1983–1991 At the beginning of 1980s,
Edin Dervišhalidović was an aspiring young musician working in Uljanik factory. In 1985, he formed the band Merlin. However, owing to Bijelo Dugme-influenced songs like "U kandžama jastreba" ("In the Claws of a
Goshawk"), "Jutro u Split" ("Morning in
Split") and "Ljubav nije paradajz" ("Love Is Not a Tomato"), the album sold 60,000 copies, much to the surprise of the Yugoslav music press. the band recorded commercially less successful album, with the songs "Lelo" ("(Oh) Lela"), "Božić je" ("It's Christmas") and "Niko kao ja" ("No One Like Me") becoming only minor hits. The song "Kad ti dođem nesrećo" ("When I Come to You, Misfortune") featured a quotation from the old hit "Šta će mi život" ("What Do I Need Life For") by folk singer
Silvana Armenulić. At the time, Dervišhalidović wrote a number of successful songs for folk singer
Vesna Zmijanac, including the duet "Kad zamirišu jorgovani" ("When the Smell of
Lilacs Is in the Air") recorded by the two. With their following studio album, the 1989
Nešto lijepo treba da se desi (
Something Nice Is About to Happen), the band continued to follow trends on the Yugoslav pop scene, turning more to folk-oriented sound. The song "Mjesečina", which became a major hit, was a cover of
UB40 1988 song "
Where Did I Go Wrong", although UB40 were not credited on
Nešto lijepo treba da se desi. The album also included a new version of "Kad zamirišu jorgovani". Folk-oriented tracks "Bosnom behar probeharao" ("The Smell of Flowers Spread Over Bosnia") and "Je l' Sarajevo gdje je nekad bilo" ("Is Sarajevo Where It Used to Be") became large hits and provided Dervišhalidović with offers to write songs for popular Yugoslav acts like
Lepa Brena,
Zdravko Čolić,
Hari Varešanović, and others. In 1990, the group released their last studio album, entitled
Peta strana svijeta (
Fifth Side of the World). The album brought the successful songs "Harmonika" ("Accordion"), "Sa mojih usana" ("From My Lips") and "Šta ti značim ja" ("What I Mean to You"). Just before the outbreak of
Yugoslav Wars in 1991, the band released the compilation album
Hitovi (
Hits), and made a cameo appearance in
Ratko Ozrović's comedy film
Bračna putovanja (
Marital Trips), with songs from their studio albums used as the film's soundtrack. In the summer of 1991, Dervišhalidović appeared on the
Yutel for Peace concert, performing a cover of
Queen song "
We Will Rock You" entitled "Ljubav nema granica" ("Love Knows No Borders"). With the outbreak of Bosnian War, Merlin ended their activity.
Post breakup During the Bosnian War, Dervišhalidović recorded several patriotic songs, including "
Jedna si jedina" ("You're the One and Only"), which was until 1998 used as the anthem of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. He represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the
1993 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "
Sva bol svijeta" ("All the Pain of the World"). In 1994, he released the compilation of Merlin's ballads entitled
Balade 1984 - 1994, dedicating it to the band's bass guitarist Aleksandar Aćimović, keyboardist Mustafa Nurak and manager Kemal Bisić, all of whom lost their lives in the war. In 1993, he released his first solo album
Moja bogda sna, starting a career of one of the most popular and commercially successful
pop singers in the former Yugoslav region. After the disbandment of Merlin, Bjelanović continued his career a studio musician, cooperating with a number of acts, most prominently singers
Mladen Vojičić "Tifa" and Zlatan Fazlić. In 1999, he released his solo album
Pancirna duša (
Bulletproof Soul), featuring instrumentals composed by himself and Damir Arslanagić and recorded during Bosnian War. The album included an instrumental cover of the old
sevdalinka "Mehmeda majka budila" ("Mehmed Was Awaken by His Mother"). Bjelanović died on 11 September 2019. ==Discography==