School: High school of art… Read Full Bio ↴Born: 4th June 1992 :Place: Zagreb, Croatia
School: High school of art 4rd degree (out of 4)
Music high school, sel. Piano, 3rd degree (out of 4)
Dino Jelusić (born 4 June 1992), also known by his stage name Dino Jelusick], is a Croatian singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the founder, principal songwriter, and lead singer of the progressive rock band Animal Drive, which was formed in 2012 and since 2017 has been signed to Frontiers Records. Since 2016, Jelusick has been a touring member for the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He was the winner of the inaugural edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, in 2003.
Jelusick wrote his first English song at the age of seven. In 2003, he participated in the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest, in Denmark, with a song he wrote at the age of ten, "Ti si moja prva ljubav", and won with 134 points. Jelusick released his debut solo album as Dino, "No. 1", in 2003, and an English version a year later. He toured the United States, Scandinavia, and Australia until 2005, and the tour included four large concerts in Denmark with a combined audience of 100,000 people. The same year, Jelusick became the youngest nominee of the Croatian music award Porin, at the age of twelve.
In 2009, Jelusick began recording a new studio album in Melbourne, Australia, with producer Mark Berry, and finalized it with Swedish producer Robert Ahrling in Malmö. The album, released in August 2011 again as Dino, was titled "Living My Own Life".
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 as Dino Jelusick.
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, "Stone Leaders" which was eventually released in March 2019. 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.
The same year, Jelusick won four awards at the Discovery festival in Bulgaria, one of which was for his song "Father". In 2016, 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 and took part in their 2016 winter tour. 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".
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 them in 2017. Their debut studio album, "Bite!", was released in February 2018. 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, and Roxette's "The Look" (with guest vocalist Rosa Laricchiuta) as its second single, in May 2019.
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.
In May 2019, Lords of Black's Tony Hernando released a self-titled album with his solo project called 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 Deen Castronovo, Johnny Gioeli, and Alessandro Del Vecchio. In late 2018, Jelusick recorded vocals and keyboards for a George Lynch project album titled 'Dirty Shirley'. The self-titled album was released in January 2020.
Dino was also featured singer on two songs on Magnus Karlsson‘s “Free Fall” album. In 2020, Dino joined ex-Krokus members and Mandy Mayer (Gotthard, Asia, Unisonic) for a concert project named Gotus and they released a video for the song “Souls Alive” (Unisonic). In July 2021, Jelusick joined Whitesnake as a backing vocalist. In March 2022, Jelusick teamed up with Michael Romeo, performing all vocals on Romeo's solo album War of the Worlds, Pt. 2. In 2022, Dino joined The Dead Daisies tour replacing Glenn Hughes who got unwell at the end of November 2022.
A two-year long legal battle with Dino’s ex-label was over and he immediately started recording new songs for his band Jelusick, consisting of Dino (lead vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards), Ivan Keller (guitars), Luke Broderick (bass) and Mario Lepoglavec (drums) , releasing their debut album 'Follow The Blind Man via Escape Music Ltd. on September 29, 2023.
1st stage appearance: 1998
1st TV show: 1998
1st international festival: 1999
Live stage performances: 200+
Composed: 20+ songs
Music business awards: youngest performer nominated for Croatian music award (age 11)
11 International festivals - 10 awards
List of some performances:
TV and live shows:"Turbo Limach Show" 1998, 1999 & 2000
Croatian Eurosong contest 1999 - show programme
Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
ATP Challenger Tennis Tournament - Zagreb Open- 1999
Turbovision TV show - 2001
1st charity solo concert in Zagreb - 2001
Main role in a musical in our most famous theatre "Komedija" (Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago...)
Solo stadium concert with famous guests, Zagreb 2004
Festival in Dubrovnik
Guest star on New York festival in April
Christmas concert in Croatian National Theatre with philharmonic orchestra, Ave Maria and Silent night - a duet with opera diva Sandra Bagaric
Golden star festival, Bucharest, Romania - show programme
Big tour through Croatia and Bosnia 2004 - 2005
Boom Boom - TV show in Denmark 2004
Norway 2nd JESC guest star
Aah Abe tour through Denmark (4 concerts - 100.000 people)
Langeland festival, Denmark, 2005, (4 days, 10 stages) UB40, Ronan Keating and Dino - only international guests
Tour to Australia, 7 solo concerts in Croatian clubs, 2004/2005...
1st album "No.1" released in Croatia + international version released in 13 countries.
Genre: rock, pop-rock, west coast rock
Influences: Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Europe, Nickelback, Daughtry, Toto, Queen
Web site: www.dino.hr
Sport: table tennis, skiing, tennis
Festivals & results:
1999 INF, Cairo, Egypt
4th place (5 - 9 years category)
2000, Bjelovar, Croatia
winner by audience, 2nd place by jury
2000, Zagreb, Croatia
McDonalds, winner
2001 INF, Cairo, Egypt
3rd place (5 - 9 years category)
2001, Figuera da Foz, Portugal
winner
2001, Bucharest, Romania, Golden star festival
Popularity Award & Press Award.
2002: Veo-veo, Alicante - Spain
2002, Igea Marina, Italy, Super Grand Prix
winner
2002, Bucharest, Romania, Golden star festival
3rd prize
2002, Kaunas, Lithuania
winner
2003, INF, Cairo, Egypt
FIDOF award
2003, Zagreb, Croatia, Jesc national perselection
winner
2003, Copenhagen, Denmark,
1st Junior Eurovision song contest
winner
don't cry
Dino Jelusić Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the time when I'll be leaving
Departing your face says it all
Love that's like steel, pure and forgone
Try to conceal, now it's said and done
Don't cry, those tears hide
A future you can't see
And picture perfectly
Don't cry
The spaces between your words
The emptiness, I'm sorry girl
You're hurting I won't say goodbye
Why do I feel like I'm in the wrong
You've got to believe, you've got to be strong
Don't cry, those tears hide
A future you can't see
No don't cry, just close your eyes
And picture perfectly
Don't cry
Don't cry (I'm broken hearted)
I don't want to leave
No I don't want to leave
I wish I could turn right back around
I don't want to leave
No I don't want to leave
When you're this way
Don't cry, those tears hide
Cry
Don't cry, just close your eyes
Cry
No don't cry, those tears hide
A future you can't see
No don't cry, just close your eyes
And picture perfectly
No don't cry (till I've departed)
Now don't cry (I'm broken hearted)
Don't cry
Don't cry
In Dino Jelusić's song "Don't Cry," the singer is describing a difficult situation where he must leave the person he loves. The vocalist in the song is waiting silently while the other person's face reveals the emotions they are experiencing. The love between them is akin to steel, unyielding and steadfast but also over, and the singer tries to conceal the hurt by leaving without saying goodbye. However, he notices that the person is hurting and tries to tell them not to cry. In the chorus, the singer urges the person not to cry, as their tears conceal a future they cannot see; instead, they should close their eyes and imagine the future together.
The singer acknowledges that the spaces between their words and the emptiness signify the end of their relationship, and he apologizes for hurting the other person. The vocalist is aware that leaving would make him feel like he is in the wrong but encourages the person to be strong and believe in themselves. The singer repeats the chorus, telling the person not to cry, but this time, he adds his own pleas not to cry as he is also broken-hearted. In the end, the singer leaves with the hope of someday turning back around but, for now, does not want to leave.
Line by Line Meaning
You're quiet, I'm waiting
I am waiting for you to speak up as you remain silent.
For the time when I'll be leaving
I am waiting for a certain time to depart from you.
Departing your face says it all
You convey your emotions clearly on your face as I am about to leave.
Love that's like steel, pure and forgone
Our love was once strong and unbreakable, but now it is over and gone.
Try to conceal, now it's said and done
I tried to hide our relationship's problems, but now they are out in the open and cannot be changed.
Don't cry, those tears hide
Your tears are hiding the potential of a bright future for yourself.
A future you can't see
You are unable to see the good things that your future holds.
No don't cry, just close your eyes
Instead of crying, you should imagine a perfect future for yourself.
And picture perfectly
Picture a future where you are happy and fulfilled.
The spaces between your words
The silence between your words is overwhelming and indicates that there is more you want to say.
The emptiness, I'm sorry girl
I am sorry for the emptiness and sadness that you are feeling.
You're hurting I won't say goodbye
I won't leave you while you are hurting.
Why do I feel like I'm in the wrong
I feel guilty and responsible for the pain this relationship has caused you.
You've got to believe, you've got to be strong
You must believe in yourself and find the strength to move forward even when it is difficult.
Don't cry (I'm broken hearted)
I am heartbroken, but I don't want you to cry and be sad too.
I don't want to leave
I wish I didn't have to leave.
When you're this way
Seeing you so upset and hurt makes it even harder for me to leave.
No don't cry (till I've departed)
Don't cry until I have left.
Now don't cry (I'm broken hearted)
Please don't cry and add to my sadness.
Don't cry
Even though this is a difficult time, you should try not to cry and focus on a brighter future.
Contributed by Julia V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rchw8052
This guy is the next generation great rock vocalist
@JenniferRowanPsychicMedium
The band sounds excellent and Dino did a great job with vocals. Rock on brothers!!
@mdwayne741
Dino can flat out sing.. not only that he can play any instrument....very well!
@laurenirby3782
MORE Dino and Joel! You sing and play to my soul. Bravo!
@irishcmb0925
I was lucky enough to be there! Dino is AMAZING!
@wen-wen1890
Dino..... I'm a huge fan of your voice
@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle
the guy has a very good raspy rock voice......does the songs justice
@laurenirby3782
OMG! DINO! You have the most amazing, out of this world voice! Gets to my soul.WOW!
@bettinamulder4119
Great song and singer!!😁
@maximumbandsshows4363
OMG great, he will be the next singer of Whitesnake