Demet Akalın facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Demet Akalın
Akalın in 2011
Born	(1972-04-23) 23 April 1972 (age 53) Gölcük, Kocaeli, Turkey
Education	Gölcük Barbaros Hayrettin Lisesi
Occupation	Singer model (formerly) TV presenter
Spouse(s)	Oğuz Kayhan ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2006)​ Önder Bekensir ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2010)​ Okan Kurt ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2018)​
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Dance pop
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Elenor Şahin Özer Ozan Seyhan DMC

Demet Akalın, born on April 23, 1972, is a famous Turkish singer and a former model. She became very well-known in Turkish pop music during the 2000s because of her many popular songs.

Akalın was born in Gölcük, Kocaeli. She first wanted to be a model and worked for an agency. In the 1990s, she also acted in movies and TV shows. While modeling, she started singing. Her first album, Sebebim, came out in 1996 but wasn't very successful.

She became famous in Turkey with her album Banane in 2004. A song from this album, "Aşkın Açamadığı Kapı", won an award for Song of the Year. Her album Kusursuz 19 (2006) sold very well. With the success of Dans Et (2008), she became a very important person in Turkish pop music. In 2015, her album Pırlanta was the best-selling album in Turkey. Many of her songs, like "Afedersin", "Mucize", "Toz Pembe", and "Hayalet", reached number one in Turkey. Other songs, such as "Tecrübe" and "Ders Olsun", were also very popular.

Music critics say Demet Akalın has her own unique style. She has won many awards, including two Golden Butterfly Awards and four Kral Turkey Music Awards. She has also received many other nominations.

Life and Career

Early Life and Start in Music (1972–2005)

Demet Akalın was born on April 23, 1972, in Gölcük. Her family has roots from different places like Laz, Tatar, and Bosniak backgrounds. She went to school in Gölcük. With her mother's help, she took modeling classes and joined a modeling agency.

In the 1990s, she appeared in several movies and TV series. While modeling, Akalın also started singing in places like casinos. In 1996, her first album, Sebebim, was released. It had a mix of pop and Arabesque music. Some critics felt she was still new to singing at this time. Music videos were made for songs like "Sebebim" and "Asla Affedilmez".

In 2000, she released an EP (a shorter album) called Yalan Sevdan. The song "Senin Anan Güzel mi?" became her first big hit in Turkey. Her second album, Unuttum, came out in 2003. It featured songs written by Ersay Üner. Music videos were made for "Unuttum", "Gazete", and "Allahından Bul".

In 2004, her third album, Banane, was released. It sold 40,000 copies. Eight music videos were made for songs from this album, including "Aşkın Açamadığı Kapı", which won Song of the Year.

Rising to Fame (2006–2009)

Demet Akalın wrote some songs for her fourth album, Kusursuz 19, released in 2006. This album sold 147,000 copies and received a gold award. Its main song, "Afedersin", became a number-one hit in Turkey. Akalın won Best Female Artist at the 13th Turkey Music Awards, and "Afedersin" was named Best Song of the Year.

In 2008, Akalın released her fifth album, Dans Et. Most of the songs were written by Ersay Üner. The album sold 128,000 copies and also received a gold award. The first song from the album, "Mucize", was number one on the music charts for seven weeks. Other popular songs from this album included "Bebek" and "Dans Et".

In April 2009, Akalın released the song "Toz Pembe", which also reached number one on the music charts.

New Albums and Milestones (2010–2014)

In April 2010, Akalın released her sixth album, Zirve. It sold 83,000 copies, making her one of the top-selling artists in Turkey that year. The album's first song, "Tecrübe", reached number two on the charts. Other popular songs from this album were "Çanta" and "Olacak Olacak". In August 2010, Akalın performed for the first time at the famous Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre.

In May 2011, Akalın started working on a new album. She released an EP called Aşk and a new song "Ben de Özledim" with Ferdi Tayfur. One of the songs from her EP, "Sabıka", was among the top five songs in Turkey.

In March 2012, Akalın appeared in a commercial for Morhipo with fellow singer Hande Yener. She also sang two songs, "Rota" and "Emanet", on Erdem Kınay's album Proje. In November 2012, her seventh album, Giderli 16, was released. It sold 69,000 copies and was one of the best-selling albums of the year. The song "Türkan", which was a tribute to actress Türkan Şoray, won Best Song at the Turkey Music Awards.

From March to June 2013, Akalın was a judge on the TV show Popstar 2013. In February 2014, Akalın gave birth to her daughter, Hira. Two months later, her eighth album, Rekor, was released. It sold 89,000 copies and became the number-one best-selling album in Turkey. Songs like "İlahi Adalet" and "Rekor" were very popular.

Recent Works (2015–Present)

In June 2015, Akalın released her ninth album, Pırlanta. The first song, "Ders Olsun", reached number two on the charts. The album itself became the best-selling album in Turkey, selling 105,000 copies. Later that year, Akalın was a judge on the singing competition Rising Star Türkiye.

In November 2016, her tenth album, Rakipsiz, was released. Its main song, "Hayalet", was a number-one hit for two weeks.

Akalın's eleventh album, Ateş (meaning Fire), was released in April 2019. Music videos were released for songs like "N'apıyorsan Yap" and "Ağlar O Deli". In December 2020, Akalın launched her own makeup collection called DA.

Philanthropy

Demet Akalın has supported charities. She donated money to the Mehmetçik Foundation in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, she donated the money from her concert at the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre to the same charity. In December 2019, Akalın met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss important topics, including preventing violence against women.

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) (with Alişan)
• Evlilik Hayatı (2010) (with Önder Bekensir)
• Demet ve Alişan ile Sabah Sabah (2020–2021) (with Alişan)
• Gelinim Mutfakta (2021)

Commercials

Images for kids

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  Akalın performing in Samsun in 2008

• 

  Akalın performing at a concert in 2011

See also

In Spanish: Demet Akalın para niños