Biography

A very successful turkish popular singer and actor, who has roots in traditional folk music with arabesque influences but also uses international popular sounds and rythms and, according to his official web page, aims to ‘bring together universal and local textures’ in his music.

Born in 1972 in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. His family moved to Aydin, a small city near the Aegean Sea, in 1977, where he would begin performing with local bands in 1985. Founded his own band in 1987 and won a local singing contest, after which he found the courage to come to Istanbul in hopes of signing a record contract. After initial set backs he released his first album in 1992, which didn’t succeed. His second album “Melegim” (My Angel) however was widely successful and launched him to stardom. He starred in a movie in 1995. Then he went away for his mandatory military service and did not release anything for two years. He released another successful album “Yalan Mi?” (Is is a Lie?) in 1997 after coming back from military. “Çobani Yildizi” (The Morning Star) shortly thereafter was another popular success. Following two albums “Aslan Gibi” (Like a Lion) (2000) and “Leyla” (2003) were flops due to financial problems of his record company and the economical crisis in Turkey. He founded his own label and recently released another album “Ses ve Ayrilik” (Sound and Separation).