Ajda Pekkan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ajda Pekkan
Pekkan in 2013
Born	Ayşe Ajda Pekkan (1946-02-12) 12 February 1946 (age 79) Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
Occupation	Singer actress (formerly)
Spouse(s)	Coşkun Sapmaz ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1973)​ Ali Bars ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1990)​
Parent(s)	Rıdvan Pekkan (father) Nevin Pekkan (mother)
Relatives	Semiramis Pekkan (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance schlager
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboard
Years active	1963–present
Labels	Serengil Odeon Regal Philips İstanbul Kervan Burç Yaşar Balet Emre Raks Tempa & Foneks Elenor Universal DMC GNL
Associated acts	Enrico Macias Los Çatikos Beş Yıl Önce On Yıl Sonra

Ayşe Ajda Pekkan (born 12 February 1946) is a famous Turkish singer. People in Turkey often call her "superstar" because of her huge success. Ajda Pekkan became a very important person in Turkish pop music. Her songs often featured strong female characters.

She has stayed popular for over 50 years by keeping her music fresh and adding Western styles. Many people in the music world look up to her. Music critics have praised her singing skills and her albums.

Ajda Pekkan was born in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. She started her music journey in the early 1960s. She first sang in a nightclub with a group called Los Çatikos. In 1963, she won a competition for movie artists. This made her famous as an actress. For several years, she acted in many films. She starred in nearly 50 black and white movies. Some of these were Şıpsevdi (1963) and Şaka ile Karışık (1965). Later, she decided to focus only on singing.

For the first 20 years of her singing career, she released many songs that were cover versions of popular tunes. Famous songs like "Kimler Geldi Kimler Geçti" and "Uykusuz Her Gece" became very well-known. From the 1990s, she worked with new songwriters. Her songs like "Yaz Yaz Yaz" and "Yakar Geçerim" became big hits in Turkey.

Her fame grew in the 1970s, especially in Europe. She gave concerts in many countries. She even recorded an album in French in 1978. Because she was so popular, she was asked to represent Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. She agreed, but her song "Pet'r Oil" finished 15th. This made her sad, and she took a break from music for a few years.

Ajda Pekkan has sold over 15 million records. This makes her one of Turkey's best-selling artists ever. She is also called a "State Artist" in Turkey. The French government gave her a special award called Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful women in entertainment.

Early Life

Ajda Pekkan was born on 12 February 1946 in Istanbul. Her family has Bosniak roots. Her father, Rıdvan Pekkan, was a marine major. Her mother, Gülten Nevin Dobruca, was a housewife.

Her family moved to Gölcük, Kocaeli, because of her father's job. Ajda Pekkan always wanted to have a child. She married for the first time in her 20s. Her husband wanted her to stop her music career. She got divorced because of this. She later said that not having children was her biggest sacrifice for her career.

Career

Starting Out in the 1960s

In 1961, Ajda Pekkan started her music career. Her sister, Semiramis Pekkan, helped her meet İlham Gencer. He owned a nightclub called "Çatı." Ajda began by singing a song called "Il Cielo In Una Stanza." She performed with a music group called "Los Çatikos."

In 1963, she won a singing and acting contest. It was organized by Ses magazine. She came in first place in the women's group. This win and her modern style made her very noticeable.

Before she became an actress, she met Fecri Ebcioğlu. He helped her with her music. In 1965, he helped her release her first record, Her Yerde Kar Var. This was a Turkish version of a song by Salvatore Adamo.

Throughout the 1960s, Pekkan and Ebcioğlu worked together a lot. Ebcioğlu wrote Turkish words for popular French, Italian, or English songs. Pekkan sang them in her own special way. In 1967, her record İki Yabancı sold a lot of copies in Turkey. This song was a Turkish version of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night."

She represented Turkey at music festivals in Athens in 1968 and 1969. She also sang at the Mediterranean Song Festival in Barcelona in 1969. Her songs were used in many movies during the 1960s. She also started performing with the famous singer Zeki Müren.

The 1970s and Beyond

By the early 1970s, Ajda Pekkan started working with Fikret Şeneş. Their first song together, "Sensiz Yillarda," sold many records. This song was released by Philips, a record company she signed with. This was a big moment for her career. She started releasing records in other countries.

She released many records with Philips International in the 1970s. This included records in Germany, Spain, Japan, and France. Her work with Philips International ended after her French album, Pour Lui, came out in 1978.

Pekkan changed to İstanbul Plak in 1972. Her song Dert Bende Derman Sende sold very well. In 1973, her producer insisted she record "Kimler Geldi Kimler Geçti." She didn't think it was her style. But it became a huge hit. Many people say it's one of the most meaningful Turkish songs ever.

In July 1975, Pekkan released her first collection album, Ajda. It included songs from her earlier records. A new song, "Erkek Adın," was also on the album.

By 1977, she was known as "Superstar." She released her new album, Süperstar. That same year, she sang at the Yamaha Music Festival in Tokyo. She also gave a concert in Tehran, which was shown on Turkish TV.

At the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, Ajda Pekkan (left) and her group represented Turkey.

People really wanted Ajda Pekkan to represent Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. They hoped she could improve Turkey's image in the contest. She first said no because she thought it was "amateur." But she finally agreed to the offer from TRT. She sang the song "Pet'r Oil" and finished 15th. This made her very sad.

After Eurovision, Pekkan left Istanbul. She lived in London and Los Angeles for months. She needed time to feel better after her career and personal problems. She got sick with jaundice in Los Angeles. She returned to Turkey in July 1982 after getting well.

After "Pet'r Oil," she signed with a new company, Yaşar Kekeva Plak. She decided to only release songs in Turkey. In September 1981, she released the album Sen Mutlu Ol. She wasn't happy with it. She didn't want to make a second album with the same company. This led to legal problems. The company released seven songs she had recorded without her permission. This album was called Sevdim Seni (1982). She had to record three more songs for them. Her album Sevdim Seni was re-released in March 1983. Then her contract with Yaşar Kekeva Plak ended.

In August 1982, Ajda Pekkan performed in a musical called Büyük Kabare. This was her first stage show in about 2.5 years. She worked with Fikret Şeneş again for this musical. Her ninth studio album, Süperstar '83, came out in March 1983. It was a huge success. Songs like "Uykusuz Her Gece" and "Bir Günah Gibi" became very popular. The album won "Light Music LP of the Year" in 1983. Pekkan also won "Light Music Artist of the Year" in 1984.

In 2002, Pekkan acted in a movie called Şöhret Sandalı. However, the film has never been released.

Pekkan sings at the Kuruçeşme Arena in July 2012

In 2011, Pekkan released her song "Yakar Geçerim." It was written by the famous Turkish singer Tarkan. The song reached second place on Turkey's music chart. A month later, her album Farkin Bu came out. It was the best-selling album in Turkey and sold 175,000 copies. In 2013, she released another song, "Ara Sıcak." This song, written by Gülşen, reached third place. Pekkan has continued to release new songs like "Yakarım Canını" (2015) and "Canın Sağ Olsun" (2019).

Public Image

Ajda Pekkan acted in many movies in the 1960s. Some people in the media criticized her new style and looks. In her second year of acting, she published an article called "I destroy the idols."

Pekkan became known for her songs and new style. Her fashion sense was also often talked about in the media. She once said, "I will continue to be seen as I have been until today. As a soldier's daughter, I cannot do anything that is different from my style." A book about her life and music, Hür Doğdum Hür Yaşarım, was published in 2007.

Pekkan supports women's rights. She has spoken out against domestic violence, abuse of women, and discrimination. She even released a music video about violence against women. In 2013, she sang "Hürriyet Benim" (Liberty is Mine) in a TV commercial about freedom for everyone.

She sang "Kadın Dediğin" on the album Güldünya Şarkıları. This album helped a helpline for domestic violence. She also sang "Keçe Kurdan" with Aynur Doğan. This song had been banned before. Pekkan was the first artist to support a new plan by the Turkish government to bring people together.

Ajda Pekkan is a respected name in Turkish pop music. She is friends with many other Turkish artists. She visited Bakırköy Women's Prison for the Güldünya Şarkıları project. There, she met and comforted Deniz Seki, another singer.

Pekkan is close friends with Sezen Aksu. She is also known for her friendships with Nilüfer and Nükhet Duru. She likes artists like Sertab Erener, Funda Arar, and Bengü. Singers like Hande Yener and İzel continue to release songs similar to Pekkan's style.

Ajda Pekkan is seen as a gay icon in Turkey's LGBT community. In a 2007 survey, she was chosen as the second most popular gay icon in Turkey.

Pekkan supports animal rights. In February 2011, she met with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to talk about animal rights. She has adopted and cared for many street animals. These include a cat named Beyaz and a dog named Apple. On 7 May 2013, Pekkan visited the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. She watched a discussion about animal rights there.

In August 2011, Pekkan visited Somalia with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other artists. In October 2011, she gave a concert to help Somalis living in Istanbul. In April 2018, she visited Hatay with President Erdoğan. They met soldiers who had taken part in a military operation.

During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Pekkan posted a map on Instagram. It showed Armenia removed from the map, with Turkish and Azerbaijani flags.

Personal Life

On 17 November 1973, Pekkan married Coşkun Sapmaz. Their marriage lasted only 6 days. She got engaged a second time in 1979 to journalist Erol Yaraş. In 1984, she married Ali Bars. They were married for 6 years. Pekkan has said that her biggest regret is not having children.

Pekkan has performed in many places in and outside Turkey. She has sung in English, French, Italian, and Japanese, as well as Turkish.

She did not finish high school. She started her music and acting career early. She took singing lessons from Leyla Demiriş.

In 2017, Pekkan became a citizen of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Discography

Filmography

Awards and Honors

Orders

Ribbon	Award and order	Country	Date	City	Note	Source
	Art-Cultural and Human Artist Awards	Azerbaijan	&10000000020020418000000 14 July 2013	Baku	This award was given by the International Eurasian Institute.
	Ordre des Arts et des Lettres	France	&10000000020020418000000 1 November 2013	Istanbul	The French Ambassador to Turkey gave her this award.

Other

• 2013: "All Time Unchanging Brand Award", Ankara

See Also

In Spanish: Ajda Pekkan para niños

• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• List of Turkish musicians

Images for kids

• 

  Pekkan performing at a concert in 2009