Meri Cetinic

Svim citateljima Crown-a sretnu i uspjesnu Novu 2003 godinu zelim.Nesto vise o meni mozete naci na mojim Web stranicamahttp://www.mericetinic.com/ , gdje je medju ostalog i moj zadnji album "Malo mora na mom dlanu",za koji sam dobila nagradu "Porin" kao najbolji album zabavne glazbe u 2001.godini.Gdje god bili saljem vam moje najiskrenije cestitke i veliki pozdrav iz nase lijepe Hrvatske

MeriCetinic.

Hello to the readers of Crown, wishing you a happy and successful New year!

If you wish, you can visit my web site http://www.mericetinic.com/ where you can find more information about me, including my newest album '' A Bit of Sea on the Palm of my Hand '' that won a Porin award - best Croatian album for the year 2001.
Wherever you are, I send you sincerest greetings from Croatia!

Meri

Op-ed

Meri is one of our Croatian's DIVA. Consistent in her musical carrier andadmired all over the world by her Croatian fans. I am one of them. Genuine andstrong Dalmatinka. Support her !

Nenad Bach

Meri Cetinic´ was born June 15 1953 in Split, Croatia. Her family background is from Blato on the island ofKorcula, where her parents were born, moving later to Split at the beginning of the 1950s, when Meri wasborn. Growing up in a humble albeit harmonic family atmosphere, alongside a father who was an electrician, mother housekeeper and two older brothers – Ante and Boris – she began to show signs of exceptional musical talent, singing in particular, at a very early age. As a child she began to perform in public, and during elementary school took all the lead roles in schoolperformances. Meri completed her secondary school education at the Music High School and graduated from the Teacher’s Academy in Split with a major in Music.

Her brother Ante, 5 years older than Meri, proved to be an influential and respected musician inSplit. All the greatest musical talents in Split at the time would get together in their apartment, and Meri, still a child, would stand aside absorbing them all.

At an early age she began to listen to Black American musicians, loving both Blues and Gospel music. At 14 she won 1st place with the song “Warm and Tender Love” by Percy Sledge, at the “Raspjevanom proljecu” (Springtime) Festival in Split. At 15 she became a member of the CHE band as an organist. Meri, at that time, played the first Hammond organ in thecity. When she was 17 she stopped with CHE and began to sing in the group Delfini (Dolphins) as a solo vocal singer, touring for the first time across the former USSR. Her repertoire consisted mainly of songs by Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and similar groups and singers. 

Soon after she began to sing with the Delfini she broke with the group in order to enroll into the Teacher’s Academy in Split, and studied voice with Prof. Branka Ristic´. At the Academy she meets Slobodan M.Kovacevic´ with whom she forms the group More (The Sea), wherein Meri plays piano and is the solo vocalist. Alongside S. M.Kovacevic´, Meri becomes a composer and arranges music for the band. They release several singles and the album “More” which made great success, as did its cover song “More”. Furthermore, at the “Splitski festival”, (Split Festival) the group achieves two more successes with the hit songs “Gdje god dapodjes?” (Wherever You May Go) and “Samo simpatija” (Just a Sweetheart). After several successful and flourishing years with More, Meri begins here own solo musical career. 

Her main partner was her brother Ante, who at the time was already living in the Netherlands, and with his assistance she recorded a number of albums:
 “Meri” (1979), recorded in Zagreb with leading studio musicians and the “Zagreb Soloists”
 “Ja sam zena” (I’m a Woman) (1980), recorded in Arnhem, Netherlands, is Meri’s first complete author’s work. A number of Dutch musicians play a part in the recording of the album, which went diamond and as such became the first diamond album in Croatian pop music. 
“U prolazu” (In Passing) (1981), Arnhem
“As” (Ace) (1982), Arnhem
 “Pras?ina s puta” (Dust on the Road) (1983), Arnhem 

Meri composed her own songs on all of these albums, with lyrics by Ivica Flesch,Jaksa Fiamengo, Krsto Juras and Momcilo Popadic. Meri sang all the backup vocals and played the piano, while the entire production and arrangement of the music, and all other instruments were played by her brother Ante Cetinic´. 

Parallel to this author’s album, in cooperation with the composer Zdenko Runjic´, Meri performs mainly at recurring Split Festivals, and year after year wins with songs such as “Lastavica” (Swallow),“Cetiri stadjuna” (Four Seasons), “U prolazu” (In Passing), and later with songs “Konoba” (Tavern) (S. M.Kovacevic´ – Sunjic´), “Zemlja dide mog” (My Homeland) (V. Barc?ot – I. Cetinic´), and others. 

Remaining albums: 
1 “Meri VI”
2 “Zlatni snovi” (Golden Dreams) in cooperation with Z. Runjic´ – M.Dosen
3 “Potrazi me” (Look for Me) (1988) in cooperation with Ivo Lesic´
4 “Zasto te volim” (1992) (Why do I Love You?) in cooperation with Remi Kazinotti

After her move to Zagreb in 1996, Meri records another complete author’s album entitled “Putovanja” (Journeys) (1998). She records most of it in Zagreb (a small part of the album is recorded in Split) with studio musicians from the popular group Song Killers. Meri herself arranged all the songs and co-produced the album with Ante Pecotic´ and Jos?ko Banov. It is on this album that Ivana, Meri’s daughter, makes her debut performance, and the two of them work together. 

Her most recent album “Malo mora na mom dlanu” (A Bit of Sea in the Palm of My Hand), a live concert recording from the National Theatre in Split, Meri works together with her long-standing friends (Banov, Brodaric´,Siriscevic´…), and singing with her as her guests and friends are Oliver,Kondza, Tedi, klapa Kumpanja and other klape.The album received the Porin award for best pop album in 2001. 

Other than studio recordings and festivals, Meri has been touring across Croatia and performing at concerts.She often visits the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries. 

Albums:
1. “More” – (pianist and solo vocal singer in the group More)

Solo albums:
2. “Meri” – gold
3. “Ja sam zena” – diamond (I’m a Woman)
4. “U prolazu” – platinum (In Passing)
5. “As” – gold (Ace)
6. “Pras?ina s puta” – gold (Dust on the Road)
7. “Meri VI” 
8. “Potrazi me” – platinum (Look for Me)
9. “Zlatni snovi” (Golden Dreams)
10. “Zasto te volim” (Why Do I Love You?)
11. “Putovanja” (Journeys)
12. “Malo mora na mom dlanu” – (A Bit of Sea on the Palm of My Hand) 

PORIN (award for best pop album in 2001)

Compilations:
1. “Najvec´i uspjesi” (Greatest Hits)
2. “Sve najbolje – More, more” (Best of – the Sea, the Sea) (1994)