From Animator to Legend: The Life of Gabi Novak
One of Croatia's most recognizable singers passed away on this day in 2025, just two months after her son, jazz pianist Matija Dedić.
One of Croatia's most recognizable singers passed away on this day in 2025, just two months after her son, jazz pianist Matija Dedić.
On this day, August 11, 2025, the Croatian music scene lost one of its greatest voices. Gabi Novak, a singer whose career spanned more than six decades, passed away in Zagreb. Her death came just two months after losing her son, renowned jazz pianist Matija Dedić, who died in June 2025 at the age of 53.
Born on July 8, 1936, in Berlin, she spent part of her childhood in Germany before her family moved to Hvar during World War II. After losing her father at an early age, she moved with her mother to Zagreb, where she graduated from the graphic design program at the School of Applied Arts.
Before stepping onto the stage, Gabi Novak worked as an animator at Zagreb Film's animation studio and also provided vocals for animated films. The turning point came in 1958 when she recorded the song "Sretan put" for the film "H-8." That same year, she made her first public appearance as a singer in Ljubljana with Bojan Adamič's orchestra.
She soon became a regular presence at music festivals, including Zagrebfest, the Opatija Festival, Melodije Jadrana, and the Bled Jazz Festival. Her distinctive voice and subtle interpretive style were equally at home in chanson, jazz, swing, and pop, which became her trademark.
In the late 1950s, she met Arsen Dedić in Zagreb, the man with whom she would share both her private and professional life. Their relationship developed gradually. "No, there was no thunderbolt; everything went slowly. We went through the path of friendship, were like brother and sister to each other... and one day we both realized we were meant for each other," Arsen Dedić said of their beginnings.
Before that, Gabi had been married to composer Stipica Kalogjera, while Arsen had a wife, Vesna, with whom he had a daughter, Sandra. Gabi and Arsen married in 1973, and that same year they had their son Matija Dedić, who later became one of Croatia's most famous jazz pianists. Of their relationship, Gabi said: "You discover some things, but there were no secrets between us." Arsen Dedić passed away in 2015.
Throughout her career, she recorded numerous albums and singles, and among the songs she will be remembered for are "Pamtim samo sretne dane," "On me voli na svoj način," "Vino i gitare," and "Nada." She received multiple Porin awards, and in 2006 she was honored with the Porin for Lifetime Achievement, crowning a career that defined Croatian popular music, chanson, and jazz.
Music also marked the next generation. Her son Matija Dedić built a successful international career and often collaborated with his mother. Gabi Novak leaves behind a career spanning more than six decades, a vast body of recorded songs and albums, and the status of one of the most recognizable names on the domestic music scene.
