Dunja Knebl
Dunja Knebl | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Acoustic Folk Ethnic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, translator |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Guitar |
| Years active | 1993–present[1] |
Dunja Knebl (born 1946, Zagreb) is an acoustic folk and ethno music singer/performer and translator from Croatia.
Knebl was born in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia and lived in Skopje, Belgrade, Karlovac, but has also lived in Washington, Moscow and Jakarta. After completing her studies of English and Russian she spent most of her life working as a translator and language teacher, in her free time she sang folk songs to her friends.
She began performing professionally in 1993, and released her first solo album in 1994, an MC with 12 songs collected by Florijan Andrašec, one of the people she mentions as having a great influence on her music.[2]
In 1997 she was nominated for the music award Porin, the Croatian equivalent of a Grammy, in the Best singer category. As of 2010[update] she released eleven albums and appeared on five other compilations.
The majority of the songs she sings are from Croatia (especially from the region Međimurje), but also from the USA, Macedonia and Russia. She is quoted as saying that her greatest achievement is the inclusion of her album Iz globline srca in the London-based A Rough Guide to World Music where she is recommended as an introduction to ethno-music from Croatia.[3]
Additionally, she translated several Croatian cook-books into English, and the biographical monodrama Why I became a singer at the age of 47 or the fear of cloning was performed by the singer over two dozen times since 1997.[4]
Knebl is most noted for her crystal-clear voice and very simple music arrangements, often only with improvised instruments or even without any. The songs she sings are slow, mellow and often sad and melancholic. Most of all she likes to record songs she has never heard.[3]
Recent collaboration with Roko Margeta for 'Svilarica Svilu Prede' with songs from Slavonia was featured on Transglobal World Music Chart for January 2021.[5]
Album Songbook Songs was in top 20 of Balkan World Music Chart 2021, and reviewed by Marija Vitas of World Music Association of Serbia as: '... impressive album, with each song approached differently, with a lot of care and sense for detail. In the same time, the whole concept is crystal clear, and exceptionally coherent as a whole.'[6][7]
Discography
[edit]- Čuješ, golob, čuješ (MC, 1994)
- ...Jer bez tebe nema mene (CD/MC, 1996)
- Croatian folk songs from Međimurje (MC, 1998)
- Iz globline srca (CD/MC, 1998)
- Četiri frtalji (CD/MC, 2000)
- Da sam barem guska (CD/MC, 2002)
- Polje široko, nebo visoko (CD/MC, 2005)
- Kite i kitice (CD/MC, 2007)
- Dođe Božić oj, koledo! (CD/MC, 2008)
- Spevala mi papiga (CD/MC, 2009)
- Jelen pase (2010)
- 33 balade (3x CD, 2019) with Hrvoje Nikšić[8]
- Tamo gori (2020)
- Svilarica svilu prede (2019) with Roko Margeta
- Songbook Songs/Pjesme iz knjiga-pjesmarica (2020) with Roko Margeta[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Muzika.hr - Dunja Knebl slavi punoljetnost na sceni". Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ "..::/Dunja knebl/..::".
- ^ a b "Biography – by others". Dunja Knebl. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ "SENSES 2002". www.easadino.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ admin. "January 2020 Chart". Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ "Top 20 of 2021, The Best Albums - Balkan World Music Chart". World Music Asocijacija Srbije. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "SONGBOOK SONGS - Dunja Knebl & Roko Margeta - Recenzija albuma". World Music Asocijacija Srbije. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Dunja Knebl je za svoj novi album udružila Geenger Records i Zvuk Močvare | Novosti.hr" (in Croatian). 2 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ "Dunja Knebl i Roko Margeta novom pjesmom najavljuju drugi zajednički album". Novi list. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
