Hakan Altun

Hakan Altun (born 1972) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and an instrumentalist.

He was born in Istanbul. When he left elementy, he got a place in the academy of music, where he completed his secondary, high and university education, thanks to his grandfather Hafız Zeki Altun. After he had had a BA in music, he continued his studies in music specifically on Traditional Turkish Music. In the second year of his studies, he quit school and began to pursue a career as an instrumentalist in the Edirne State Choir. He played the lute. Before his military service, he performed in the most popular clubs of Istanbul. Then, he went to Ankara for his mandatory military service. Depending on what he has stated in TV interviews, after he was let down by his girlfriend who didn't want to talk to him on the phone, he came to realize that he had this gift of writing songs and he composed his very first song " Hani bekleyecektin" ( you promised you would wait) when he was in the army. His very first album was named after himself and he released a second album called Aglamak yok yuregim ("Never cry, my heart"), followed by a third, Nefesimsim ("You are my breath"). His fourth album was Yaralı bir askın oykusu ("The story of a broken heart") was followed by his fifth one, Hediye ("The gift"), and the sixth album, named Küstüm asklara ("I am cross with loves").

Sezen Aksu

Sezen Aksu (Turkish pronunciation: [se'zen 'aksu]; born: Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; July 13, 1954 in Sarayköy, Denizli, Turkey) is a Turkish pop music singer, song-writer and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" 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. Her work with Tarkan resulted in continental hits like "Şımarık" and "Şıkıdım" and her collaboration with Goran Bregovic widened her international audience.

Biography

Sezen Aksu was born in Sarayköy, Denizli, Turkey. Her family moved to Bergama when she was three years old and she spent her childhood and early youth there. Aksu's parents discouraged her singing because they wanted her to have a steady profession as a doctor or engineer. She used to wait until they left the house and sing on the family's balcony. After finishing high school, she began studying at the local agricultural institute, but left college to concentrate on music.