{"id":3714,"date":"2025-12-25T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/?p=3714"},"modified":"2026-03-12T23:26:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:26:59","slug":"neno-belan-a-musician-of-measure-and-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/multimedia\/neno-belan-a-musician-of-measure-and-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Neno Belan \u2013 A Musician of Measure and Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The Rijeka Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3701\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500065106992491;width:223px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Neno Belan is one of Croatia\u2019s most recognizable singer-songwriters, whose music has left a deep mark on the pop-rock and Mediterranean sound. Born in Split on February 2, 1962, he began his career as the frontman of the legendary band \u0110avoli, later building a strong solo path and forming the Rijeka-based band Neno Belan &amp; Fiumens \u2013 with Olja De\u0161i\u0107 (bass, backing vocals), Vedran Kri\u017ean (keyboards, backing vocals), and Leo Rumora (drums), who have accompanied and shaped his distinctive sound for more than two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhenever I think of Neno, the first thing that comes to mind is his warmth and those long, beautiful conversations \u2013 not only about work, but deeply human, sincere, and full of spirit,\u201d says Katja Restovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3702\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3703\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3704\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-5-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3704\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Katja collaborated with Neno on three or four music videos and also created a short documentary film about \u0110avoli, giving their professional relationship a deeper creative dimension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A special place in her memory belongs to the music video for \u201cPono\u0107na zvona\u201d (Midnight Bells), filmed on Rijeka\u2019s main promenade, Korzo. She worked on the project with her Rijeka team \u2013 Igor Modri\u0107 and Robert Kal\u010di\u0107 \u2013 with whom she produced numerous music videos during that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a very special experience. At that time, there were no high cranes like the ones used today, so we worked with lifting platforms and played with the light of the city street lamps. Everything carried that rare spirit of collective creativity. Our friend Matejka appeared in the video, Renato added his unique presence, and the makeup was done by Robert Kozjak,\u201d Restovi\u0107 recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Belan\u2019s body of work includes numerous hits and collaborations that have shaped the regional music scene \u2013 from his time with \u0110avoli, through albums such as Luna &amp; Stelle and Rijeka snova with Fiumens, to countless concerts across Croatia and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Neno Belan - PONO\u0106NA ZVONA (official video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ct2T2_u5LSc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe> \n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWorking with Neno meant being part of a very special musical energy. It was never just about a song \u2013 it was about sharing a city, time, ideas, and laughter. I am truly proud of everything we created together and grateful that I had the privilege to be part of that chapter of his career,\u201d says Katja Restovi\u0107.<br><br>Beyond professional achievements and creative projects, what remains most valuable are the moments away from the spotlight \u2013 the conversations, the journeys, and the shared experiences that built trust and closeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are collaborations that end with a project. And then there are those that stay with you. Ours was exactly that,\u201d Restovi\u0107 concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3705\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3706\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-10-1024x710.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3706\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-9-1024x572.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3707\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3708\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3708\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3709\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3709\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3710\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-13-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3710\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3711\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-3-728x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3711\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3712\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-4-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3712\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"3713\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Neno-Belan-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3713\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Rijeka Story Neno Belan is one of Croatia\u2019s most recognizable singer-songwriters, whose music has left a deep mark on the pop-rock and Mediterranean sound. Born in Split on February 2, 1962, he began his career as the frontman of the legendary band \u0110avoli, later building a strong solo path and forming the Rijeka-based band [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,63],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-multimedia","8":"category-music-videos"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3714"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3715,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714\/revisions\/3715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}