Ümit Besen represents the darker side of Tarabya

Tarabya

Tarabya is a neighbourhood in Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on the European shores of the Bosphorus, between the neighbourhoods of Yeniköy and Kireçburnu....

 school of electronic music. He started his professional career with playing keyboards and singing with his band at the local clubs in Adana

Adana

Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...

, Southern Turkey. While he was in the army

Turkish Army

The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...

 for his obligatory service a brigadier-general (Brigadier

Brigadier

Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....

 in Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 armies) liked his style and appointed him with the task of singing at the officers tavern.

1980s and rising popularity

After the completion of his 18 months service he returned to Adana. While singing and playing to make his living one day Turkish football legend Metin Oktay

Metin Oktay

Metin Oktay nicknamed the Uncrowned King by Galatasaray fans, was a legendary Turkish footballer and one of the most successful goalscorers in Turkey....

 visited the club he was working at. Amazed by the power of his voice and his knowledge of synthesizers, Metin Oktay recommended him to his club owner friends in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

.

In Istanbul he kept playing at famous clubs and finally he was teamed up with songwriters Selami Şahin and Ahmet Selçuk İlkan to record his first LP. The result was not only a commercial success.

Ümit Besen today

Although not being as famous as he was in the 80s, Ümit is probably one of the best known artist to come from the legendary Tarabya scene, only second to Cengiz Kurtoğlu

Cengiz Kurtoglu

Cengiz Kurtoğlu is a unique Turkish music artist. He was born in 1959 in Artvin, Turkey. He worked as a civil servant at a tea factory in Artvin and migrated to Istanbul in 1982....

 if not the best known. Today he performs at Yeni Mercan club in Yenikapı (A borough in Fatih

Fatih

Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...

 district), İstanbul.

Albums

• Şikayetim Var (1980)
• Islak mendil (1981)
• Bayramın Olsun (1982)
• İkimizin Yerine (1982)
• Dostlar Sağolsun (1983)
• Yıkılan Gurur (1984)
• Bir Akşam Üstü (1984)
• Vazgeçtim Senden (1985)
• I Love You (1986)
• Deli Gönlüm (1987)
• Halk Konseri 1 (1987)
• Aşk Burcu (1988)
• Müzikli Bir Masal (1989)
• Bir Tanesin Sen (1990)
• Son Şarkı (1991)
• Gökkuşağı (1992)
• İkimiz De Sevdik (1993)
• Görüşürüz (1994)
• Yalnız Kaldım (1995)
• Yağmur Var Gözlerimde (1996)
• Hadi Git (1997)
• Nostalji (1998)
• Bizim Hikayemiz (2000)
• Dokunsalar Ağlarım (2001)
• O Gece (2003)
• Ben Bu Gece Ölmezsem (2006)
• İyi Günde Kötü Günde (2008)

External links

• Official Website