Talk:Daniel (singer)

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Daniel didn't represent Croatia but Montenegro (TV Titograd) with "Dzuli" at Yugoslav national final 1983 and after his victory the same song represented Yugoslavia. He made his career in Croatia but that year song "Dzuli" was chose of Montenegro and not Croatia. Montenegro represented Yugoslavia also a year later, 12984 with "Ciao amore" by Izolda Barudzija and Vlado Kalember.

[edit] Daniel or Danijel? And is his mother Belgian or Montenegrin?

First, I propose that the article be moved back to Daniel (singer). Daniel (not Danijel) is the name he is known under internationally (after all, this is the English Wikipedia) and apparently also locally (look him up at balkanmedia.com and check out the album covers). Second, since I do not know neither Daniel nor his mother personally, I cannot say with absolute certainty that his mother is Belgian. However, I know for a fact that Daniel himself has said in interviews (back in the 80s) that he was born in Montenegro to a Montenegrin father and a Belgian mother and that he spent some of his childhood in Belgium. I just wonder: Why would he do that if it was not true? (He also said that he had a sister and a brother.) Furthermore, there are several sources that list his date of birth as October 29, 1955, among them the Internet Movie Database, so why was that piece of information removed? Finally, I really do not understand why someone deleted the paragraph about Daniel's popularity elsewhere in Europe (and the television show that he performed in) – hence, I will reenter it. P.S. I welcome any and all comments and opinions. SummertimeRain 01:39, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

As far as moving the article from Danijel to Daniel goes I think it's fine to go ahead and do that. He is frequently referred to as Danijel in the Balkans' press even though all of his album releases explicitly cite him as Daniel. The reason for that, at least in Serbian and Montenegrin press, is the language rule of writing as you speak. This article was actually already named Daniel before someone moved it to Danijel.
As for his supposed Belgian roots I think it's a bunch of horse shit. I have a lot of close family in Podgorica (formerly Titograd) and I end up spending plenty of time there every year. It's a very provincial, parochial town where everybody pretty much knows everything there is to know about everyone else living there, especially if the particular local person is sort of well-known as Daniel obviously is. I know for a fact that his family (Popovic) comes from a village in Zeta plain near Podgorica.
Also on one occassion couple of years ago, as we were walking the streets, my relative pointed out a woman in her 70s or 80s sitting on a ground level balcony (sort of like a perch) and said: "That's Daniel's mother". I didn't explicitly inquire about her nationality but she looked like a typical local old woman in a head scarf (baba), and the chances of her being Belgian are slim to none. Now, I guess there's also the possibilty that my relative didn't have a proper info about that woman being Daniel's mother, but I doubt it. I guess I can ask him to elaborate the next time I see him.
In fact, the whole "Belgian story" is, I believe, completely made up by Daniel to make himself seem a little more distinguished and important on the local pop scene where foreign (especially if its from Western Europe) is often equated with quality and progress. I don't have any proof that he did this, but I wouldn't put it past him to pull a thing like that, especially having in mind that he hid his real name and ethnic origin for so long when he moved to Zagreb. It's fairly obvious that he harbours some sort of a complex about his humble origins, so I guess in his mind inventing a Belgian mother sounds a lot better than saying that his mother is a local peasant from Montenegro.User:Zvonko
I guess the article should be moved back to Daniel (singer) then. Regarding the business about his mother being Belgian or not, it really would be interesting to find out for sure. So, would you mind talking to your relative about it again? In the meantime, check out these sites and let me know what you think: [1], [2], and ESC Helsinki 2007 (scroll down to the 'Reactions' section and check out some of the comments).
The funny thing is, in the old interviews and articles that I've read, Daniel seemed to be proud of his Montenegrin origin. Therefore, I find it quite strange that he would invent Belgian relatives due to some feeling of inferiority for being Montenegrin. Also, he made no attempt at hiding his birth name, although he did try to pass himself off as being three years younger than he really was at one point. SummertimeRain 00:59, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
I did talk to my relative. And guess what - turns out Daniel's mother REALLY IS Belgian, or at least that's what my cousin claims. Shows how much I know. :-)
Apparently, according to my cousin, her name is Nadine (not sure about the original spelling).
Well, go figure. All I have to say is that she blended in extremely well with the local surroundings. Having actually seen the woman with my own eyes, I would've bet anything that she's a local peasant or something along those lines. Looks are definitely deceiving, I suppose. Zvonko 01:57, 1 April 2007 (UTC)