojciech (2 June 2020). "Recenzja płyty: Dirty Shirley, "Dirty Shirley"" [Album review: Dirty Shirley, "Dirty Shirley"]. Polityka (in Polish). Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Welcome to Whitesnake Dino Jelusick!!!". Whitesnake. 27 July 2021. from the original on 27 July 2021.
- ^ Mineur, Matthias (25 March 2022). "Michael Romeo WAR OF THE WORLDS PT. 2". Metal Hammer (Germany) (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Animal Drive official website
- Dino Jelusick-Animal Drive official YouTube channel