Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a
Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionally since 1979. Bešlić's singing career was one of the most successful in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
, and continues today throughout the entire
Balkan region
Balkan Region ( tk, Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan. Clockwise from north it borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north); two provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south), and ...
.
Early life
Bešlić was born in the
Knežina village near
Sokolac,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
, while it was part of
FPR Yugoslavia.
His father Mujo Bešlić, a military man, died on 1 April 2016 at the age of 83 in a Sarajevo hospital. Halid, who was on tour in the United States at the time, managed to arrive to the funeral held in a village by
Olovo, where Mujo had lived since the start of the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
in 1992.
Career
After serving a mandatory stint in the
Yugoslav National Army, Bešlić moved from Knežina to
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajev ...
and began performing at local restaurants. After several years, his first musical releases were eight
singles between 1979 and 1982, with his first studio album, entitled ''
Sijedi starac
''Sijedi starac'' (English translation: ''White Haired Old Man'') is the first studio album by Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionall ...
'' (''White Haired Old Man''), being released in 1981.
By 1984, he started becoming more and more well known, with popular songs such as "Neću, neću dijamante" (''I Don't Want, I Don't Want Diamonds'') and "Budi budi uvijek srećna" (''Always, Always Be a Happy Woman'') being heard all over
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
.
Since then, Bešlić has recorded 17 albums and staged countless concerts.
Bešlić released eight albums during the 1980s, with hit songs including "Vraćam se majci u Bosnu" (''I Am Returning to my Mother in Bosnia''), "Sjećam se" (''I Remember''), "Hej, zoro, ne svani" (''Hey, Morning, Don't Rise'') and "Eh, kad bi ti" (''If Only You Would'').
He also had several hit songs in the 2000s and 2010s. The 2003 album ''
Prvi poljubac
''Prvi poljubac'' (English translation: ''First Kiss'') is the fifteenth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released on 4 February 2003.
Track listing
#Prvi poljubac (''First Kiss'')
#Požuri (''Hurry'')
#Lijepe ciganke (''Bea ...
'' featured the hit song of the same name. The song "Miljacka", named after
the Bosnian river, was featured on his 2007 album ''
Halid 08
''Halid 08'' is the sixteenth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 2007.
Track listing
#Miljacka
#Čardak
#Ljut na tebe (''Angry at You'')
#Ne traži me (''Do Not Look for Me'', featuring Fabrizio)
#Snježana
#Dvade ...
'' and the songs "Štiklom o kamen" (''High Heels on Stone'') and "Kad zaigra srce od meraka" (''When the Heart Dances with Joy'') were featured on ''
Romanija'' (2013). The album ''
Trebević'', named after
the Bosnian mountain, was released in February 2020.
Personal life

Bešlić married his wife Sejda in November 1977.
In the 1990s, during the
breakup of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, Bosnia
went into war and Bešlić staged more than 500 humanitarian concerts across
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
for the victims in his home country.
Bešlić has earned many awards and much financial success from his singing. Among his business interests is a gas station and hotel in the outskirts of Sarajevo.
In 2015, Bešlić acquired
Croatian citizenship.
2009 car wreck
On 10 March 2009, Bešlić left his gas station at around 4 in the morning, and ran his Škoda Superb off the road, due to icy conditions, and crashed. Bešlić who was not wearing his seat belt had had serious injuries to his face and right eye, initially being in a coma. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina showed concern after Halid's wreck, as they awaited any news regarding his condition. He would eventually make a full recovery. Attempts to save his eye were undertaken at hospitals in
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
however they were all ultimately unsuccessful. After his recovery, Halid slowly made his way back onto the music scene. Notably, he held a major concert in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...
at the end of October 2009.
He had earlier survived a car wreck in 1986 with the singer
Suzana Mančić.
Discography
;Singles
*''Grešnica'' (1979)
*''Sijedi starac'' (1980)
*''Mirela'' (1981)
*''Pjesma samo o njoj'' (1982)
;Studio albums
*''
Sijedi starac
''Sijedi starac'' (English translation: ''White Haired Old Man'') is the first studio album by Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionall ...
'' (1981)
*''
Pjesma samo o njoj
''Pjesma samo o njoj'' (English translation: ''A Song Only About Her'') is the second studio album by Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing profess ...
'' (1982)
*''
Dijamanti...'' (1984)
*''
Zbogom noći, zbogom zore
''Zbogom noći, zbogom zore'' (English translation: ''Farewell Nights, Farewell Mornings'') is the fourth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 1985.
Track listing
#Zbogom noći, zbogom zore (''Farwell Nights, Farewe ...
'' (1985)
*''
Otrov
''Otrov'' ( English translation: ''Poison'') is the fifth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 1986.
Track listing
#Otrov mi dajte (''Give Me Poison'')
#Vraćam se majci u Bosnu (''I Am Returning to my Mother in Bos ...
'' (1986)
*''
Zajedno smo jači'' (1986)
*''
Eh, kad bi ti rekla mi, volim te'' (1987)
*''
Mostovi tuge
''Mostovi tuge'' (English translation: ''Bridges of Sorrow'') is the eighth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionally si ...
'' (1988)
*''
Opet sam se zaljubio
''Opet sam se zaljubio'' (English translation: ''I Fell in Love Again'') is the ninth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing profess ...
'' (1990)
*''
Ljiljani
''Ljiljani'' (English translation: ''Lilies'') is the tenth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionally since 1979. Bešli ...
'' (1991)
*''
Grade moj
''Grade moj'' (English translation: ''My Town'') is the eleventh studio album of Bosnians, Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 1993.
Track listing
#Ja se Bosni spremam (''I'm Getting Ready For Bosnia'')
#Kad tad (''As Soon as Possi ...
'' (1993)
*''
Ne zovi me, ne traži me
''Ne zovi me, ne traži me'' (English translation: ''Don't Call Me, Don't Look for Me'') is the twelfth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić
Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been ...
'' (1996)
*''
Robinja
''The Slave Girl'' ( hr, Robinja) is a 1530 play by Croatian author Hanibal Lucić. It is considered to be the first original Croatian play and one of Europe's earliest secular dramas. The play is about a noble Croatian girl who becomes imprisone ...
'' (1998)
*''
U ime ljubavi
''U ime ljubavi'' (English language, English translation: ''In the Name of Love'') is the fourteenth studio album of Bosnians, Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 2000.
Track listing
#U ime ljubavi (''In the Name of Love'')
#Srce le ...
'' (2000)
*''
Prvi poljubac
''Prvi poljubac'' (English translation: ''First Kiss'') is the fifteenth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released on 4 February 2003.
Track listing
#Prvi poljubac (''First Kiss'')
#Požuri (''Hurry'')
#Lijepe ciganke (''Bea ...
'' (2003)
*''
Halid 08
''Halid 08'' is the sixteenth studio album of Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It was released in 2007.
Track listing
#Miljacka
#Čardak
#Ljut na tebe (''Angry at You'')
#Ne traži me (''Do Not Look for Me'', featuring Fabrizio)
#Snježana
#Dvade ...
'' (2007)
*''
Romanija'' (2013)
*''
Trebević'' (2020)
;As featured artist
*''Ne zna juče da je sad'' (''Yesterday Does Not Know That It's Today'', 2011) with
Viki Miljković
;Concerts
*''
Hala "Pionir" Beograd (uživo)'' (1988)
*''Koncert Skenderija'' (2001)
*''Halid Bešlić i gosti: Zetra Live'' (2004)
*''Halid Bešlić i Crvena Jabuka: Melbourne, Australia'' (2012)
Filmography
References
External links
Halid Beslic 15 Godina Estrade - 1 Nimfa Sound Album
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beslic, Halid
1953 births
Living people
People from Sokolac
Naturalized citizens of Croatia
Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosniaks of Croatia
20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers
21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers
Yugoslav male singers
Bosnia and Herzegovina folk-pop singers
Sevdalinka
Hayat Production artists
Musicians with disabilities