Arsen Dedić ([ǎrsen děːditɕ]) is a Croatian singer-songwriter who has been prominent in the Croatian as well as former Yugoslav music scene. Dedić writes and performs chansons as well as film music. He is also an award-winning poet, and has been one of the best-selling poets of former Yugoslavia.

Biography

Arsen Dedić was born in Šibenik to a poor Montenegrin Orthodox family and was baptized under the name Arsenije, after Archbishop Arsenije III Čarnojević. His father Jovan was a bricklayer, volunteer firefighter and musician, and his mother Jelka was an illiterate housewife, whom Arsen later taught. He finished music school. He and his older brother Milutin Dedić (named after Stefan Milutin) left Šibenik for Zagreb and Belgrade, respectively, in 1957. Milutin is since a painter and columnist still living in Belgrade. Arsen studied law at Zagreb but drops out in 1959, enrolling in the Music Academy of Zagreb - receiving a diploma in 1964.

Arsen became a household name in the 1960s, thanks to pop music festivals and his brand of music, which was at first influenced by Dalmatian folklore, but is mostly comparable to the French chanson genre. Throughout the decades Dedić became one of the most respected musicians in former SFR Yugoslavia and maintained this reputation to this day.

Notable books of poetry include:


"Brod u Boci" (Croatia Concert, Zagreb, 1971)
"Hotel Balkan" (Znanje, Zagreb, 1987)
"101 Pjesma" (Svjetlost, Sarajevo, 1989)

Arsen Dedić is married to German-born Croatian pop singer Gabi Novak. Their son Matija Dedić is one of the most respected jazz musicians in Croatia, and has together with Marina a daughter "Lu". They also have a daughter, Sandra.