Top 5 Turkish Musicians You Need to Know About

If you're unfamiliar with Turkish music, you're missing out on a beautiful blend of Oriental, Anatolian, and Balkan sounds, as well as startling new pop, rock, rap, and jazz sub-genres. Perhaps all you know about Turkish music is a few Turkish Eurovision songs that have piqued your interest in learning more. Turkish music has recently gained increasing popularity, so we gathered the top 5 musicians from Turkey you need to know.

Sezen Aksu

She is a Turkish pop singer and producer with over 40 million albums sold worldwide. The outstanding female singer was in a relationship with Onno Tunç in the 1980s, a producer who was professional enough to create pioneering works in Turkish pop music like Sen Ağlama and Git.

Sertab Erener

She is a pop singer from Turkey. She is most known in Europe for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 with her incredible song "Every Way That I Can." She studied opera before beginning her musical career as a backup singer for Turkish singer Sezen Aksu. In 2009, she formed a band called Painted on Water with Demir Demirkan.

Şebnem Ferah

Ferah is a singer, composer, and guitarist from Turkey. Her musical approach encompasses a variety of genres, including pop rock and hard rock. Under the name Kadın, she published her first album in 1996.

Yalın

Yalın's music is pure joy to listen to. Weekend road trip fun with the top down and the wind in your hair. His happy-sappy love songs, like "Benimki" ("Mine"), are his sweet spot, but even his "sometimes life stinks" songs, like "Oh Brother", are catchy and upbeat and have a way of getting stuck in your head all day.

Barış Manço

What's not to like in a guy who can turn a song called "Domates, Biber, Patlcan" ("Tomato, Pepper, Aubergine") into a smash hit? Teenagers in the 1970s adored Barş for his distinctive long, flowing hair and his part in the development of Anatolian Rock. Through his variety program, 7'den 77'e (From 7 to 77) kids in the 1980s and 1990s traversed the world with him and learned his songs.