Sezen Aksu facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sezen Aksu

Born	Fatma Sezen Yıldırım (1954-07-13) 13 July 1954 (age 70) Sarayköy, Denizli, Turkey
Other names	Sezen Seley
Education	İzmir Girls High School Ege University (left)
Occupation	Singer songwriter poet composer producer actress
Spouse(s)	Hasan Yüksektepe (m. 1972; div. 1972) Ali Engin Aksu (m. 1974; div. 1978) Sinan Özer (m. 1981; div. 1983) Ahmet Utlu (m. 1993; div. 1997)
Children	1 (with Sinan Özer)
Musical career
Genres	Pop
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Hop Kent Kervan Sembol Fono Coşkun Foneks Karma Raks PolyGram Post DMC Seyhan

Signature

Sezen Aksu (born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım on 13 July 1954) is a famous Turkish singer, songwriter, and music producer. She is one of Turkey's most successful singers. She has sold over 40 million albums around the world. People often call her the "Queen of Turkish Pop" or "Minik Serçe" (which means "Little Sparrow").

Sezen Aksu has greatly influenced Turkish pop music since she started in 1975. She has worked with and helped many other musicians. Some famous artists she worked with include Sertab Erener and Tarkan. Her songs with Tarkan, like "Şımarık" and "Şıkıdım", became very popular across Europe. In 2010, NPR (a radio station in the USA) named her one of the "50 Great Voices" in the world.

About Sezen Aksu
Her Music Career
Her Activism
Personal Life
Music Albums
- Studio Albums
Images for kids
See also

About Sezen Aksu

Sezen Aksu was born in Sarayköy, a town in Denizli, Turkey. Her father was a math teacher. When she was three years old, her family moved to Bergama. She grew up and spent her early years there.

Sezen's parents wanted her to become a doctor or an engineer. They did not want her to be a singer. She would wait until they left the house and then sing on the family's balcony. After high school, she started studying agriculture at a college. But she left college to focus on her music career.

Sezen Aksu, along with her friend Ajda Pekkan, helped create Turkish pop music in the 1970s. Her music also became popular in the Balkans and Greece. She has performed concerts in Europe and the U.S., and critics have praised her shows.

She has supported many important causes. These include making changes to the country's laws, protecting the rights of different groups, and helping women. She also supports protecting the environment and improving education in Turkey. Sezen Aksu has been married four times. She kept the last name "Aksu" from her second marriage. She has a son named Mithat Can, who is also a singer in a band.

Her Music Career

Early Days and First Hits (1975–1983)

Sezen Aksu released her first song, Haydi Şansım/Gel Bana, in 1975. She used the name "Sezen Seley" then. But she became famous in 1976 with her song Olmaz Olsun/Vurdumduymaz. This song reached number one on the Turkish charts. In 1976, she won an award for "Promising Female Artist of the Year".

Her first album, Serçe, came out in 1978. This album gave her the famous nickname "Minik Serçe" (Little Sparrow). Sezen Aksu wanted to represent Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest. She tried three times in the national finals but never got to go. Later, her student, Sertab Erener, won Eurovision. This helped Sezen Aksu's dream of sharing Turkish music in Europe come true.

Growing Success in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Sezen Aksu worked closely with Turkish-Armenian producer Onno Tunç. They had a romantic and professional relationship. Together, they created new and exciting sounds in Turkish pop music. Albums like Sen Ağlama, Git, Sezen Aksu'88, and Sezen Aksu Söylüyor were very successful.

Her music became even better in the 1990s. She worked with Tunç again on her best-selling album, Gülümse. A song from this album, Hadi Bakalım, became a big hit in Turkey and Europe. It was even released as a single in Germany. Sezen Aksu also started producing albums for other singers. She helped artists like Aşkın Nur Yengi, Sertab Erener, and Levent Yüksel become famous.

New Sounds and Global Reach (1990s–Present)

In 1995, Sezen Aksu released an experimental album called Işık Doğudan Yükselir. This album mixed Western classical music with traditional Turkish music. It helped her become known outside Turkey, especially in Europe. In 1996, she released Düş Bahçeleri as a tribute to Onno Tunç, who sadly died that year in a plane crash. In 1997, she worked with Goran Bregović on the album Düğün ve Cenaze.

She returned to her original style with Adı Bende Saklı in 1998. She continued to experiment with new sounds. She kept pushing Turkish pop music forward with albums like Deliveren, Şarkı Söylemek Lazım, and Yaz Bitmeden between 2000 and 2003. After a short break, she released Bahane in 2005. That same year, she released Kardelen, and all the money from it went to charity.

Sezen Aksu performing at Maltepe University, 2009

In 2005, Sezen Aksu appeared in a documentary film called Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul. She performed her song "İstanbul Hatırası" in the film. In 2006, she published a book called Eksik Şiir. It was a collection of 197 songs she wrote from 1975 to 2006. The book was very popular. She released a second book of poems in 2016.

In 2008, Aksu released her album Deniz Yıldızı. In 2009, she released Yürüyorum Düş Bahçelerinde. This album had new songs and some older songs she wrote for other singers. In 2010, she was on the "50 Great Sounds" list by American NPR radio. She also had successful concerts in Sweden and the USA. She told the audience in New Jersey, "I will not leave this stage until I make all of you happy."

Nilüfer and Sezen Aksu at the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre, 2012

In 2011, Aksu released the album Öptüm. It included songs she wrote and composed, like "Unuttun mu Beni" and "Vay". It also had a song by Nazan Öncel and a poem by Cemal Süreya turned into a song.

In January 2016, Sezen Aksu announced that she would stop performing live concerts. She said, "Each ending is a new beginning. I will continue to produce music, but I'm going to say goodbye to the stage after a few concerts I promised." However, in September, she said she would continue making music.

In 2022, some people criticized Sezen Aksu for a line in her song "Ne Şahane Bir Şey Yaşamak". She responded by saying, "You won't be able to crush my tongue," showing her strong spirit.

Her Activism

A bust of Sezen Aksu in Akat Artists' Park

Sezen Aksu cares deeply about social issues. In 2009, she supported efforts to bring peace and change to Turkey. In 2012, she wrote a song called "Tanrının Gözyaşları" (Tears of God). This song was a tribute to soldiers who had died during a conflict.

She also spoke about the young people who protested in Gezi Park protests in 2013. She called it "the first youth revolution in the world." In 2014, she released a new song, "Yeni ve Yeni Kalanlar," to honor these young people.

Aksu actively fights against problems like treating women unfairly, not being able to read, and being mean to others. She also supports the LGBT community in Turkey. She helps them through charity work. In 2008, she supported Lambdaistanbul, an LGBT organization that was facing legal challenges.

An asteroid discovered in 2009 was named 266854 Sezenaksu, after her.

Personal Life

Aksu's mansion (yalı) in Kanlıca, Beykoz

Sezen Aksu married Hasan Yüksektepe when she was young, but they divorced quickly. Later, she married Ali Engin Aksu and kept his last name for her music career. She also married Sinan Özer and had a son with him. Her marriage to journalist Ahmet Utlu also ended in divorce.