Sezen Aksu

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Sezen Aksu


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Fatma Sezen Yıldırım
Alias = Sezen Aksu
Born = birth date and age|1954|7|13
Origin = Sarayköy, Turkey
Genre = Pop
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1975–present
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.sezenaksu.com.tr Official Website]

Sezen Aksu (born: Fatma Sezen Yıldırım) (born July 13, 1954 in Denizli) is a Turkish pop music singer, song-writer and producer. She has sold over 40 million albums. [ [http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sezenaksu3 CD Baby] ] Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" [ [http://www.6moons.com/worldmusic/sarki.html 6Moons Review] ] and "Minik Serçe" ("Little Sparrow").

Aksu's influence on Turkish pop and world music has continued since her debut in 1975, and has been reinforced by her patronage of and collaboration with many other musicians, including Sertab Erener, Şebnem Ferah, Aşkın Nur Yengi, Hande Yener, and Levent Yüksel. [ [http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-105/i.html Sezen Aksu and Her Children] ] Her work with Tarkan resulted in continental hits like "Şımarık" and "Şıkıdım," and her collaboration with Goran Bregović widened her international audience.

Biography

Sezen Aksu was born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım in Sarayköy, Turkey. Her family moved to İzmir when she was 3 years old and she spent her childhood and early youth there. After finishing high school, she began studying at the local agricultural institute, but left college to concentrate on music.

Along with her close friend Ajda Pekkan, Aksu is credited with laying the foundations of Turkish pop music in the 1970s. [Aksu's expressive vocal technique, distinctive songwriting, and prolific output were all integral to her success and to the development of a unique Turkish pop sound. Many musicians--for example, Alexander Hacke and several of the artists he interviewed for the documentary --have acknowledged Sezen Aksu's broad influence.] Her sound has also spread across the Balkans and Greece. [With the Greek diaspora from Turkey in the seventies, many brought their musical tastes, which included Aksu's music to Greece; the Greek musicians Haris Alexiou and Giorgos Dalaras acknowledge her influence.] It was this sound that changed the face of the Eurovision song contest when her protegé Sertab Erener won in 2003. Aksu has also toured in Europe and the U.S to critical appraise. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0%2C3604%2C740022%2C00.html Sezen Aksu] (June 19, 2002). "The Guardian"]

She has championed a variety of causes, including women's rights, the environment, and educational reform in Turkey. [ [http://www.6moons.com/worldmusic/sarki.html 6Moons Review] ] Aksu has been married and divorced four times, but kept the name from her first marriage to Ali Engin Aksu, a doctor of geology who currently resides in Canada. She has a son with Sinan Özer.

Career

Sezen Aksu released her first single, "Haydi Şansım/Gel Bana" (Come on My Luck/Come to Me) in 1975 under the name of Sezen Seley. However, she remained undiscovered until her 1976 single "Olmaz Olsun/Vurdumduymaz" (Wish It Never Happened/Insensitive) reached number one in the Turkish charts. Her first album was 1978's "Serçe" (Sparrow), which was to give her the nickname, penned by a Turkish journalist.

An Aksu drive finally got Turkey to apply for the Eurovision Song contest in the mid-70s. Ironically however, even though she competed in the national finals for the competition three times - "Küçük Bir Aşk Masalı" (A Little Love Tale) was a duet with Özdemir Erdoğan, "Heyamola" was performed as a trio with Coşkun Demir and Ali Kocatepe and "1945" was her solo performance - none got the chance to represent Turkey abroad. It was to be left to her pupil Erener to win the Eurovision and realise Aksu's dream to push her musical vision further into Europe.

In the 80's, Aksu had a relationship with producer Onno Tunç that was both romantic and professional. The couple put their signatures to works that broke new ground in Turkish pop music, such as "Sen Ağlama" (Don't Cry), "Git" (Go), "Sezen Aksu'88" and "Sezen Aksu Söylüyor" (Sezen Aksu Sings). Her music matured in the 90's, when she co-produced her best selling album to-date "Gülümse" (Smile) with Tunç. The A-1 track from the album called "Hadi Bakalım" (Come On Now) was a hit in Turkey and Europe, and was published as a single in Germany. It was to be later rediscovered in Europop by singer Loona as Rhythm of the Night. She also began to produce albums for her vocalists, notably producing Aşkın Nur Yengi's debut album "Sevgiliye" (To a Lover) again with Tunç. She was to repeat this successfully with artists Erener and Yüksel.

Parting ways with Tunç, in 1995, Aksu branched out with the experimental album "Işık Doğudan Yükselir" (Light Rises From the East), drawing both on western classical and regional Turkish musical traditions. This album made her name outside Turkey and gave her a world music following across Europe. In 1996, she released "Düş Bahçeleri" (Dream Gardens) as a tribute to Tunç, who died that same year tragically when his private plane crashed. In 1997, she released "Düğün ve Cenaze" (The Wedding And The Funeral), this time collaborating with Goran Bregović.

She returned to her roots with "Adı Bende Saklı" (Its Name Is Hidden In Me), which was released in 1998. She began to use experimental sounds and was once again pushing Turkish pop into the future. Aksu continued with this trend with her subsequent albums "Deliveren" (Crazymaker), "Şarkı Söylemek Lazım" (Gotta Sing), "Yaz Bitmeden" (Before The Summer Ends) between the years 2000 - 2003. After a two year hiatus, she returned with "Bahane" (Excuse) in 2005. That same year she released "Kardelen" (Snowdrop) where all proceeds went to charity, and before the end of 2005 released a "Bahane/Remixes" (Excuse/Remixes) double-CD album which contained the original "Bahane" album in disc one and the remixes of songs in Bahane in disc two. At the end of the year her albums "Bahane", "Kardelen" and the re-released album "Şarkı Söylemek Lazım" were the three best-selling albums in the country.

In 2005 she was featured in Fatih Akin's documentary film "" with a performance of the song "Istanbul Hatirasi." Aksu has recently been re-releasing all her old classics digitally remastered and with specially designed new sleeves. After her concert tour in summer 2006, she will record a new album in the USA.

Sezen Aksu performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 7th October 2007. After Zeki Muren, she is the second Turkish artist to have performed at RAH, London.

New York City based label Breaking Records released Karine Hannah’s debut CD "I'll Be Alright" on July 31, 2007. Hannah collaborated with producers Eve Nelson (Hayley Westenra, Laura Branigan, Chaka Kahn) and Ayhan Sahin (Sandra Bernhard, Beu Sisters, Vonzell Solomon) on an album of English-language covers originally recorded by Turkey’s most-acclaimed female singer/songwriter Sezen Aksu.Recorded in New York, “I’ll Be Alright” recasts some of Turkey’s most memorable songs with English lyrics and contemporary arrangements, conceived, arranged and produced by Nelson and Sahin. Standouts on Hannah’s album include “I’ll Be Alright” inspired by the Vanity Fair article on Jennifer Aniston after the split, “Drink” sure to be a juke box favorite, “Crash & Burn” about where the planet is going if we don’t wake up, and the beautiful “Someday”.

Discography

Acting/Musicals

* Sezen Aksu Aile Gazinosu - (Sezen Aksu Family Music Hall) (1982)
* Bin Yıl Önce Bin Yıl Sonra - (1000 Years Before, 1000 Years Later) (1986)

See also

* Music of Turkey

Notes

References

* [http://sezen.onlinecosmos.com sezen.onlinecosmos.com] "Sezen Aksu".
* [http://www.sezenaksu.biz SezenAksu.Biz] "Sezen Aksu".
* [http://www.sezen-aksu.com Sezen-Aksu.com] "Sezen-Aksu.com".
* [http://www.sezenaksu.net Sezen.net] "Sezen.net".
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0%2C3604%2C740022%2C00.html Sezen Aksu] (June 19, 2002). "The Guardian".
* [http://www.6moons.com/worldmusic/sarki.html Songs Must Be Sung] (November, 2002). "6 Moons".
* [http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-105/i.html Sezen Aksu And Her Children] (September 15, 2004). "DEUTSCHE WELLE".

External links

* [http://www.onlineizlesek.com/klip/Sezen_Aksu/ Sezen Aksu Video Klipleri]
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* [http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2007/09/30/pazar/yazdundar.html Can Dündar - Hey gidi günler!] tr icon
* [http://www.sezenaksu.com.tr The Official Sezen Aksu Web Site]
* [http://www.sezen-aksu.com The "Sezenciler" Fansite]
* [http://sezen.onlinecosmos.com sezen.onlinecosmos.com]
* [http://www.europopmusic.eu/Turkey_pages/Sezen_Aksu.html Sezen Aksu on Europopmusic.eu] (In English)

Persondata
NAME=Aksu, Sezen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Yıldırım, Fatma Sezen
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Turkish singer-songwriter.
DATE OF BIRTH=July 13, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH=Denizli, Turkey
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=