Ziynet Sali facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ziynet Sali
Sali in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ziynet Sali Safter
Born	(1975-04-29) 29 April 1975 (age 50) Nicosia, Turkish Federated State of Cyprus
Genres	Pop rebetiko (formerly) classical Turkish music (formerly)
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1999–present
Labels	DMC Dost Müzik GNL Entertainment Ozan Video Zorba

Ziynet Sali Safter (born April 29, 1975) is a popular singer from Turkish Cyprus. She also has British citizenship. Ziynet Sali is known for her pop music. Earlier in her career, she also sang in styles like rebetiko (a type of Greek folk music) and classical Turkish music.

Ziynet Sali was born in Nicosia. She moved to England with her family when she was young. In 1981, she returned to Cyprus and finished her high school education there. Later, in 1994, she moved to Istanbul, Turkey, to study music. She graduated from the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory in 1999. While studying, she began performing as a professional singer. Her first album, Ba-Ba, came out in 2000. It had only Turkish songs. Her second album, Amman Kuzum (2004), also included Greek songs. Ziynet Sali has released many successful albums and singles throughout her career.

Early Life and Education

Ziynet Sali Safter was born on April 29, 1975. She was one of three children. Her parents were Turkish Cypriots. She was born in Nicosia, which was the capital of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus at that time. Her father had moved to London from Cyprus in 1963. He moved back to Cyprus after meeting Ziynet's mother.

After Ziynet was born, her family lived in London for a while. This is how she got British citizenship. She later returned to Cyprus and finished her primary and secondary school there. She graduated from Polatpaşa High School in Lysi. After high school, she sang in the classical Turkish music choir for the Ministry of National Education and Culture.

In 1994, Ziynet moved to Istanbul to study at the Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory. She started singing professionally while she was still a student. She graduated from the conservatory in 1999.

Music Career Highlights

Early Albums and Greek Music

Ziynet Sali in 2006

After graduating, Ziynet Sali worked in different entertainment places. She also worked as a secretary at Dost Müzik, a music company. In 2000, she released her first album, Ba-Ba, with Dost Müzik. The song "Ba-Ba" also had a music video.

After this, she started learning Greek music. She began to sing songs in Greek during her live shows. In 2004, her second album, Amman Kuzum, came out. It had both Turkish and Greek pop songs. Music videos were made for "Yürek Yaralı Büyüyor" and "Amman Kuzum". In 2005, a new version of the album was released. It was called Chiculata+1 (Amman Kuzum) and included new remixes and a song called "Chiculata".

Her third album, Mor Yıllar, was released in 2006. It also had both Greek and Turkish songs. Music videos were made for "Zordur Oğlum" and "Mor Yıllar". Ziynet Sali also appeared on TV shows as a singer. She was in Cennet Mahallesi in 2006 and Arka Sokaklar in 2007. She also acted in her first movie, Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali, in 2007. In this movie, she played a Greek singer.

Chart Success and New Songs

In September 2008, Ziynet Sali released her fourth album, Herkes Evine. This album had two CDs, one in Turkish and one in Greek. She worked with famous artists like Sezen Aksu and Sinan Akçıl on this album. Music videos were made for "Herkes Evine", "Beş Çayı", and "Hava Hoş".

In 2009, a new version of the album, Bizde Böyle + Herkes Evine, was released. It included a new song called "Bizde Böyle". Ziynet Sali also won awards, like the Special Prize at the 15th Traditional Kavram Olympics. She also won the Best Song, Composition and Lyrics award for "Beş Çayı".

Ziynet Sali at a festival in 2010

In January 2010, her song "Rüya" was released. It was her first song not from an album. A music video was also made for "Rüya". This song became very popular and reached number one on Turkish radio charts. "Rüya" won the Single Album of the Year award. Ziynet Sali also won the Best Female Pop Live Performance award. She sang on other artists' albums, like Ozan Doğulu's 130 Bpm and Enbe Orkestrası's Kalbim.

In December 2010, she released another single, "Bize Yeter". Her first collection album, Collection, came out in 2011. It included songs from her previous albums and her singles. In 2011, "Rüya" won the Kral Music Award for the Most Played Song on Radio.

Continued Success and Live Performances

In 2012, Ziynet Sali released "Alışkın Değiliz", a song to promote her fifth album. Her album Sonsuz Ol came out in April 2012. She worked with many famous artists on this album, including Sinan Akçıl, Sezen Aksu, Kenan Doğulu, Sıla, and Yıldız Tilbe. Many songs from this album had music videos, such as "Favori Aşkım" and "Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak". Later in 2012, Sonsuz Ol + Remixes was released. This album had remixes of her new and older songs.

In 2013, her first live album, Bir Akdeniz Rüyası, was released. It was recorded at her concert in Istanbul. The music video for "Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak" won the Best Music Video award at the 1st Turkey Music Awards. In November 2013, she released the single "Gelemiyorum Yanına". She also became a judge on the TV talent show X Factor in 2014.

Her song "Bugün Adım Leyla" was released in September 2014. Later, a three-CD album also called Bugün Adım Leyla came out. It included the new song and live performances. In 2015, she sang a duet called "İstanbul" with Hayyam Nisanov. Her sixth studio album, No 6, was released in July 2015. This album included songs written by Sıla. Music videos were made for "Mevsimsizim", "Dağınık Yatak", "Çeyrek Gönül", and "Başrol". In 2016, she won the Best Female Artist of the Year and Best Album of the Year awards for No 6. She also won the Akdeniz's Best Artist and Best Female Turkish Artist awards at the Daf Bama Music Awards.

Recent Works and English Songs

In January 2017, Ziynet Sali worked with Enbe Orkestrası on their song "Bir Melekten Hediye". She won the Female Musician of the Year award at the Istanbul University 1453 Awards. In October 2017, she released the single "Ağlar mıyım? Ağlamam".

In November 2017, she released her first English song, "Magic", which featured Anthony Johnson. In May 2018, her single "Deli Divanenim" was released. This song was written and composed by Sezen Aksu. Ziynet Sali won the Best Foreign Single of the Year award for "Magic". In August 2018, she released the single "Hadi Hoppalara" with Berk Coşkun.

In 2019, she released a cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" as a tribute. She also covered Ferdi Tayfur's song "Bana da Söyle", which became number one on Turkey's music chart for five weeks. In February 2020, she released the single "Ömrüm". Her husband appeared in the music video for this song.

Music Style

Ziynet Sali started her career by exploring Greek music. While she used to sing rebetiko songs, her current music style is mainly pop.

Personal Life

Ziynet Sali has two brothers. She lives in an apartment in Gayrettepe, Istanbul. She also owns a villa in Çatalköy and an apartment in Dereboyu, North Nicosia. On September 15, 2019, Ziynet Sali married Erkan Erzurumlu in Northern Cyprus.

Discography

Studio albums

• Ba-Ba (2000, Dost Müzik)
• Amman Kuzum (2004, Zorba Müzik)
• Mor Yıllar (2006, Ozan Video)
• Herkes Evine (2008, DMC)
• Sonsuz Ol (2012, GNL Entertainment)
• No 6 (2015, DMC)
• Yaşam Çiçeği (2021, DMC)

Compilation albums

• Chiculata+1 (Amman Kuzum) (2005, Dost Müzik)
• Bizde Böyle + Herkes Evine (2009, DMC)
• Collection (2011, DMC)
• Sonsuz Ol + Remixes (2012, GNL Entertainment)

Live albums

• Bir Akdeniz Rüyası (2013, GNL Entertainment)

Singles

As lead artist

• "Rüya" (2009, DMC)
• "Bize Yeter" (2010, DMC)
• "Alışkın Değiliz" (2012, DMC)
• "Gelemiyorum Yanına" (2013, GNL Entertainment)
• "Bugün Adım Leyla" (2014, DMC)
• "Follow Me" (ft. GülSara) (2015, DMC)
• "Yağmur" (with Ozan Doğulu) (2016, DMC)
• "Bir Melekten Hediye" (ft. Enbe Orkestrası) (2017, DMC)
• "Ağlar mıyım? Ağlamam" (2017, DMC)
• "Magic" (ft. Marshall) (2017, Room Recordings Ltd)
• "Deli Divanenim" (2018, DMC)
• "Hadi Hoppalara" (ft. Berk Coşkun) (2018, DMC)
• "Sanane Be" (2018, DMC)
• "Bana da Söyle" (2019, DMC)
• "Ömrüm" (2020, DMC)
• "Yara" (ft. Bilal Sonses) (2020, DMC)
• "Kalbim Tatilde" (2020, DMC)
• "Sana Doyamıyorum" (2022, DMC)
• "Bozulmuş Kalbim" (with Semicenk and İlkan Günüç) (2022, DMC)
• "Aşk Nerede" (2022, ZG Müzik)
• "Duy İstanbul" (2023, ZG Müzik)
• "Adresi Sormadım" (2023, ZG Müzik & DMC)
• "İmkânsız Bir Aşk Denir" (2024, ZG Müzik & DMC)
• "Daha Nasıl Sevebilirim" (2024, ZG Müzik & DMC)
• "Yandım Ateşinle" (2024, ZG Müzik & DMC)
• "Bronz Ten" (2024, ZG Müzik & DMC)
• "Müptelanım Bilgine" (2024, ZG Müzik & DMC)

As featured artist

• "Kanaryam" ve "Alim" (2007, from the album Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali)
• "Canımın Yoldaşı Ol" (2009, from the album Şükrü Tunar Eserleriyle)
• "Herkes Evine (Burak Yeter Remix)" (2009, from the album Connection)
• "Dolaşayım Damarlarında" (2010, from the album Kalbim)
• "Sen Mutlu Ol" (2010, from the album 130 Bpm)
• "Müptelayım Sana" (2011, from the album 130 Bpm Allegro)
• "Sevenler Ağlarmış (Hüseyin Karadayı Remix)" and "Alışkın Değiliz (Hüseyin Karadayı Remix)" (2012, from the album Diskomatik)
• "Naparsan Yap" (2014, from the album 130 Bpm Moderato)
• "Arzuhalcinin Yazamadıkları" and "Büyük Resim (TESYEV)" (2014, from the album Büyük Resim)
• "İstanbul (ft. Xhayiyam Nisanov)" (2015, from the album Enbe Orkestrası & Behzat Gerçekler)
• "Hasret" (2018, from the album Şarkı Gibi Şarkılar)
• "Etme Eyleme" (2019, from the album Altın Düetler 2)
• "Asrın Hatası" (2022, from the album Serdar Ortaç Şarkıları, Vol. 1)
• "Belalım Benim" (2023, from the album 40 Yıl)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations