Merak may refer to:

Candan Erçetin, (born 10 February 1963 in Kırklareli) is a Turkish singer and songwriter.

Candan Erçetin was born on 10 February 1963 in Kırklareli, Turkey in an Albanian family. She studied at Lycée de Galatasaray, and graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in Archaeology. In 1991, she graduated from Istanbul Municipal Music School where she studied classical opera. She represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 which was held in Bergen, Norway as a member of Klips ve Onlar with the song "Halley". She had taken the place of Seden Gürel, who was the member of the group but didn't go in order to complete her final exams in Architecture at ITU. She taught music in Lycée de Galatasaray for many years. Presently, as well as continuing to perform, she works as a lecturer at Galatasaray University Law Faculty.

In January 1996, she completed her first solo album "Hazırım" ("I'm Ready") based on Thracian themes. In the same year, she received an award from Alem FM music radio for her album being one of the best selling Turkish pop albums of the year. In July 1996, she released her best selling single EP "Sevdim Sevilmedim", the first ever Turkish remix album. In June 1997 she released her second album entitled "Çapkın" ("Womanizer") using ethnic music and her own compositions. The song "Yalan" ("Lie") from this album won the Istanbul FM "Most Requested Song" award. In September 1998 her remix EP "Oyalama Artık" ("Don't Put It Off Anymore") was released, followed by her third album, "Elbette" ("Of Course") in January 2000. This album would go on to become the best-selling album of the year.

Hanka Paldum (born April 28, 1956) is a popular Bosniak folk and sevdah singer. She is regarded as one of the best female sevdah performers of all time, and has diva status in her home country. She is a star that has been shining for the last three decades with full intensity at the very top of the sky above Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries that formed ex-Yugoslavia. She has been able to keep the attention of the fans by breaking boundaries and setting norms in the music industry with nothing more than her alluring voice, never resorting to vulgarity and indecency.

In 1975, Hanka won at the festival of amateur singers, “Pjevamo danu mladosti” (Sing for the Youth Day), with the song “Pokraj puta rodila jabuka,” text by Mijat Božović. Her prize was a chance to produce a single for Sarajevo Diskoton. This song was not a big hit at the time, but with time it fought for its place in people’s hearts and souls, and till this day it is sang by many. Hanka’s interpretation, gave the song a new and unique imprint.

Ferdi Tayfur (Born: Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt, born November 15, 1945) is a Turkish arabesque singer,actor and composer. In recent years, he has also become popular in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago, Syria and Iran. He achieved estimated sales of over 50-60 million records worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

He was born in Hurriyet neighbourhood of Adana, Turkey and he has led a successful career in arabesque music. Being successful in his arabesque career he has been announced as the King of Arabesque, a music type very popular in today's Turkey and the middle east.

His father, Cumali, who was a big fan of a famous theater and dubbing actor "Ferdi Tayfur" named his youngest son after him. After his father was killed, he was not able to continue his education because he had to work in the cotton fields of Cukurova to support his family. Ferdi Tayfur went to Istanbul when he was 17 with dreams of becoming a famous singer. He was not able to succeed on doing this and so he returned to Adana after a short stay in Istanbul.