On this day in 2015, Kemal Monteno died in Zagreb. Many knew him as an excellent singer-songwriter and inimitable performer, whose songs remained a lasting inspiration for generations.
Kemal Monteno, born in 1948 in Sarajevo, left behind a rich career that lasted more than four decades. During that time, he released numerous albums, original records, and the songs he created became an unforgettable part of our musical heritage.
With his unique style, Monteno won the hearts of the audience throughout the former Yugoslavia and beyond
His career began in 1967 with a performance at the festival “Vaš šlager sezone”, where he immediately gained great popularity with the song “Lidija”. Later, he regularly won first places at numerous festivals, and some of his most famous songs, such as “Zemljo moja”, “Sarajevo, ljubavi moja” and “Nekako s proljeća”, became true anthems of the city of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
His songs were unifying songs, loved by all generations. The song “Sarajevo, my love” remained his most recognizable song, which Kemal Monteno always performed at every performance.
This ballad, which he composed to the lyrics of his friend Alija Hafizović, became an eternal dedication to his native Sarajevo, a city to which Kemal was unwaveringly loyal throughout his entire career.
Monteno was also a man who, despite his success and popularity, shunned fame and always considered himself an “ordinary Sarajevo” – a man of the people, a singer who was not far away and unattainable.
His songs stayed with people, not only in peaceful times, but also in the most difficult moments. During the war in the nineties, while the siege of Sarajevo was one of the longest sieges in history, Monteno sang the song “Letter to a Friend”, which the Sarajians renamed “Da ti roknu samo dvije”.
This song was a symbol of hope and recovery, and the recorded video became a lasting memory of a difficult but heroic time.
Although he was not the loudest political activist, Kemal Monteno was a strong ambassador of Sarajevo and the soul of this city with his works and songs, and his music was, and remains, an indelible part of post-war Sarajevo.
After the war, Monteno continued his musical career, giving sold-out concerts
During his rich musical career, Kemal created not only his own musical signature on the domestic entertainment and music scene, but also contributed with his songs to the success of his fellow singers, as well as friends such as Arsen Dedić, Zdravko Čolić, Oliver Dragojević, Tereza Kesovija, Gabi Novak, Ismeta Krvavac, Dražen Žerić Žera and others.
His musical legacy, the songs that are recognizable throughout the former Yugoslavia, still bring back memories of times gone by, but also of the strength and beauty that Monteno left with his creativity, Klix.ba writes.
