Name a more dynamic Balkan duo.
The ensemble Kalem performs traditional and composed songs, with an unmistakable, personal voice rooted in their home lands. A virtuoso meeting between violin and guitar, inspired by several musical traditions.
Stefan Ilić, the singer and violinist of Kalem, grew up surrounded by folk songs. From his earliest days, every activity in his home was accompanied by Balkan melodies passed down through generations. It led him to enroll in music school for gifted children in Ćuprija, and later graduate in violin from the Music Academy in Kragujevac.
Dušan Popović Lipovac grew up in a home dominated by heavy sounds, epic guitar solos, and complex harmonies, blues and jazz, while he also discovered flamenco and fado. During his studies in Spain, Dušan decided to explore what his own homeland had to offer. It turned out to be much more than he initially thought.
In 2017, Stefan and Dušan’s paths crossed. After a few rehearsals, they realized their musical sensibilities resonated perfectly, and the repertoire they started building included the most beautiful traditional and composed songs from the Balkans. A few months later, Kalem was an ensemble performing traditional and composed songs, with a voice unmistakably rooted in these lands, colored by the sound of a guitar inspired by the folk music of the world.
The release of ”Meseče”, in 2021, was named after an original song. It became a song that people still sing at concerts. Their journey continued to evolve, leading to the release of their second album in 2023, ”Tragom snova i predanja” (“Following Dreams and Legends”), which produced several highly popular arrangements and original compositions, paving the way for Kalem in 2024 to hold sold-out concerts in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Novi Sad, again in Kragujevac, and even in Oslo and Paris. This year, the ensemble is returning to Oslo.
