Candan Erçetin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Candan Erçetin
Erçetin in 2015
Born	(1961-02-10) 10 February 1961 (age 64) Lüleburgaz, Kırklareli, Turkey
Education	Galatasaray High School Istanbul University University of Vienna
Occupation	Singer-songwriter record producer teacher actress
Partner(s)	Hakan Karahan
Musical career
Genres	Folk-pop
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Topkapı Pasaj DMC
Associated acts	Klips ve Onlar

Candan Erçetin (born February 10, 1961) is a famous Turkish singer and songwriter. For over 25 years, she has been known for creating and singing songs about everyday life. Even though she didn't always use big promotions for her albums, her music has inspired many other artists.

Candan Erçetin has released many music videos with different themes. Her family comes from the Balkans, so she often uses sounds and styles from Balkan music in her songs. Besides Turkish, she has also written songs in French and Greek.

She was born in Kırklareli, Turkey, and has Albanian and Macedonian family roots. She later moved to Istanbul and went to Galatasaray High School. She also studied classical archeology at Istanbul University. In 1986, she represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest with the group Klips ve Onlar.

In 1995, she released her first album, Hazırım. Her song "Yalan" from the 1997 album Çapkın became a huge hit in Turkey. In 1999, she released Elbette, which became her best-selling album. She continued to release popular albums like Neden (2002), Melek (2004), and Kırık Kalpler Durağında (2009). She also released albums with French songs, like Chante Hier Pour Aujourd'hui (2003), and an album with Greek songs, Aman Doktor (2005).

Beyond music, Candan Erçetin has done many other things. She was a TV presenter and even had her own show. She also acted in a musical and composed music for movies. She taught music at Galatasaray High School and later taught speaking skills at Galatasaray University. In 2013, she became a Vice Chairman for the famous sports club Galatasaray S.K.. In 2014, she received an award from the French President for helping improve relations between France and Turkey. She has won many awards throughout her career.

Early Life and Music Journey

Starting Out (1961–1994)

Candan Erçetin was born on February 10, 1961, in Kırklareli. Her family had roots in Albania and Macedonia. She finished her early schooling in Kırklareli. When she was 11, she won a scholarship and moved to Istanbul by herself to attend Galatasaray High School. In 1978, she started taking singing lessons.

In 1986, she represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest with the group Klips ve Onlar. They sang the song "Halley" and achieved Turkey's best result in the competition at that time. She also participated in the Eurovision Turkey finals in 1990 and 1992 with different songs.

First Albums: Hazırım and Çapkın (1995–1999)

Candan Erçetin's first album, Hazırım, came out in August 1995. It had 12 songs, including some written by famous artists like Sezen Aksu. Popular songs from this album included "Umrumda Değil" and "Sevdim Sevilmedim," which also had music videos.

In 1996, she released Sevdim Sevilmedim, her first remix album. It had new songs and remixed versions of songs from her first album. After this, she often released remix albums for her future works.

Her second studio album, Çapkın, was released on June 17, 1997. This album had 12 songs, with Mete Özgencil being a key collaborator. The song "Yalan" from this album became very popular. Music videos were made for "Yalan," "Çapkın," "Onlar Yanlış Biliyor," and "Her Aşk Bitermiş."

In August 1998, her second remix album, Oyalama Artık, was released. It featured remixed versions of songs like "Oyalama Artık" and "Aşkı Ne Sandın." A new music video for "Oyalama Artık" was also filmed.

Big Successes: Elbette and Neden (1999–2003)

Candan Erçetin's third studio album, Elbette, was released on November 30, 1999. Mete Özgencil wrote the lyrics for many songs, and Candan herself composed six of them. She also re-recorded an old song from 1960 called "Unut Sevme."

Elbette was a huge success, becoming the best-selling album in Turkey for many weeks. By the end of 2000, it had sold over 1 million copies, making it the top-selling album of the year. Music critics loved the album, saying it showed her unique personality. In 2009, Elbette was even chosen as the Best Turkish Album of the 2000s by NTV's music experts.

On May 17, 2002, her fourth studio album, Neden, was released. This album had a different feel from her previous works, with simpler lyrics. The main song, "Gamsız Hayat," became a hit and had a music video, as did the song "Parçalandım." The album sold very well and received an award for its sales. In 2003, she released Chante Hier Pour Aujourd'hui, an album of French songs with modern arrangements.

New Sounds: Melek and Aman Doktor (2004–2012)

Candan Erçetin's fifth studio album, Melek, was released on June 17, 2004. This was her first album with a different production company. The album included a song called "Şehir" featuring the musician Ceza. Critics praised the album, saying its songs could be enjoyed by everyone. Melek quickly became a best-seller in Turkey. It sold 406,000 copies in 2004 and received a gold award.

In 2004, she toured 17 cities as part of the Fanta Youth Festival. In July 2005, a remix version of Melek, called Remix'5, was released.

In early 2005, she starred in the musical Yıldızların Altında. Later that year, on December 9, her new album Aman Doktor was released. This album was special because it featured both Turkish and Greek cultural songs. Aman Doktor topped the sales charts in Turkey and sold over 100,000 copies, earning a gold award. In 2006, she made a guest appearance on the TV series Yabancı Damat, singing at a wedding. From 2007 to 2008, she hosted her own TV show, Beraber ve Solo Şarkılar.

Erçetin performing live in June 2012

Candan Erçetin also worked as a producer for the movie Gölgesizler, released in January 2009. The song "Ben Kimim," created for the movie, was released in November 2008 and became very popular. This song was later included in her sixth studio album, Kırık Kalpler Durağında.

Kırık Kalpler Durağında was released on December 16, 2009, after a long break. It quickly became a best-seller. Candan re-recorded the song "Unutama Beni" by the late Esmeray for this album. Critics gave positive reviews, praising her unique style and the album's compositions. Music videos were made for "Kader," "Kırık Kalpler Durağında," and "Git." In 2011, she released her Turkish-French album Aranjman 2011.

Recent Years: Milyonlarca Kuştuk... and Ah Bu Şarkıların Gözü Kör Olsun (2013–Present)

On May 31, 2013, Candan Erçetin was announced as a new board member for the Galatasaray S.K. sports club. She became the vice president after elections on June 22, 2013.

She started working on her seventh studio album in 2011. After a year of work, Milyonlarca Kuştuk... was quietly released on June 3, 2013. The album's title and first song were inspired by the legend of Simurgh. For this album, Candan turned Nâzım Hikmet's poem "Bence Şimdi Sen De Herkes Gibisin" into a song. The album topped the best-selling lists and was one of Turkey's top-selling and most downloaded albums of 2013.

In January 2014, Candan Erçetin received the Order of Arts and Letters medal from the French President François Hollande. This was to honor her efforts in strengthening relations between France and Turkey.

In December 2014, she appeared on Beyazıt Öztürk's show Beyaz Show. They had a fun "battle" where they sang parody versions of her song "Git." This turned into a popular comedy duet between them. Many other famous people joined in their parodies, making it even more entertaining. This playful battle made Candan Erçetin even more popular, and she became one of the most searched names on Google in Turkey.

After releasing her eighth studio album, Ah Bu Şarkıların Gözü Kör Olsun, in November 2015, which featured covers of Turkish classical songs, Candan Erçetin continued to release new singles like "Kim Korkar" and "Değişiyoruz" in 2018. She also worked with Kardeş Türküler on their song "Bekle." In 2019, she released a new version of her song "Annem" for the movie Annem. To celebrate 25 years since her first album, she released a new single called "İyi ki" on January 31, 2020.

In 2022, Candan Erçetin's song "Gamsız Hayat" was featured in the British movie Aftersun, which received good reviews.

Discography

• Hazırım (1995) (English: I'm Ready)
• Çapkın (1997) (English: ...)
• Elbette (1999) (English: Of Course)
• Neden (2002) (English: Why?)
• Melek (2004) (English: Angel)
• Kırık Kalpler Durağında (2009) (English: At the Stop of Broken Hearts)
• Milyonlarca Kuştuk... (2013) (English: We Were Millions of Birds...)
• Ah Bu Şarkıların Gözü Kör Olsun (2015) (English: Oh, These Songs Should Blackout)

Filmography

TV Programs

• Kol Düğmeleri (1994)
• Randevu (1995)
• Günlük Hayat (2001)
• Candan Erçetin'le Beraber ve Solo Şarkılar (March 2007 – June 2008)

See also

In Spanish: Candan Erçetin para niños

• Music of Turkey
• Pop folk
• Southeastern European music
• Turkish pop music