Tarkan (singer)

Tarkan
Tarkan in concert, 2011
Born (1972-10-17) 17 October 1972 (age 52)
Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany
NationalityTurkish
EducationBaruch College
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • arranger
  • composer
  • record producer
Spouse
Pınar Dilek
​
(m. 2016)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Years active1992–present
Labels
Websitewww.tarkan.com

Tarkan Tevetoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [taɾˈkan teˈve.toːɫu]; born 17 October 1972) is a German-born Turkish singer-songwriter. Since the early 1990s, with his successful albums, he has been a prominent figure of pop music, recognized both in Turkey and worldwide.

Tarkan was born and raised in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, in the-then West Germany. In 1986, he moved to Turkey together with his family. Tarkan, who had been interested in music since his childhood, went to high school at Karamürsel and took music lessons. In the following years, he met the owner of İstanbul Plak, Mehmet Söğütoğlu, and signed a contract to release his albums.

Tarkan released his first studio album, Yine Sensiz, in late 1992, with "Kıl Oldum" being chosen as its lead single. His second one, Aacayipsin, was released in 1994, while his third, Ölürüm Sana, in 1998: the latter included the song "Şımarık" ("spoilt" in Turkish), that became popular in a number of countries, also for its English version, "Kiss Kiss". In the same year he signed a new contract with Universal Music Group, and in 1999 his compilation album, Tarkan, received platinum and gold certifications in several countries. In 2001, he made music videos for the songs "Kuzu Kuzu", "Hüp" and "Verme", from his fourth studio album Karma, while two years later, Extended Play Dudu performed well on the sales charts. With the release in 2006 of his first English album, Come Closer, he became known in Europe: from this Long Play were selected "Bounce" and "Start the Fire" as the lead singles. In 2007 was the time of his seventh album, Metamorfoz, whose lyrics of the songs included were praised by the Turkish Language Association. In 2010, his eighth studio album, Adımı Kalbine Yaz, became the best-selling album of the year in Turkey, and in 2016 was released his ninth album, Ahde Vefa, which has a Classical Turkish theme.

Alongside his music career, Tarkan has taken part in numerous social projects and is known as "Megastar" and "Prince of the Bosporus" in the press.[1] One of few European singers who has managed to span chart success without singing in English, he is also noted for his live stage performances. Tarkan's effect on Turkey has been compared by the Washington Post to that of Elvis Presley in the US around 1957 and Atlantic Records's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun described him as one of the best live performers he had ever seen.[2] He has also been listed by Rhapsody as a key artist in the history of European pop music, with his signature song "Şımarık" as a keystone track that moved the genre forward.[3] His albums have sold over 15 million copies.[4] Throughout his career, he has won four Turkey Music Awards, six Golden Butterfly Awards and one World Music Award and has received various nominations.

  1. ^ Tarkan's titles appearing in a number of sources:
    • Avcı, Deniz (30 November 2010). "Tarkan'dan Enbe'ye destek". Sabah. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
    • Hamon, Pascale (28 January 1999). "Tarkan". rfimusique.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
    • "Turk Prince of Pop". Hillsdalesites.org. 11 November 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010.
  2. ^ Segal, David (18 November 2001). "Pop Music's Young Turk". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2001.
  3. ^ "Key Artists in Euro Pop". Rhapsody. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference tarkanofficial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).