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Demet Akalın (born 23 April 1972) is a Turkish singer and former model. Due to the popular songs she has released since the middle of the 2000s, she has become one of the most recognizable names of
Turkish pop music The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks migrated to Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music ...
. Akalın, who was born in Gölcük, Kocaeli, initially decided to pursue a career in modeling and started working as a model for
Neşe Erberk Neşe Erberk (born October 14, 1964) is a Turkish people, Turkish businesswoman, a former model (person), fashion model, beauty contestant and Miss Europe 1984. Biography She was born on October 14, 1964, in Istanbul, Turkey. She completed her e ...
's agency. She also acted in a number of motion picture films and television series in the 1990s. Simultaneously with modeling, she started singing in the casinos, and released her first studio album, '' Sebebim'' in 1996 which was not successful. With the release of the album '' Banane'' in 2004, she became well-known in Turkey. The album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
, "Aşkın Açamadığı Kapı", earned Akalın a Turkey Music Award for the Song of the Year. '' Kusursuz 19'' (2006) received a gold certification from
Mü-Yap Mü-Yap, (officially Bağlantılı Hak Sahibi Fonogram Yapımcıları Meslek Birliği, Turkish: ''Turkish Phonographic Industry Society'') is the major organization representing the recording industry of Turkey. Mü-Yap is also an IFPI The Inte ...
and with the success of '' Dans Et'' (2008), she became one of the influential figures of Turkish pop music. Her album '' Pırlanta'' was the best-selling album in Turkey, in 2015. Many of her songs, including "Afedersin", "Mucize", "Toz Pembe" and "Hayalet", have been number-one hits in Turkey. Other songs such as "Tecrübe", "Çanta", "Olacak Olacak", "Sabıka", "İlahi Adalet" and "Ders Olsun" have ranked among the top 5 on Turkey's music charts. Akalın, who is considered by
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
to have created her own style, has frequently appeared on the cover of magazines and has been the subject of numerous tabloid reports. From 2007 to 2018, she was in an on and off feud with
Hande Yener Makbule Hande Özyener (born 12 January 1973), known professionally as Hande Yener, is a Turkish singer and songwriter. She made her debut in the early 2000s, and since then has become a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with numerous songs t ...
, and their arguments were covered in the tabloids from time to time. After her marriages to Oğuz Kayhan in 2006 and Önder Bekensir in 2010 ended in divorce, she married Okan Kurt in 2012 and the couple's first child Hira was born in 2014. The couple divorced in 2018. To this day, she has won two
Golden Butterfly Awards The Golden Butterfly Awards (Turkish: ''Altın Kelebek Ödülleri'') are annual Turkish music and television awards held since 1972. Sponsored by Pantene, winners are chosen by readers of the daily newspaper ''Hürriyet'', and the event is broad ...
and four Kral Turkey Music Awards, and has received numerous other awards and nominations.


Life and career


1972–96: Early life and career beginnings

Demet Akalın was born on 23 April 1972 to Ali and Şenay Akalın in Gölcük, Kocaeli. Her paternal family has Laz ancestry, while her maternal grandmother, Iffet Hanim (1912-2011), was of
Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...
descent and her maternal grandfather was of
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
descent. She attended primary and secondary schools in Gölcük and eventually got enrolled in Gölcük Barbaros Hayrettin Lisesi. With the help of her mother, she took modeling courses with Yaşar Alptekin. She subsequently joined
Neşe Erberk Neşe Erberk (born October 14, 1964) is a Turkish people, Turkish businesswoman, a former model (person), fashion model, beauty contestant and Miss Europe 1984. Biography She was born on October 14, 1964, in Istanbul, Turkey. She completed her e ...
's modeling agency. Meanwhile, she acted in a number of movies and TV series including ''Günlerden Pazar'' (1992), ''Tele Anahtar'' (1994) and ''Sensiz Olmaz'' (1994). She also appeared in a TV movie titled ''Hayatın Anlamı'' alongside Ece Sükan.


1996–2005: ''Sebebim'', ''Unuttum'' and ''Banane''

While continuing her modeling career, Akalın started to sing at casinos as well. In September 1996, her first studio album '' Sebebim (My Reason)'' was released by Elenor Plak. The songs were a mix of
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
and
Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...
. Naim Dilmener wrote in his review for ''
Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...
'' that Akalın was still inexperienced and her shaky vocals made the album poorly received. The album's lead single, titled "Sebebim", was written by Seda Akay and Niran Ünsal, for which a music video was released. Two other music videos were made for the songs "Asla Affedilmez" and "Sakın Vazgeçme". In 1998, Akalın got a role as Deniz in one episode of
Kanal D Kanal D (English: Channel D) is a nationwide television channel in Turkey that is part of Demirören Group. It was founded by Ayhan Şahenk and Aydın Doğan in 1993. The network has also run an international channel, Euro D, since 1996, whic ...
's TV series ''Sibel''. In June 2000, her first EP ''Yalan Sevdan'' was released by Şahin Özer Müzik. A music video was made for the EP's song "Senin Anan Güzel mi?", which became Akalın's first hit in Turkey and Sırma Karasu of ''
Habertürk ''Habertürk'' (), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on 1 March 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July 2018. The newspaper s ...
'' later praised the song as one of the earliest examples of modern Turkish pop music. Akalın's second studio album '' Unuttum (I've Forgotten)'' was produced by Peker Müzik and released in June 2003. All of the new songs in the album were written by Ersay Üner and three music videos were made for the album's lead single, "Unuttum", as well as the songs "Gazete" and "Allahından Bul". In December 2004, her third album '' Banane (I Don't Care)'' was released by
Seyhan Müzik Seyhan Müzik is a Turkish record label founded in 1987. Around 2005 they bought up the rights to Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer. She is one of the most successf ...
. The songs on this album were written by Serdar Ortaç and
Yıldız Tilbe Yıldız Tilbe (born 16 July 1966) is a Turkish singer of Kurdish descent and one of the best-selling musical artists in Turkey, known especially for her eastern-infused ballads. Life and career Yıldız Tilbe was born in the Gültepe district ...
. The album sold 40,000 copies and eight music videos were made for the songs "Bittim", "Aşkın Açamadığı Kapı", "Banane", "Vuracak", "Bir Anda Sevmiştim", "Tamamdır", "Pembe Dizi" and "Adam Gibi", the second of which was chosen as the Song of the Year at the 12th
Turkey Music Awards Kral Turkey Music Awards (previously known as Kral TV Video Music Awards between 1995 and 2009, Kral Music Awards between 2009 and 2012, and Turkey Music Awards between 2013 and 2016) were the annual music awards in Turkey. The first awards were g ...
. Critics drew similarities between "Banane"'s music vido and
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's short film "
Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
" made in 2002 for
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
. Akalın's future husband, Oğuz Kayhan, appeared in the music video for "Pembe Dizi".


2006–09: ''Kusursuz 19'' and ''Dans Et''

Akalın wrote a few songs for her fourth studio album '' Kusursuz 19 (The Perfect 19)'' which was produced by Seyhan Müzik and released in June 2006. The album was released with high hopes to make Akalın a solid figure of Turkish pop music as, in Akalın's words, "
Hande Yener Makbule Hande Özyener (born 12 January 1973), known professionally as Hande Yener, is a Turkish singer and songwriter. She made her debut in the early 2000s, and since then has become a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with numerous songs t ...
was a bit distressed because her new tape was very European, and Gülşen was having problems due to her troubled relationship with her producer. As they are dealing with their problems and losing blood, I will take my place in the music market with my new album." The album sold 147,000 copies, got a gold certification from
Mü-Yap Mü-Yap, (officially Bağlantılı Hak Sahibi Fonogram Yapımcıları Meslek Birliği, Turkish: ''Turkish Phonographic Industry Society'') is the major organization representing the recording industry of Turkey. Mü-Yap is also an IFPI The Inte ...
and its lead single "Afedersin" became a number-one hit on
Türkçe Top 20 Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languages of Cyprus. Si ...
. Separate music videos were also made for the songs "Herkes Hakettiği Gibi Yaşıyor", "Mantık Evliliği" and "Alçak". Akalın received the award for Best Female Artist at the 13th Turkey Music Awards and "Afedersin" was chosen as the Best Song of the Year. In July 2006, she married restaurant owner Oğuz Kayhan and the couple got divorced in November. Akalın later stated that they were divorced because they had fallen in disagreement about having children. Akalın did not intend to release any new works for a period of time, but at the request of her fans, she eventually released the single "Tatil" in June. Meanwhile, she got into a feud with Hande Yener. Yener had said: "I do western music, so I can not compete with those who make fantasy music. What Demet does is not similar to my style." to which Akalın responded by saying: "If she does not like me, why is she after my works? It is obvious that she takes all the works that I don't like or refuse to do for herself." Yener subsequently took a case to the court asking for 50,000 on the grounds that Akalın had insulted her and attacked her verbally, but the court said that they did not find any insult in Akalın's words. The feud continued when Yener said: "Demet? She's a grocery singer. What she does is 'grocery music'. No doubt. The likes of her are the followers of Serdar Ortaç." Akalın responded by saying: "Oh, she does electronic music? It's more likely that she's been electrocuted." and won 10,000 in the court in a case against Yener. ''
Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...
'' chose the phrase 'grocery music' as one of the core words of 2007 and Sırma Karasu from ''
Habertürk ''Habertürk'' (), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on 1 March 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July 2018. The newspaper s ...
'' described the grocery music debate as one of the breaking points of Turkish pop music. After this point, the feud between the two continued on numerous occasions. Akalın's fifth studio album '' Dans Et (Dance)'' was produced by Seyhan Müzik and released in March 2008 with Ersay Üner writing and composing most of the songs. By the end of the year it sold 128,000 copies in Turkey and received a gold certification from Mü-Yap. Critics reacted negatively to slow-paced songs but praised the dance songs. The lead single "Mucize" ranked number one on ''Billboard Türkiye''s Türkçe Top 20 for seven weeks. After making a music video for "Mucize", separate music videos were released for the songs "Bebek", "Gururum" and "Dans Et". "Bebek" became the third most-played song on radio in Turkey in 2008. At a concert in
Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
in May 2008 Akalın said to a group of audience: "Bro, are you all from
Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
? From the mountain side? I didn't understand where you came from. You're just looking like morons. One gives a round of applause or something." These words made her subject to a large number of reactions. She responded by saying: "The words I have said were a joke at my own friends from Diyarbakır who had come to see my performance. If the joke I made with all my sincerity towards my friends has been misunderstood, I apologize to all my fans from Diyarbakır." The criticism continued and seven businessmen from Diyarbakır accused Akalın of "publicly denouncing a section of society based on social class, sex, and regional difference". In 2010, the court decided to postpone the announcement of the judgment and, as a precautionary measure, the singer was ordered to write the words of the
İstiklal Marşı "" (; ) is the national anthem of both the Republic of Turkey and the Northern Cyprus, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It was officially adopted by the TBMM, Grand National Assembly on 12 March 1921—two-and-a-half years before the 29 Octob ...
on a page and make a five-page comment on the anthem. In April 2009, Akalın released the single "Toz Pembe", which ranked number one on Türkçe Top 20. While the song was favorably received by some critics, it was considered by some as a replay of the singer's previous works.


2010–14: ''Zirve'', ''Giderli 16'' and ''Rekor''

In January 2010, Akalın married the businessman Önder Bekensir, but just like her first marriage this one also ended after a few months. In July, the couple applied to the court on the grounds of severe disagreement and they divorced over the course of 20 minutes. In April, she released her sixth studio album '' Zirve (Peak)'', which sold 83,000 copies and made her the eighth best-selling artist in Turkey in 2010. She later jokingly said that this album was full of "grocery songs to the bottom". Critics noted that the album contained "flat pop music rant" and was mostly commercial. The albums's lead single, "Tecrübe", ranked number two on Turkey's music charts. The first music video for the song was directed by Teoman Topçu, who spent 40,000 for its preparation, but as some drew similarities between the clip and Corenell's music video for " Keep on Jumpin'", Akalın set the video aside and worked with Tamer Aydoğdu on a second video clip for the song. Five other music videos were made for the songs "Evli, Mutlu, Çocuklu", "Çanta", "Bozuyorum Yeminimi", "Umutsuz Vaka" and "Olacak Olacak". Akalın's former husband appeared in the music video for "Evli, Mutlu, Çocuklu" and Tan Taşçı appeared in the music video for "Çanta", which was directed by Akalın herself. "Çanta" and "Olacak Olacak" ranked third and fourth on Turkey's official music charts. On 3 August 2010, Akalın performed for the first time at the
Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre The Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre (, also called simply ''Açıkhava Tiyatrosu'') is a contemporary amphitheatre located at Harbiye neighborhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated across from the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar C ...
, and
Murat Dalkılıç Sırrı Murat Dalkılıç (born 7 August 1983) is a Turkish pop singer, songwriter, music producer, film and animation producer, director and actor. Career Murat Dalkılıç was born in İzmir and lived in Kuşadası. He studied piano at the ...
made an appearance on the stage as well. In May 2011 Akalın began preparations for her new studio album and in summer she released her second EP ''Aşk'', followed by the newly recorded song "Ben de Özledim" together with
Ferdi Tayfur Ferdi Tayfur (; born Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt; 15 November 1945 – 2 January 2025) was a Turkish singer, actor, director, songwriter and screenwriter. He was born in the Taşçı neighbourhood of Adana and led a successful career in Arabesque ...
. Three months before that she had collaborated with Fettah Can on the song "Yanan Ateşi Söndürdük". Her EP sold 40,000 copies and one of its songs, "Sabıka", ranked among the top five on Turkey's music charts. In July, she performed at the 52nd International Nasrettin Teachers Memorial and Humor Days in
Akşehir Akşehir is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Konya Province, Turkey. Its area is , and its population is 93,965 (2022). It was known historically as Philomelium. The town is situated at the edge of a fertile plain, on the north ...
,
Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...
, and said to the district governor Ahmet Katırcı: "You covered your ears with your hands for an hour. Are you disturbed, 'uncle'? You're making me lose my concentration." These words resulted in a backlash from the district governor. Katırcı said that he had covered his ears as he was suffering from
vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
and accused Akalın of being disrespectful saying: "A professional artist, who has been on stage for many years, should know that she should not address a person who has come to see her performance as 'uncle'." Next month, Akalın's house in
Beykoz Beykoz () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 310 km2, and its population is 247,875 (2022). It lies at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. The name i ...
was robbed and 100,000 cash and some jewelry were stolen. Akalın later sued the robbers for 600,000, five of whom were sent to prison. In October, she got a role as a supporting actress on
TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
's TV series ''Yıldız Masalı'' and the next month her duet with Alişan, "Melekler İmza Topluyor", was released. In March 2012, she played in a commercial for Morhipo together with Hande Yener. As to why they accepted the advertising offer, Akalın said: "They paid us a lot, we could not say no!" In the same month, she was featured on Erdem Kınay's album ''Proje'', performing the songs "Rota" and "Emanet". The next month she married her third husband Okan Kurt. In May, her concert in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
was cut short because of a protest during which plastic bottles were thrown at the stage, and the reason for this action was stated to be due to the comments she had made in Diyarbakır back in 2008. After a while Akalın posted a message on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and said: "Killers of an unborn baby! All my curses be upon those who bothered me." hinting that she had had a miscarriage due to the criticism that she had faced in the press. Her seventh studio album '' Giderli 16 (Break Up 16)'' was released in November 2012 and sold 69,000 copies in Turkey, becoming the ninth best-selling album of the year. The critics stated that Akalın had continued to repeat the style of her previous works in this album and that she was making commercial-like music to sell out the album. Ersay Üner was featured on the lead single "Yılan". The song "Türkan", which was written as a tribute to
Türkan Şoray Türkan Şoray (born 28 June 1945) is a Turkish actress, writer and film director. She is known as "Sultan" of the Cinema of Turkey. She started her career in 1960, and won her first award as the most successful actress at the 1st Antalya Golde ...
, was chosen as the Best Song at the
Turkey Music Awards Kral Turkey Music Awards (previously known as Kral TV Video Music Awards between 1995 and 2009, Kral Music Awards between 2009 and 2012, and Turkey Music Awards between 2013 and 2016) were the annual music awards in Turkey. The first awards were g ...
and the 40th Golden Butterfly Awards. After these two songs, new music videos for "Giderli Şarkılar", "Yıkıl Karşımdan" (feat. Gökhan Özen), "Kalbindeki İmza", "Sepet", "Nasip Değilmiş" (duet with Özcan Deniz) and "Felaket" were released. From March to June 2013, Akalın served as a judge on ''Popstar 2013'' for 13 episodes together with Bülent Ersoy,
Orhan Gencebay Orhan Gencebay (born 4 August 1944) is a Turkish people, Turkish musician, bağlama virtuoso, composer, singer, arranger, record producer, music producer, music director, and actor. Gencebay was born in the coastal town of Samsun on 4 August 194 ...
and Serdar Ortaç. After learning that she was pregnant, she canceled ten concerts in Europe at the end of the year from which she was supposed to earn 410,000. In February 2014, Akalın gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Hira, in Istanbul, and two months later her eighth studio album '' Rekor (Record)'' was released by Seyhan Müzik. The album sold 89,000 copies, becoming the number-one best-selling album in Turkey. Akalın recorded different music videos for the songs "İlahi Adalet", "Rekor", "Koltuk", "Nefsi Müdafaa" and "Yeminim Var". Out of these songs, the first one ranked second on Turkey's official music chart, and singer Gökhan Özen was the featuring artist on the fourth one. Music critic Yavuz Hakan Tok wrote that Akalın, who claimed that she did not have any concerns over the success of this album, was in fact trying to maintain her current popularity with the release of ''Rekor''. Tok found this album's potential of becoming a hit low compared to Akalın's previous albums. In October, she was the guest judge at
Show TV Show TV is a Turkish free-to-air national television channel, established in 1991 by Erol Aksoy, Dinç Bilgin, Haldun Simavi and Erol Simavi, owned by the Can Holding. History The channel replaces Cine5's now-defunct frequencies, and it was ...
's '' Bu Tarz Benim''. In the same month, she stopped working with Seyhan Müzik, the production company with which she had worked since 2004.


2015–present: ''Pırlanta'', ''Rakipsiz'' and ''Ateş''

In December 2014, Akalın signed a 750,000 contract with DMC to produce a new album. In the early months of 2015 she started working on her ninth studio album; meanwhile she was featured on Emrah Karaduman's song "İntikam" and Sinan Akçıl's song "Vazgeçilmezim". In June, her new album '' Pırlanta (Diamond)'' was released, and its lead single "Ders Olsun" ranked second on Turkey's official music chart. The album itself became the best-selling album in Turkey, and sold 105,000 copies, receiving a gold certification from DMC. Following "Ders Olsun", new music videos were released for the songs "Gölge", "Çalkala", "Beş Yıl", "Pırlanta" and "Şerefime Namusuma". In the same year in August, Akalın took part in the first season of TV8's singing competition ''Rising Star Türkiye'' as a judge alongside Gülben Ergen, Fuat Güner and
Mustafa Sandal Mustafa Sandal (born 11 January 1970) is a Turkish singer-songwriter and actor. At the beginning of the 1990s, he wrote and composed a number of songs for other singers and made a reputation for himself in the music industry. He had leading role ...
. In February 2016, Akalın was cast in a supporting role together with her husband in ''Osman Pazarlama''. In November, her tenth studio album '' Rakipsiz (Unrivaled)'' was released and its lead single, "Hayalet", became a number-one hit on the official music chart for two weeks. On 11 September 2018, Akalın and her husband Okan Kurt divorced due to "irreconcilable differences". Their daughter's custody was given to Akalın. Akalın's house was reportedly being under the threat of confiscation due to the debts of Martaş Logistics, a company run by her husband's family. The couple later reconciled in late November 2018, but are not legally married. By the end of the year, Akalın and fellow singer Hande Yener reconciled after an 11-year feud which made them the subject of many tabloid news. Akalın's eleventh studio album, '' Ateş'' (''Fire''), was released by DMC on 18 April 2019. The album's first music video, "N'apıyorsan Yap", was released on 19 April 2019, four days prior to the album's release on digital platforms. It was followed by music videos for the songs "Ağlar O Deli", "Esiyor" and "Yekten". In December 2020, Akalın launched her own cosmetic collection under the name DA. In February 2020, Akalın performed a duet with Deniz Seki, Işın Karaca and Cansu Kurtçu on the song “Ala”. In July 2020, her single “Nostalji” was released. Akalın and Alişan co-hosted the daytime program Demet and Alişan ile Sabah Sabah with Demet and Alişan, which started airing on Star TV in August. The program ended in May 2021. In November 2020, she released her single “Kahır”, the lyrics of which belong to Sıla and the music of which belongs to Murat Yeter, together with its video clip. Akalın released the single “Bi Daha Bi Daha” in 2021, and in 2022 she sang the song “Yalan” from Sinan Akçıl's project album Piyanist 2, and the video clip of the song was released in February 2022. In May, Akalın reprised the song “Bensiz Olsun” in Serdar Ortaç's project album Serdar Ortaç Şarkıları Vol. 1 and released the single “Çukur” in July. In September 2023, she released the single “Yolla Bana Yolla”. In December 20223, she announced that she started the preparation of her twelfth album. In October 2023, she co-hosted the program Demet and Jess'le Gel Konuşalım (Come Talk with Demet and Jess) with Jess Molho, which started airing on TV8.


Philanthropy

Demet Akalın donated 50,000 and 10,000 to Mehmetçik Foundation in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In 2019, she donated proceeds from her concert at the
Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre The Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre (, also called simply ''Açıkhava Tiyatrosu'') is a contemporary amphitheatre located at Harbiye neighborhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated across from the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar C ...
to the same charity. In December 2019, Akalın together with Hande Yener and producer Polat Yağcı had a meeting with Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
. Prevention of child abuse and violence against women were among the discussed topics during the meeting. The singer received the Social Sensitivity Award at the International Crystal Diamond Awards. In September 2022, she built a two-class literacy school in the Alucra district of Giresun in support of the village schools project of Beşiktaş's women's fan group 'Çarşı Kadın'; the school was named after her father Ali Akalın. Demet Akalın opened four of her houses in Istanbul for earthquake victims for one year in support of the Evim Yuvan Olsun campaign initiated by AFAD after the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6, 2023, which caused major destruction in ten provinces. Later, Akalın announced that she undertook all the education expenses of Osman, a 14-year-old earthquake victim who was rescued wounded after 260 hours of the earthquake in Hatay.


Discography

* '' Sebebim'' (1996) * '' Unuttum'' (2003) * '' Banane'' (2004) * '' Kusursuz 19'' (2006) * '' Dans Et'' (2008) * '' Zirve'' (2010) * '' Giderli 16'' (2012) * '' Rekor'' (2014) * '' Pırlanta'' (2015) * '' Rakipsiz'' (2016) * '' Ateş'' (2019)


Filmography

;Films * ''Günlerden Pazar'' (1992) * ''Sensiz Olmaz'' (1994) * ''Tele Anahtar'' (1994) * ''Osman Pazarlama'' (2016) ;TV series * ''Sibel'' (1998) * ''En İyi Arkadaşım'' (2006)


Television programs

;As judge * ''Popstar 2013'' (2013) * ''Bu Tarz Benim'' (2014) (guest judge) * ''Rising Star Türkiye'' (2015) ;As presenter * ''Daha Ne Olsun'' (2007) (presented together with Alişan) * ''Evlilik Hayatı'' (2010) (presented together with Önder Bekensir) * ''Demet ve Alişan ile Sabah Sabah'' (2020–2021) (presented together with Alişan) * ''Gelinim Mutfakta'' (2021)


Commercials


References


External links


Demet Akalın
on
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akalin, Demet 1972 births 21st-century Turkish singers 21st-century Turkish women singers Golden Butterfly Award winners Living people People from Gölcük Turkish dance musicians Turkish female models Turkish people of Tatar descent Turkish people of Laz descent Turkish people of Bosniak descent Turkish pop singers Turkish women pop singers Turkish philanthropists Turkish women philanthropists