Sezen Aksu (born on July 13, 1954 in Denizli, Turkey) is a Turkish pop singer, songwriter and music producer. She is sometimes referred to as “Minik Serçe” (Little Sparrow), a nickname given to her because of her stature and also the title of one of her early works.
EARLY LIFE
Sezen Aksu was born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım on July 13, 1954 in the Sarayköy district of Denizli province in the Aegean region. Her family was originally from Salonica and moved to Sarayköy during the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1924. Her father, Sami Yıldırım, was a mathematics teacher before becoming a school administrator, while her mother, Şehriban, was a science teacher. The Yıldırım family moved to the Bergama district of Izmir when little Fatma Sezen was a toddler. She spent the rest of her childhood and early youth in Bergama.
Though Aksu received private lessons in stage acting, dancing and painting, her parents discouraged her from singing; they wanted her to pursue a more stable vocation such as a physician or an engineer. She was a crazy girl, earning the nickname “the dwarf of danger;” she caused her parents considerable agony, having attempted suicide several times. She once fancied herself as a belly dancer, an ideal she abandoned after receiving proper music lessons. She liked to sing all day but only after her parents left home. Still a student at Izmir High School, Aksu joined a national song contest held by Haftasonu (Weekend) magazine, where she only made sixth place – not a triumph for the wannabe superstar. Unlike many other music stars of Turkey, Aksu carved her own way, gradually, without being discovered by a record label or recruited by a great music hall boss.
After a failed attempt to enter the music business, Aksu entered Ege University in Izmir in 1973 where she was a student in the Faculty of Agriculture to comply with her parents’ wishes. As a part of her impulsive decision, Aksu married Hasan Yüksektepe, then a student at the same university; however, they divorced only a few weeks later. Aksu never graduated from and instead chose music forever. She left school in order to attend music classes provided by Izmir Radio artists. At the time, she was already writing and composing her own songs, of which she made three demos and sent to several record labels, though she never received an invitation to make a record.
A NON-DIVA: SEZEN SELEY
Aksu entered her second marriage in November 1973 – just months after her first marriage ended – with Ali Engin Aksu, a geologist whose surname the singer kept after their divorce in 1978. Seven months after they got married, Ali moved to Canada for doctoral studies in geology, while Sezen stayed in Turkey and worked with a music company to make a single. After divorcing from Ali Engin, Aksu married twice more, both of which ended with divorce.
Aksu continued to try to bring attention to her music. Her first record, with one song on each side, earned her some attention but no real fame. This first single is not widely known because it was released under the name “Sezen Seley,” a pseudo-name chosen by the artist, a tradition of Turkish music and film stars.
After Sezen Seley’s failure, Aksu was encouraged to make two more singles, the last of which brought her fame. “Allahaısmarladık,” Aksu’s third single, made the charts in 1977 and helped build momentum for her debut LP, carrying the same name. Her second album was “Serçe” (The Sparrow), a total triumph, thanks in part to songs by great writers and composers such as Atilla Özdemiroğlu, Hurşit Yenigün and Sezen Aksu herself. This album caused the media to start calling her “Little Sparrow,” a nickname that has lived on until today. Even today, some in the media call her Little Sparrow, but only after her other nicknames, such “The Diva of the Turkish Pop,” “Superstar” or just “Sezen.”
“Serçe,” was released in 1978 and featured some of Aksu’s own songs, which would continue to play a big role in many of her albums. Unlike many of her peers, Aksu never sang a complete album of songs written by others. On the contrary, many other singers have sung several numbers written by Aksu.
After “Serçe,” Aksu became a regular figure in Turkish popular music, which at the time was officially called “Light West music with Turkish lyrics.” She was a close friend of Ajda Pekkan, the “superstar” of the genre, whose singing style Aksu imitated to some extent, at least until her real explosion in the mid-1980s.
Thanks to her stand within the official light West music genre, Aksu had the opportunity to showcase her talent live on TV. TRT (Turkish Radio-Television) was the only TV channel in the country until 1991; singing on TRT brought nation-wide fame to those lucky enough to sing on air. Aksu performed some of her songs from “Serçe,” including “Kaybolan Yıllar” (Lost Years) and “Kaç Yıl Geçti Aradan” (How Many Years Passed) both on TV and radio. In spite of her young age, she was considered the queen of nostalgia and broken hearts, due to both the lyrics she wrote and the tone of her voice.
Aksu entered her second marriage in November 1973 – just months after her first marriage ended – with Ali Engin Aksu, a geologist whose surname the singer kept after their divorce in 1978. Seven months after they got married, Ali moved to Canada for doctoral studies in geology, while Sezen stayed in Turkey and worked with a music company to make a single. After divorcing from Ali Engin, Aksu married twice more, both of which ended with divorce.
Aksu continued to try to bring attention to her music. Her first record, with one song on each side, earned her some attention but no real fame. This first single is not widely known because it was released under the name “Sezen Seley,” a pseudo-name chosen by the artist, a tradition of Turkish music and film stars.
After Sezen Seley’s failure, Aksu was encouraged to make two more singles, the last of which brought her fame. “Allahaısmarladık,” Aksu’s third single, made the charts in 1977 and helped build momentum for her debut LP, carrying the same name. Her second album was “Serçe” (The Sparrow), a total triumph, thanks in part to songs by great writers and composers such as Atilla Özdemiroğlu, Hurşit Yenigün and Sezen Aksu herself. This album caused the media to start calling her “Little Sparrow,” a nickname that has lived on until today. Even today, some in the media call her Little Sparrow, but only after her other nicknames, such “The Diva of the Turkish Pop,” “Superstar” or just “Sezen.”
“Serçe,” was released in 1978 and featured some of Aksu’s own songs, which would continue to play a big role in many of her albums. Unlike many of her peers, Aksu never sang a complete album of songs written by others. On the contrary, many other singers have sung several numbers written by Aksu.
After “Serçe,” Aksu became a regular figure in Turkish popular music, which at the time was officially called “Light West music with Turkish lyrics.” She was a close friend of Ajda Pekkan, the “superstar” of the genre, whose singing style Aksu imitated to some extent, at least until her real explosion in the mid-1980s.
Thanks to her stand within the official light West music genre, Aksu had the opportunity to showcase her talent live on TV. TRT (Turkish Radio-Television) was the only TV channel in the country until 1991; singing on TRT brought nation-wide fame to those lucky enough to sing on air. Aksu performed some of her songs from “Serçe,” including “Kaybolan Yıllar” (Lost Years) and “Kaç Yıl Geçti Aradan” (How Many Years Passed) both on TV and radio. In spite of her young age, she was considered the queen of nostalgia and broken hearts, due to both the lyrics she wrote and the tone of her voice.
A POP INDUSTRY ON HER OWN
Sezen Aksu made 19 more albums over three decades from 1981 to 2011 before she took a break for six years. Releasing an album almost every year and a half, Aksu topped the pop charts almost constantly. Though she was never able to represent Turkey in Eurovision, Aksu continued to forge her own way thanks to the feelings of nostalgic she invokes in her listeners.
Many of Aksu’s records in 1980s had two sides to them. On one side, she performed her great nostalgic songs and sorrowful ballads. This path began with the 1981 album, “Ağlamak Güzeldir” (Crying is Good) and continued for a decade, until the album “Gülümse” (Smile) in 1991, though the title song was not joyful. Along this path, Aksu echoed the most emotional feelings of the Turkish people, who were under great pressure due to economic difficulties and repression following the military coup of 1980. Aksu was not seen as political in those days, but what she did has later been analyzed as political.
Aksu’s studio albums made in 1980s created her national image as an independent but complete artist with her singing, writing and composing. Her songs “Sen Ağlama” (Don’t You Cry) and “Git” (Go), released in 1984 and 1986, respectively, reflected the identity of an entire generation of young people. Her last three albums before “Gülümse” crowned her as the diva of the sentimental pop music.
The second side of Aksu’s music during the 1980s was her latent activism, which was not so discreet in such songs as the tragic “Ünzile,” which portrays a little beautiful girl with a dark destiny due to the oppression the women. To create balance between genders, Aksu added another song titled “Ali,” telling the story of an unfortunate young man.
The 1990s witnessed the launching of two great Sezen Aksu albums, both having political implications. “Deli Kızın Türküsü” (Song of a Crazy Girl), released in 1993, was a combination of different themes and tones, a model for “Işık Doğudan Yükselir, Ex Oriente Lux” (The Light Rises from the East, Ex Oriente Lux) launched two years later. “Deli Kızın Türküsü” included the title song, a feminist poem by Gülten Akın, a prominent poet of the Second New movement in Turkey, “Sude,” a postmodern imitation of Sufi rituals, “Kalbim Ege’de Kaldı” (My Heart was Left in the Aegean), a homage to her hometown, “Tenna,” a ruba’i by Nazım Hikmet. Also included were “Masum Değiliz” (We’re not Innocent) and “Küçüğüm” (I’m too Little), sympathetic songs reminiscent of Aksu’s older work, as well as “Homini Pufidi Tumba,” a no-sense dance song, and “Dua” (Prayer), a clever song with a touch of religion and a call for peace at the same time.
“Işık Doğudan Yükselir” is a combination of songs each of which includes a political question, a geographical region or a social group of Turkey. The themes of the songs vary from eroticism to mysticism, and the genres and tones included show a wide-ranging portfolio from regional folk songs to operatic melodies.
Following “Işık Doğudan Yükselir,” Aksu was no longer considered solely a pop singer. Though never involved in party politics, Aksu has been taken more seriously than other artists in Turkey. She is not only the diva of the Turkish pop but a responsible public figure calling for peace and understanding among people.
Aksu aided the rise of contemporary Turkish pop by supporting other singers, especially by lending her songs to them. Many younger singers have sung Aksu songs leading them to find fame for themselves. Aksu’s background vocalists have included Sertab Erener (the only Turkish winner of Eurovision), Levent Yüksel, Göksel, Hande Yener and Aşkın Nur Yengi.
Aksu lives in Istanbul and continues to make music.
FOR FURTHER READING
- Aksu, S. (2006). Eksik şiir (lyrics and poems). Metis Yayınları.
- Aksu, S. (2006). Eksik şiir, ikinci kitap (lyrics and poems, 2nd volume). Metis Yayınları.
- Arslanbenzer, H. (July 28, 2018). Sezen Aksu: Burn me, burn you, burn everything down. Daily Sabah.
- Stokes, M. (2007). Shedding light on the Balkans: Sezen Aksu’s Anatolian pop in Buchanan, D. A. (Ed.), Balkan popular culture and the Ottoman ecumene: Music, image and regional political discourse (309-334), The Scarecrow Press.
- Stokes, M. (2010). Why cry? Sezen Aksu’s diva citizenship in The republic of love: Cultural intimacy in Turkish popular music (107-145), University of Chica