Aynur Doğan (born 1 March 1975) is a contemporary
Kurdish singer and musician from
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Career
Aynur Doğan was born in
Çemişgezek, a small mountain town in
Tunceli Province in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and fled to
İstanbul
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in 1992. She studied ''saz'' and ''türkü'' singing in an influential music school in Istanbul, the Arif Sağ Müsik.
In 2004 she released the album ''Keçe Kurdan'' on
Kalan Müzik label. ''Keçe Kurdan'' was banned in 2005 due to the fact that two words in the song, ''Keçe'' (Girl) and ''Ceng'' (battle),
according to a court in Diyarbakır, would encourage women to leave their partners, go to the mountains and hence the words promote division. The following year the ban was lifted. In 2005 she had a small role as herself in the movie
Gönul Yarası.
In 2012, following repeated threats by right-wing and
anti-Kurdish militants, she relocated to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
,
Netherlands
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.
Aynur is a vocal artist who specializes in infusing traditional Kurdish folk music with a contemporary sensibility influenced by Western music. Her stunning vocal style and success in the music world has allowed her to become a prominent representative of Kurdish people in Turkey and throughout the world. She has taken the wealth of
Kurdish oral tradition to the international stage that many of them at least 300 years old. Aynur has collaborated with numerous musicians, including
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
and the
Silk Road Ensemble,
Kayhan Kalhor,
Javier Limón,
Kinan Azmeh, Nederland Blazers Ensemble and NDR Bigband and many more. Meanwhile, she appeared in
Fatih Akın's documentary movie “
Crossing the Bridge / The Sound of Istanbul ” as a singer and was also part of the documentary film about Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble named "
The music of Strangers" directed by
Morgan Neville in 2015.
Awards And Recognition
In 2017, Aynur received the Master of Mediterranean Music Award in the category of “Mediterranean Women in Action” from the
Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute.
This award recognized Aynur's efforts to preserve and reinterpret Kurdish folk music, which has transformed her into an influential role model for other women artists on the Mediterranean music scene who are seeking to share their voices. In August 2021 she was granted the
Womex award for her resilience to perform in an environment in which she both as a Kurd and an Alevi has often been discriminated.
''Whenever she takes a melody, she makes it her own, transforming it into something beautiful, and every note, every microtone, every word reaches depth and unparalleled beauty. She is a reason to love live music for centuries.” –
Javier Limon
Albums
*''
Hêdur'', 2020,
* ''
Hawniyaz'', Harmonia Mundi, 2016
* ''
Hevra'', Sony Music Classical, 2013,
* ''
Rewend'', Sony Music, 2010
* ''
Nûpel'', Kalan Music, 2005
* ''
Keçe Kurdan'', Kalan Music, 2004
* ''Seyir'', 2002
Albums on which she has been featured
*''
Hawniyaz'', (2016)
*''Güldünya Şarkıları'', (2008)
*
Zülfü Livaneli ''Bir Kuşaktan Bir Kuşağa, Dağlara Küstüm Ali'' (2016)
*
Kardeş Türküler
Kardeş Türküler (translated either as Brotherly Songs or as Ballads of Fraternity) is a contemporary Turkish ethnic/folkloric band. It was formed in 1993 with a series of stage performances given by the music branch of the Folklore Club at Boğ ...
, ''Bahar'' (2005)
*
Mercan Dede, ''Nefes (Breath)'', (2006)
*Orient Expressions, ''Divan'', (2004)
*Nederland Blazer Ensemble, ''Turqoıse'' (2006)
*
Mor ve Ötesi
Mor ve ötesi (literally ''Purple and Beyond''; a play on the word '' morötesi'', meaning ultraviolet) is a Turkish alternative rock band from Istanbul. Its four current members are Harun Tekin (vocals and rhythm guitar), Kerem Kabadayı (d ...
, ''Mermiler'' (2012)
*A. Rıza - Hüseyin Albayrak, ''Böyle Buyurdu Aşık'' (2013), ''Şah Hatayi Deyişleri'' (2005)
*Metin Kemal Kahraman, ''Ferfecir'', (1999), ''Sürella'', (2000)
*Lütfü Gültekin, ''Gül Türküleri'' (2003), ''Derman Bizdedir'', (1999)
*
Grup Yorum
Grup Yorum is a band from Turkey known for their political songwriting. Grup Yorum (''Yorum'' means interpretation or comment in Turkish) has released twenty-three albums and one film since 1985. Some of the group's concerts and albums were ...
, ''Yürüyüş'', (2003)
References
External links
Official website
"Kurdish voice in a new world,"''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...
'', September 17, 2006
"SONGLINES: AYNUR / SOLACE IN EXILE" September 4, 2020
October 23, 2018
"World Music Central: Artist Profiles / Aynur" September 13, 2018
"Qantara: Trost aus den Klängen der Heimat" November 17, 2020
"Kurdish singer Aynur Dogan performs next to Italian conductor Riccardo Muti",July 5, 2020
"Kurdish singer Aynur received the Master of Mediterranean Music Award 2017" March 8, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dogan, Aynur
1975 births
Living people
People from Çemişgezek
Turkish Kurdish people
Kurdish women singers
Kurdish-language singers
21st-century Turkish women singers