Ümit Besen (born 14 October 1956) is a
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
musical artist representing the darker side of
Tarabya
Tarabya ( ota, Tarabiye, el, Θεραπειά, translit=Therapiá) is a neighbourhood in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on the European shoreline of the Bosphorus strait, between the neighbourhoods of Yeniköy, Istanbul, ...
school of
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
. He started his professional career by playing keyboards and singing with his band at the local clubs in
Adana
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana Province, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart ...
, Southern Turkey. While he was in the
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
for his
compulsory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
, a
brigadier-general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
liked his style and appointed him to sing at the officers' mess.
Rising popularity
After the completion of his 18 months service he returned to Adana. While singing and playing to make his living one day Turkish football legend
Metin Oktay
Metin Oktay (2 February 1936 – 13 September 1991) nicknamed the Uncrowned King ( tr, Taçsız Kral) by Galatasaray fans, was a Turkish footballer and one of the most successful goal scorers in Turkey.
Early life
Metin Oktay was born in Kar ...
visited the club he was working at. Amazed by the power of his voice and his knowledge of synthesizers, Metin Oktay recommended him to his club owner friends in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
.
In Istanbul, he kept playing at famous clubs and finally he was teamed up with songwriters
Selami Şahin
Selami Sahin (born 1948) is a Turkish musician, singer, and songwriter.
Life and career
Şahin's works have been performed in different languages by artists from European and Middle Eastern countries. He was born to a mother of Egyptian Arab d ...
and
Ahmet Selçuk İlkan
Ahmet Selçuk İlkan (born 26 October 1955) is a Turkish poet and songwriter.
Life
After high school, İlkan went to Berlin to study architecture and engineering. Later he developed an interest in poetry and enrolled in the Faculty of Language ...
to record his first LP. The result was not only a commercial success.
Today
In 2015, the unforgettable hit of the 80's "Nikah Masası" was made into a duet with
Ajda Pekkan with the accompaniment of the Enbe Orchestra.
In 2016, Ümit Besen re-released his classical songs in a rock style album ''Başka'' under the label DMC, in which he performed duets with famous Turkish singers such as Feridun Düzağaç, Pamela, and Cem Adrian. Ümit Besen has also been featured on the rock songs of many singers including Teoman, Mirkelam, Emre Aydın, Manga, Yüksek Sadakat, Pinhani, Grup Seksendört, and Leyla The Band. Umit Besen, who won the acclaim of critics with the slow love songs he sang in the 80's, gave an emphasis to the different spirit of that period by saying in an interview with Hakan Gence from ''
Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
'' that if his song "'Nikah Masası' would have not become a hit" if it was released now.
Works
Discography
*''Şalak trust'' (1980)
*''Islak mendil'' (1981)
*''Bayramın Olsun'' (1982)
*''İkimizin Yerine'' (1982)
*''Dostlar Sağolsun'' (1983)
*''Yıkılan Gurur'' (1984)
*''Bir Akşam Üstü'' (1984)
*''Vazgeçtim Senden'' (1985)
*''I Love You'' (1986)
*''Deli Gönlüm'' (1987)
*''Halk Konseri 1'' (1987)
*''Aşk Burcu'' (1988)
*''Müzikli Bir Masal'' (1989)
*''Bir Tanesin Sen'' (1990)
*''Son Şarkı'' (1991)
*''Gökkuşağı'' (1992)
*''İkimiz De Sevdik'' (1993)
*''Görüşürüz'' (1994)
*''Yalnız Kaldım'' (1995)
*''Yağmur Var Gözlerimde'' (1996)
*''Hadi Git'' (1997)
*''Nostalji'' (1998)
*''Bizim Hikayemiz'' (2000)
*''Dokunsalar Ağlarım'' (2001)
*''O Gece'' (2003)
*''Ben Bu Gece Ölmezsem'' (2006)
*''İyi Günde Kötü Günde'' (2008)
*''Garaj Konserleri'' (2013)
*''Ümit Besen 2014'' (2014)
*''Başka'' (2016)
*''Ümit Besen ile Başka Sahne'' (2019)
Filmography
* ''Islak Mendil'' (1982)
* ''Nikah Masası'' (1982)
* ''Dostlar Sağolsun'' (1983)
* ''Yıkılan Gurur'' (1984)
* ''Sevmek Yeniden Doğmak'' (1984)
* ''Bir Akşam Üstü'' (1985)
* ''Unutursun Diye'' (1985)
* ''Vazgeçtim Senden'' (1985)
* ''Seni Seviyorum'' (1986)
* ''Sevda Rüzgarı'' (1986)
* ''Ağlama'' (1988)
* ''Şoför Parçası'' (1987)
* ''Baba Yüreği'' (1987)
* ''Olur Olur'' (2014)
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besen, Umit
Living people
1956 births
Turkish male singers
Turkish-language singers
Golden Butterfly Award winners