Fuad Backović (born 12 April 1982), better known by his stage name Deen, is a Bosnian pop recording artist, reality star and fashion designer. Backović was the lead singer of the Bosnian

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

7Up from 1997 until 2002, when he became a solo artist. He represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song " In the Disco". In 2008, Backović competed on the reality television show ''

Farma ''The Farm'' is a reality competition television franchise created by the Swedish producer Strix. Sold to more than 40 countries, ''The Farm'' is one of their most popular formats, including '' Survivor'', '' The Bar'' or ''Fame Factory''. In s ...

''. That same year, he retired from music to become a fashion designer, but revived his music career in November 2015 when he agreed to represent his country once again at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2016 The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song " Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organised by the European Broadcastin ...

with the song "

Ljubav je Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Ljubav je" written by Almir Ajanović and Jasmin Fazlić Jala. The song was performed by Dalal and Deen featuring Ana Rucner and Jala. Dalal and Deen are Bosni ...

" together with Dalal Midhat-Talakić,

Ana Rucner Ana Rucner (born 12 February 1983) is a Croatian cellist. She represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with Dalal Midhat-Talakić, Deen and Jasmin Fazlić Jala with the song " Ljubav je" performing it on 10 May 201 ...

and rapper

Jala Brat Jasmin Fazlić (born 16 October 1986), known by his stage name Jala Brat, is a Bosnian rapper and hip-hop recording artist, songwriter and producer. He is best known for collaborating with another Bosnian rapper Buba Corelli. Jala also repres ...

Early life

Fuad Backović was born on 12 April 1982 in

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 Sarajevo ...

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 ...

, then

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

. When Backović was two years old, his father Zaim Backović, who worked as a representative of a construction company in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, relocated to the Middle Eastern country for six years. The name Fuad means "heart" in Arabic, while his stage name Deen is taken from the Arabic '' Dīn'' meaning "faith". Backović has stated his love for music stems from his mother Sabina, an amateur singer who gave up the prospect of a career in music to get a degree in Economics and later on, to raise a family. Backović has a younger brother named Faris. The

war in Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 ...

from 1992 to 1996, stands out as the most difficult moments in his life. He spent most of the war with his mother, brother, grandparents and other family members in the basement of the family home in the Koševo neighborhood of Sarajevo, while his father was in the battlefield, a soldier in the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of ...

. Following the war, his father became a politician, serving as the Minister of Economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a member of the Bosnian parliament.

Career

At the age of 12, Fuad Backović took his first musical steps by recording his first song in 1994. The song was recorded in a musical studio called Studio Number 1 owned by

PBSBiH BHRT (Bosnian-Herzegovinian Radio Television) ''Bosanskohercegovačka radiotelevizija''/ ''Босанскохерцеговачка радиотелевизија'') formerly known as PBSBiH (Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

. Gradually his local success grew and obtained the attention of Sarajevo record labels. By 1997, Backović took the opportunity to become the lead singer of the Bosnian

7Up. The band released two albums, ''Otvori oči'' (1998) and ''Seven'' (2000). The band enjoyed great success in Bosnia and the neighboring countries

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

and

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

. In 1998, Deen received an offer to perform for an opera choir. His vocal abilities had been noticed by the National Theater of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and he accepted the role of the lead singer for the opera choir during the production of ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

''. Backović decided to leave 7Up and become a solo artist, releasing his first studio album ''Ja sam vjetar zaljubljeni'' in 2002. In a 2007 interview he said that being a part of 7Up was an unforgettable experience which left him with many good memories. Backović has been praised for his vocal abilities by people such as

Davorin Popović Davorin Popović (23 September 1946 – 18 June 2001) was a Bosnian singer and songwriter, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was well known throughout the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and frontman of the progressive and pop rock ba ...

Kemal Monteno Kemal Monteno (17 September 1948 – 21 January 2015) was a Bosnian recording artist and singer-songwriter whose career stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s. Early life Monteno's father Osvaldo was an Italian from Monfalcone. During World W ...

, Hajrudin Varešanović, and many others. Backović recorded the duet "Poljubi me" (Kiss Me) with the popular

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

n singer Vlatka Pokos. In 2008, Backović competed on the reality television show ''

''. That same year, he retired from music to become a fashion designer, but revived his music career in November 2015 when he agreed to represent his country once again at the

together with Dalal Midhat-Talakić,

and rapper

Eurovision Song Contest 2004

In 2004, Deen represented

at the

2004 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...

in Istanbul, with the song " In The Disco". Deen finished in ninth place with 91 points automatically earning Bosnia and Herzegovina the honour of participating in the final of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurovision Song Contest 2016

Fuad represented Bosnia and Herzegovina for the second time at the

, this time in Sweden's capital

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. He was joined by Dalal Midhat-Talakić,

and rapper

. They performed the song "

" in the second half of the first semi-final, but failed to qualify for the final, making it the first time since the introduction of the semis in 2004 that Bosnia has failed to qualify.

Personal life

Backović has lived in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and has graduated from the

Istituto Marangoni The Istituto Marangoni is a private Italian school of fashion and design. It is based in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy, and has branches in Florence, London and Paris, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, Mumbai in India, and Miami in the Unite ...

with a degree in Fashion Business. Deen now lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Backović has dodged rumors of his homosexuality for years. When asked by the Bosnian magazine ''Gracija'' in September 2010 if he had relocated to Milan to live an openly gay life outside of more conservative Bosnia, he replied that although he knew many gay people, that he was heterosexual. He also stated that he was not open to marriage. Backović was in a possible ''lavender'' relationship with Bosnian socialite Hana Hadžiavdagić, who later came out as bisexual. As of 2021, he is in a relationship with his

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

boyfriend, Will Phearson III.

Discography

* ''Otvori oči'' (1998), lead vocal of 7Up * ''Seven'' (2000), lead vocal of 7Up * ''Ja sam vjetar zaljubljeni'' (2002), first solo album * '' In the Disco'' (2004) * ''Anđeo sa greškom'' (2005) * ''Ljubav je'' (2016), with

Dalal Dalal may refer to: * Dalal, alternative name for the black grasswren of Western Australia * Dalal (name), Arabic and Indian name * Dalal Street, downtown Mumbai, India * Dalal (clan); see Mandothi See also * ''Includes persons with the forename ...

and Jala

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deen 1982 births Living people 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Bosnia and Herzegovina Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Singers from Sarajevo Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2016 Bosnia and Herzegovina LGBT people Bisexual musicians