Everything about Tarkan totally explained
Tarkan Tevetoğlu (born
October 17,
1972), popularly known as
Tarkan, is a
World Music award winning
pop singer in
Turkey. Tarkan has been known for the use of sexual and romantic themes in his work and has been nicknamed the "Prince Of Pop" by the media. He has released several
platinum-selling albums during his career, with an estimated 15 million albums sold. He also produces music through his company
HITT Music, which he established in 1997. One of a few European singers that has managed to span chart success over three continents without singing in English, the artist is also noted for his live stage performances. Tarkan's effect on Turkey has been compared by the
Washington Post 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'd ever seen. He has also been listed by
Rhapsody as a key artist in the history of
European pop music, with his
signature song "
Şımarık" as a keystone track that moved the genre forward.
Early life
Tarkan was born in
Alzey,
Germany, to Ali and Neşe Tevetoğlu, and was named after a popular 1960s
Turkish comic book character. The name is said to originate from an ancient
Turkic king or title, meaning bold and strong.
His parents were part of the generation of Turkish
immigrants that came to
West Germany during that country's economic boom. Tarkan has three older half-siblings named Adnan, Gülay and Nuray from his mother's first marriage, and a brother, Hakan, and younger sister, Handan from her marriage to his father. in the Turkish
Black Sea region of
Rize. His mother later married an architect, Seyhun Kahraman. Tarkan keeps close ties with his family in Turkey and Germany. He still understands the language though speaks little, since he's been living in Turkey for 20 years.
Career
Tarkan has charted in
Russia,
Europe and in the
Americas with his definitive song "
Şımarık" (Spoilt/Kiss Kiss/Chanson Du Bisou/Besos). As a result of its widespread success and immediately recognizable sound of Tarkan
kissing on the track, "Şımarık" was reincarnated into
English as "
Kiss Kiss" by
Stella Soleil and later
Holly Valance (which notched her a UK number one hit), after the composer
Sezen Aksu sold the music rights. It has been covered by various artists across the world in various languages. Another successful Aksu
collaboration was the hit
single "
Şıkıdım" (Shake). His entry into the European musical consciousness kick-started a Turkish pop boom in Germany and Turkey in the 1990s, with his European successes on the verge of the new
millennium signalling that the musical borders between Turkey and Europe, more specifically Germany, were dissolving. Because of his success his name was to be taken for granted domestically, if not become a hallmark, in pop music and become the prime example of Turkish pop obtaining an audience outside Turkey to help further the sound development of popular music in Europe.
Beginnings
When the Tevetoğlu family relocated to Turkey, Tarkan began to study
music in
Karamürsel at high school, before being accepted at the Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti Academy in Istanbul. After his family moved to
İstanbul in 1988, he began to prepare for
University entrance exams in 1990, but had a difficult time in İstanbul with little money, and worked in low-paying jobs including a stint as a
wedding singer.
Şıkıdım era (1994-1996)
The success of Tarkan in the early 90s was seen by some as a sign of growing admiration for Western music, and the artist's real success came two years later. Collaborating with Turkey's "little sparrow", prominent producer and songwriter
Sezen Aksu, Tarkan's highly anticipated second album
Aacayipsin (
Oh - You're Something Else) sold more than two million copies in Turkey and 750 thousand copies in Europe. including becoming the first male to make the front cover of the domestic division of the
Cosmopolitan (Cosmo). During this period he filmed a video to another song from his second album, "Dön Bebeğim", in New York. Again Tarkan stripped for this project, but this time he wasn't alone. Sharing a bed with a female American model for the slow love song, the opening scenes of the video show the two naked and simulating the aftermath of a love scene. Unused sex scenes from the video are still aired on celebrity entertainment programmes from time to time in Turkey. While in America, he met the Turkish founder of
Atlantic Records,
Ahmet Ertegün, who had seen him perform in İstanbul at the celebrations of the TV station during which he'd made his speech gaffe. Ertegün, who passed away in December 2006, had long been preparing Tarkan for an American career,
Universal kisses (1997-2000)
In July 1997, the hit song "Şımarık" kick started promotions in Turkey for his third studio album
Ölürüm Sana (
I'd Die For You). This album took a total of three years to complete. Tarkan collaborated once more with Aksu and music engineer Çolakoğlu for the album, which would go on to become his highest grossing album and win the artist his first music industry award for his song "Şımarık". In Turkey alone,
Ölürüm Sana sold 4.5 million copies. However, it was only an indication of things to come. the
Netherlands,
France, and Germany; the song also reached number one in
Belgium. He was awarded a gold disc at the
Cannes Midem Awards. As the first artist of Turkish origin to sell 500,000 albums in France, in an interview for
CNN he said: "It feels wild, you know, because in the beginning I never thought it was going to really happen. It's all in Turkish, you know, and nobody understands a word. But I think it's a groove. It's the kisses that are universal." However, this visit had to be postponed until the second week of March 2000, because Tarkan was called up for
military service, which he'd suspended to allow for studies in New York. In 2000, the self-titled album was released in the USA with a Universal Latino ticket. Sales went platinum in Latin America.
This album was also to mark an end in his successful musical partnership with Aksu and temporarily end friendly relations between the two artists. A
copyright dispute erupted between Tarkan and Aksu over the track "Şımarık", which ultimately blocked the singer's chance to release an English-language version of the song. The music was initially credited as composed by Aksu, Tarkan and Çolakoğlu, but Tarkan later admitted in a 2006 interview that this had been done without Aksu's consent, who was the true copyright owner. During the dispute,
Sezen Aksu released the
publishing rights instead to other artists, including Holly Vallance.
Military service
At the height of his fame in 1999, Tarkan was called up for military service, which had been legally deferred since 1995. The
deadline for commencement had ended in 1998, but due to contractual obligations abroad after the success of his compilation album he didn't return to Turkey to do his military service. The media discussed whether Tarkan should be viewed as a
deserter and stripped of his
citizenship; even the
Turkish parliament discussed the issue. After the August 1999
earthquake shook Turkey, the 28-day military service was passed, which allowed for a very short term of service provided that those covered by the law paid $16,000 for the benefit of the earthquake victims. According to hairdressers, his
Kuzu Kuzu hairstyle is still the most frequently requested style in the salons of Turkey. During this time he met
Michael Lang, co-organiser of the
Woodstock Festival, who became his international manager. According to Lang,
This period wasn't free of scandals, either. In 2001 researcher Dr. N Aysun Yüksel published a book titled
Tarkan – Yıldız Olgusu (
Tarkan – Anatomy of a Star), which was withdrawn from bookshelves by a court order after Tarkan's lawyer Süheyl Atay sued the writer. According to the court's decision the book published personal information and copyrighted photos of the artist, and violated his good reputation. Another scandal broke out when the video for the single "
Hüp" was released. The Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council considered banning the video, directed by
Ferzan Özpetek, from television broadcast, as some viewers complained that the scene in which Tarkan kisses actress Sinemis Candemir was too "explicit" and "pornographic". The case was reported through Europe by the
BBC. Because his successful creative partnership with Aksu had ended over the ownership of "Şımarık", he worked with
singer-songwriter Nazan Öncel on both
Karma and
Dudu. Öncel's own
Yan Yana Fotoğraf Çektirelim album was published under the HITT label. He also released his own perfume line entitled "Tarkan" at the start of 2004.
Although musically a continuation from
Karma, image-wise
Dudu presented different visuals from the 2001-2003 period. Sexuality became secondary in terms of fashion and concerts were toned down to become intimate affairs. The new image portrayed a more laid back Tarkan sporting shorter hair, and wearing less glamorous designs. It was a declaration that glitz and sex were no longer a necessary tool to sell his works. Indicating his desire to show different sides of his personality, "It's not important how sexy I look or whether I dance sexy," he said of his new look.
Coming closer to Europe (2005-2006)
In 2005, Tarkan finally announced that his English language album was ready after over a decade of effort. The plans for
Come Closer began in 1995, when media mogul
Ahmet Ertegün encouraged Tarkan to break into the international market. The delay to the initial incarnation of the English album had also been delayed due to disagreements with Ertegün concerning the concept of the defunct album. Ertegün preferred something more American in style, while Tarkan insisted on including many Turkish elements. and singer
Wyclef Jean, with who Tarkan recorded the song "Aman Aman". "Bounce" was released in Germany a few days after the release of the album. The German version of the single included an
oriental remix, as well as a
hip-hop version featuring
Spanish rapper Adassa. A second single, "
Start the Fire", was released in August; it included a remix by Turkish
DJ Mousse T. A music video for the Mousse T. version was also produced prior to the single's release.
The album wasn't a breakthrough success. It was released only in a few European countries and Turkey, and Tarkan appeared on several television shows to promote the album in
Germany,
Bulgaria,
Romania and
Russia. The promised world wide tour effectively only included a few
Central and
Eastern European countries,
Azerbaijan, Russia,
Austria and Germany. Worldwide release was postponed and domestic sales didn't approach the success of his previous albums, with only 110,000 copies sold in Turkey.
This period, like others, was stamped with scandal. A Turkish
music pirate, well before the official release, leaked four stolen demo recordings from the debut English album onto the internet. Thousands of copies were downloaded illegally before the album's official release. The leaked songs garnered considerable airplay in dance clubs in Turkey, before Tarkan's management took legal action against DJ's playing them.
The PETA Controversy
In February 2008, the
animal rights organization
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) commenced a drive to persuade Tarkan to swear off
fur after being spotted wearing fur on the cover of his 2005 album,
Come Closer, which featured a coat with a fur lined collar. PETA encouraged its members to send personal
email messages to Tarkan and his management, in the hope the artist would set an example for his many fans by quitting the use of fur. Tarkan is well-known for his humanitarian efforts towards stray animals, and publicly announced he'd regretted wearing the fur lined coat and would join an animal rights' movement.
Metamorphosis (2007-2008)
Tarkan's new Turkish language album was released on
25 December 2007, and was comprised almost solely of his own work. Called
Metamorfoz ("
metamorphosis" in English), seven of the songs were written by Tarkan, three other songs were collaborations with long-time engineer and producer Çolakoğlu. The album sold over 300,000 copies in the first two weeks of its release.
Unlike the public's reception, the critical response to
Metamorfoz was lukewarm. Most music critics found the album musically lacking from Tarkan's previous albums, though not all. Ecevit Kılıç, columnist for
Sabah newspaper, hailed Tarkan on his return and called him the "
Orhan Pamuk of music", saying that Tarkan, just like
Nobel-awarded Pamuk, always does everything his own way, despite all the attacks he's received from the press. Tarkan received congratulations from the chairman of the
Turkish Language Association for his lyricsmanship by using correct language, traditional idioms and sayings in his lyrics, showing it was said a good example to Turkish youth in preserving the culture of the
Turkish language. Besides the sales success, Tarkan also produced the third highest viewer rating with his New Year's Eve performance on
TRT television channel, generating a total of 1 million
YTL income for the television from sponsors.
The album was released in Germany on
1 February 2008, by
Urban.
TrekStor's i.Beat Emo Tarkan Edition
In conjuction with the release of
Metamorfoz, Tarkan became the first Turksh artist to have a
mp3 player named after him. German manufacturer of storage products and audio devices
TrekStor joined up with Tarkan for their
mp3 player series i.Beat. Packed with special features, the digital player was titled the i.Beat Emo Tarkan edition.
Current projects
Tarkan announced at the beginning of 2007 that he's planning to re-release his
Come Closer album for the USA market. The information was confirmed by Pete "Boxta" Martin, who did the remix of the album, adding that there will be two new songs featured on the US version.
He also expressed admiration for the charitable works of such celebrities as
Angelina Jolie and
Bono from
U2, and revealed his own concerns over
climate change and the urgency for a global focus on the issue.
Tarkan is about to return to
England after 8 years to give a concert in the
Wembley Arena,
London, on 13th April, 2008. The special guest for the concert will be the popular
rock band,
maNga.
Popularity
Tarkan is undoubtedly one of the most popular singers in
Turkey. In addition to his record-breaking album sales, he's known for staging concerts that draw tens of thousands of people. In 2004, at the "Karadeniz Ereğli Love, Peace and Friendship Festival" approximately 700,000 people watched his concert, while in 2006 authorities reported almost the same numbers. "I've never seen such a sight before. I'll never forget this picture as long as I live," he said after the 2004 fesitival. In 2006 he also performed in
Eastern Thrace, in front of an audience of 50,000.
His popularity has been courted by several companies; he became the face first for
Pepsi, then for two Turkish telephone companies,
Turkcell and
Avea. His 2003 tour was sponsored by
Opet and he shot three television advertisements for them.
His popularity can also be measured by the fact that he became the first Turkish singer to require personal security guards. His bodyguard is Levent Ağaoğlu, the founder of Legend Security. Ağaoğlu's company is also responsible for the security of Tarkan's house in Istanbul, and the office of his production company
HITT. His bodyguards escort him during his personal travels as well.
List of awards Tarkan has won during his career:
International
- 1999, World Music Awards (Monaco)
- Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist: Tarkan
- 1999, Record Fair MIDEM (Cannes)
- 2004, The Pud Award (Russia)
- 2001 MGD Altin Objektif Ödülleri
- Yılın En İyi Pop Müzik Sanatçısı (Best pop singer of the year)
- 2001 Kral TV Awards
- Yılın Erkek Pop Sanatçısı (Male Pop Singer of the Year)
- Yılın Şarkısı (Song of the Year): Kuzu Kuzu
- Yılın Videosu (Video of the Year): Hup
- 2002 MGD Altin Objektif Ödülleri
- En İyi Erkek Yorumcu (Best male singer)
- Yılın Albümü (Album of the year): Karma
- 2003 Kral TV Müzik Ödülleri
- En iyi pop erkek (Best male pop singer)
Discography
Albums
Yine Sensiz (1993)
Aacayipsin (1994)
Ölürüm Sana (1997)
Tarkan (International debut) (1999)
Karma (2001)
Dudu (2003)
Come Closer (First English album) (2006)
Metamorfoz (2007)
Singles
Şımarık (International) (1999)
Şıkıdım (International) (1999)
Bu Gece (International) (1999)
Kuzu Kuzu (Domestic) (2001)
Hüp (Domestic) (2001)
Bounce (Domestic/International) (2005/06)
Start the Fire (Domestic/International) (2006)Further Information
Get more info on 'Tarkan'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://tarkan.totallyexplained.com">Tarkan Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
