Bulent Ersoy

Bülent Ersoy, 2013

Bülent Ersoy (born June 9, 1952 in Istanbul as Bülent Erkoç ) is a Turkish singer of Turkish classical national and folk music (Turkish: Türk Sanat Müziği ).

Live and act

Bülent Ersoy was classified as "male" at birth. She took singing lessons from specialists like Melahat Pars and Ridvan Aytan. After completing her training at the Istanbul Conservatory, Ersoy improved her voice and music. She stood out not only because of her talent for languages, but also because of her feminine behavior on stage. At the zenith of his career , which began in 1971, Ersoy underwent gender reassignment measures in London in 1980 . Because of this, after the military coup in Turkey in 1980, she was banned from the stage for eight years by then President Kenan Evren . This prompted Ersoy to go into exile in Freiburg im Breisgau .

After Ersoy's return to Turkey, she was more self-confident. Today she is considered one of the most important voices in Turkish art music ( Sanat Müziği ). Ersoy is from the era of the great singer Müzeyyen Senar , with Ersoy's voice being very similar to Senar's early in her career. Her media presence made Ersoy a figurehead for many gay and transsexuals in Turkey.

She was the only singer who sang exclusively Turkish classical music in Gazinos (Turkish for night club with live singing) in Turkey . Their first record, entitled "Tut-i Mucize", sold millions of copies at the time. In Japan she was the only singer from Turkey to receive the award for best singer from vocal experts.

On July 7, 2007, she married Armağan Uzun, a 30-year-old participant in the first season of the talent show pop star Alaturka . The wedding was heavily criticized by both families and the media.

On February 25, 2008, Ersoy, considered to be apolitical, caused a scandal with critical statements about the invasion of the Turkish army in northern Iraq . In the casting show “Popstar Alaturka”, of which she is one of the jurors, she surprisingly declared: “I would not send my child underground for this war between the others. It's all determined by the people at the green table who then decide that a few children should die. ”In response to co-juror Ebru Gündeş , if she had a son, she would send him to the military, and if fate were to happen Wanted to die, then so be it, replied Ersoy: “Oh, always the same clichés, always the same chatter. Children die, there is blood, tears, death ... and then these hollow words. ”Ersoy's words triggered a public storm of indignation, but also met with approval - especially from well-known women such as the author Perihan Mağden , the singer Sezen Aksu or the Columnist Nagehan Alçı . In a preliminary statement on Ersoy's whereabouts on television, the Broadcasting Authority wrote that it had violated the principle that television programs should "not violate the national values ​​of society". The Bakırköy Public Prosecutor started a criminal case against Ersoy for "alienating the people from military service".

Career

In 1971 she released her first record on the Saner label. The lyrics and melodies on this record are from the composer Muzaffer Özpınar. The names of the songs are “Lüzûm Kalmadı” (“It is no longer necessary”) and “Neye Yarar Gelişin” (“What will you bring? In 1974 she gave her debut concert at the Maksim Variety Theater in Istanbul. With her appearance she won over many parts of the Turkish people. The second concert took place in 1976, the third in 1977.

With her role model Müzeyyen Senar, she managed to take her career all the way to the top. The songs "Baharı Bekleyen Kumrular Gibi" ('Like lovebirds awaiting spring') and "Dert Çekmeye Gidiyorum" ('I go to suffer') helped her to gain even more prestige. In the mid-1970s, pop, arabesque and fantasy music dominated the Turkish music market. Bülent Ersoy produced a long-playing record on which she performed Turkish art music, breaking the sales record at the time.

In 1980 she gave a concert in New York and in 1983 at Madison Square Garden and was the first Turkish singer to perform there. In 1989 Bülent was shot by a guest while performing on stage in Adana. She was hit by five bullets in the stomach and survived seriously injured. In the process, she lost a kidney.

In 1995 her first album came out with an award. It is called “Benim Dünya Güzellerim” ('My beauties in the world'). Selçuk Tekay was the producer , Özkan Turgay set ten songs to music on this album. In the same year Bülent Ersoy released another album called "Alaturka 95". Here she sings the songs of the composers Hacı Arif Bey , Münir Nurettin Selçuk, Selahaddin Pınar, Kadri Şençalar, İsmail Hakkı Bey and Kemani Serkis Efendi. This album contains 14 tracks, including "Aziz İstanbul" ('Beloved Istanbul'), "Nerelerde Kaldın Ey Servi Nazim" ('Where are you, my slim lover'), "Dönülmez Akşamın Ufkundayım" ('I'm on the horizon of Night of No Return '), “Alıverin Bağlamamı Çalayim” (' Bring my baglama, I play ') and' Karam '(' My black man ').

She released her next work in 1997. It was an album called "Maazallah" ('God forbid!'). In preparing this album, Bülent worked with Halil Karaduman and Osman İşmen. In this album there are popular but also lesser known folk songs . The video clip of the song "Maazallah" was particularly loved by the people. The other songs on the album are called “Yoruldum” ('I'm exhausted'), 'Doğduğum Topraklardan' ('From my home'), 'Sorma Gitsin' ('Don't ask, let go'), 'Gel' ('Come') ), "Aşk Yetmiyor" ('Love is not enough'), "Dünya Zalim" ('The world is cruel'), "Zalimin Zulmü" ('The oppression of the oppressor'), "Karlı Kayın" ('Snow-covered beech') , "Kırmızı Gül" ('Red Rose'), "Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım" ('A Long Narrow Way'), "Dağlar" ('Mountains'), "Yüksek Yüksek Tepelere" ('Too high, high hills') , “Çayırda Buldum Seni” ('I found you in the meadow').

On March 30, 1997 she sang on the stage of the Olympia in Paris . After the singer Darío Moreno , she was the first Turkish singer to give a concert at the Olympia . With 50 members in the orchestra , the program lasted four hours.

After more than four decades of music career, Bülent Ersoy has sung in the most famous concert halls around the world. So far she has produced around 30 albums and has received numerous awards. The most popular and best-selling of her albums are “Düşkünüm Sana” ('I'm addicted to you'), “Yaşamak İstiyorum” (“I want to live”), “Biz Ayrılamayız” (“We are inseparable”) and “Ablan Kurban Olsun Sana “('May your sister sacrifice herself for you').

Albums

• 1971: First record
• 1976: Toprak Alsın Muradımı (The earth shall take my intention)
• 1978: Orkide 1 (Orchid 1)
• 1979: Orkide 2 (Orchid 2)
• 1980: Beddua (curse)
• 1980: Yüz Karası (Shame)
• 1981: Mahşeri Yaşiyorum (I (through) live purgatory)
• 1983: Ak Güvercin (White Dove)
• 1983: Ne Duamsin Ne De Bedduam (You are neither my prayer nor my curse)
• 1984: Düşkünüm Sana (I'm addicted to you)
• 1985: Yaşamak İstiyorum (I want to live)
• 1987: Suskun Dünyam (My Quiet World)
• 1988: Biz Ayrılamayız (We are inseparable)
• 1988: Anılardan Bir Demet (A souvenir bouquet)
• 1989: Öptüm (I kissed)
• 1991: Bir Sen, Bir De Ben (You and I)
• 1992: Ablan Kurban Olsum Sana (Your sister should be a victim to you)
• 1993: Sefam Olsun (My Pleasure)
• 1994: Benim Dünya Güzellerim (My beauties of the world)
• 1995: Alaturka 95
• 1996: Akıllı Ol (Be Smart)
• 1997: Maazallah (God forbid!)
• 2000: Alaturka 2000
• 2002: Canımsın (You are my life)
• 2011: Aşktan Sabıkalı (repeat offender out of love)

Filmography

• 1976: Sıralardaki Heyecan (excitement in the ranks)
• 1977: Ölmeyen Şarkı (The Immortal Song)
• 1978: İşte Bizim Hikayemiz (This is our story)
• 1980: Beddua (curse)
• 1981: Şöhretin Sonu (end of fame)
• 1984: Acı Ekmek (Bitter Bread)
• 1985: Asrın Kadını (Woman of the Century)
• 1985: Tövbekar Kadın (penitent)
• 1985: Benim Gibi Sev (love as I love)
• 1986: Efkarlıyım Abiler (I am concerned, brothers)
• 1986: Yaşamak İstiyorum 1 (I want to live 1)
• 1986: Yaşamak İstiyorum 2 (I want to live 2)
• 1987: Kara Günlerim (My Dark Days)
• 1988: Biz Ayrılamayız (We Can't Separate)
• 1989: İstiyorum (I want)
• 2017: Cukur

Web links

Commons : Bülent Ersoy  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Biography (different languages)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung of February 29, 2008, p. 3.
2. ↑ heise online : Turkish pop diva in front of the Kadi. Telepolis from June 19, 2008.