Merve Daşdemir, also known professionally as Merve (stylized in all caps), is a

Turkish-Dutch Turks in the Netherlands (; ), also Dutch Turks () or Turkish Dutch (; ), refers to people of full or partial Turkish ethnicity living in the Netherlands. They form the largest ethnic minority group in the country; thus, the Turks are the second ...

singer and musician best known as a former vocalist and keyboardist for the

Anatolian rock Anatolian rock (), or Turkish psychedelic rock, is a fusion of Turkish folk music and rock. It emerged during the mid-1960s, soon after rock groups became popular in Turkey. The most widely known members of this genre include Turkish musicians ...

band Altin Gün.

Music career

Merve joined Altin Gün in 2016 after responding to an online ad posted by future bandmate Jasper Verhulst who was looking to form a band that would combine the sounds of traditional Turkish rock with

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

. The band released five studio albums with Merve as a lead vocalist. In 2019, their sophomore album, ''Gece'' was nominated for the

62nd Annual Grammy Awards The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Ali ...

(2019) in the Best World Music Album category. Together they have made multiple tours of Europe and North America and have performed at

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

. Merve's fifth and final studio album with Altin Gün, titled ''Aşk'' was released in March 2023. Prior to her departure from the band, she provided vocals for a couple more singles, "Vallahi Yok" and "Kirik Cam". In February 2024, the band announced on their social media pages that Merve had decided to quit the band and begin a solo career. She continued to perform with Altin Gün until the following May. In February 2025, she released her first solo single titled "Platonik" as Merve. The song was co-produced with Christopher McLaughlin and a music video was directed by Tayfun Akbaş. The full album is to be released in the fall of 2025 under her own independent record label called Alabanda Records. Merve is also currently working on a Turkish/Hindi musical collaboration with Piya Malik of Say She She. After 11 years living in the Netherlands, Merve relocated to Turkey since her departure from Altin Gün.

Personal life

In 2017, Merve married Jan Derks, bassist for the band

Chef'Special Chef'Special is a Dutch indie pop band from Haarlem, North Holland. The band's lineup consists of lead vocalist Joshua Nolet, guitarist Guido Joseph, bass player Jan Derks, keyboard player Wouter Heeren and drummer Wouter Jerry Prudon. They have r ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Platonik'' (2025)

Singles

* "Platonik" (2025) * "YGO (Yarınlar Güzel Olacak)" (2025)

References

{{Reflist 1987 births Living people Singers from Istanbul Turkish women rock singers 21st-century Turkish women singers 21st-century Dutch women singers Anatolian rock musicians