|
Tarkan Tevetoğlu (born October 17, 1972), popularly known as Tarkan, is a successful World music award-winning pop music singer in Turkey. He has released several platinum-selling albums during his career, with an estimated 15 million albums sold,and is also involved in producing music through his own music company HITT Music, which he established in 1997.
Noted for his live stage performances, the Washington Post has compared
Tarkan's effect on Turkey as analogous to Elvis in America circa 1957,
and Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegün described him as one of
the best live performers he had ever seen.
Tarkan is one of a few European singers that have managed to span chart
success over three continents without singing in English. Often cited
as the Turkish Prince of Pop,the German born singer has charted in
Russia, Europe and in the Americas with the song "Şımarık" (Spoilt/Kiss
Kiss/Chanson Du Bisou/Besos). As a result of its widespread success,
Tarkan was listed by Rhapsody as a key artist in the history of
European pop music, with his signature song as a keystone track that
moved the genre forward.
Immediately recognisable with Tarkan's kisses on the track, "Şımarık"
was reincarnated as "Kiss Kiss" by Holly Valance after the composer
Sezen Aksu sold the music rights, and has been covered by various
artists across the world. Another successful Aksu collaboration was the
hit single "Şıkıdım" (Shake).
Early life
Tarkan Tevetoğlu was born in Alzey, Germany, to Ali and Neşe Tevetoğlu,
and was named after a popular 1960s Turkish comic book character.The
name originates from an ancient Turkic king or title,and is said to
mean bold and strong.
His parents were part of the generation of Turkish immigrants that came
to West Germany during the West German economic boom. With three elder
children from his mother's first marriage, Tarkan was the fifth of six
siblings. Raised in Alzey until the age of 13, his father suddenly
decided to move his family back to Turkey in 1986. His father died of a
heart attack aged 49 in 1995, and was buried in his home village of
Rüzgarlı Köy,in the Turkish Black Sea region of Rize. His mother
remarried. Tarkan keeps close ties with his family in Turkey and
Germany.
|
