Ajda Pekkan
Encyclopedia
Ayşe Ajda Pekkan is a Turkish
pop
singer and actress. Through a career spanning five decades thus far, Pekkan has released more than 20 albums and, with Sezen Aksu
, is the most commercially successful female Turkish music artist with the sales of over 30 million copies worldwide. She is nicknamed the "Superstar
" of Turkish pop music. Although famed for her music, Pekkan started her career as an actress with appearances in almost 50 films. During her music career, Pekkan has recorded songs in nine languages. Apart from Turkish
, she is also fluent in English
and French
.
, and Nevin Dobruca, a housewife. She spent her childhood at the Naval Base Gölcük in Kocaeli Province
. Ajda graduated from the Çamlıca Kız Lisesi, an elite and high-profile girls' secondary school in Istanbul that had been incorporated under the Ottoman Empire
. Graduates include foreign nobility and female members of the Imperial House of Osman
. Language of instruction is in Turkish and French.
Between 1963 and 1967, the statuesque actress appeared in 47 films opposite popular Turkish actors, mostly in singer roles. Pekkan’s first recording, "Her Yerde Kar Var", an arrangement of Salvatore Adamo
's "Tombe la Neige" by Fecri Ebcioğlu, brought her great success in 1965. In contrast to many of her contemporaries, she transited from film to music and in 1968 her record, İki Yabancı (Two Strangers), became a top seller. Pekkan’s continuing success resulted in invitations to international festivals including the Apollonia Music Festival in Athens
(1968 and 1969) and the Mediterranean Song Festival in Barcelona
(1969).
The success of her songs resulted in a series of Turkish-language concerts with Enrico Macias
at the Paris Olympia
in 1976. In acknowledgement of her nickname, Pekkan released an album called Superstar in 1977. The same year, she participated in the Yamaha Music Festival
in Tokyo
to great success. She released German
and French
records in the early 1970s, and her Pour Lui, became very successful in France. At this pinnacle, she released her second album Süperstar II in 1979.
On April 19, 1980, Pekkan represented Turkey with the entry "Petr'Oil" at the Eurovision Song Contest
in Den Haag, the Netherlands
. She then decided to take a break and temporarily moved to the USA. After returning to Turkey, she recorded two failed albums, Sen Mutlu Ol (You be happy) and Sevdim Seni (I Loved You) in the then current trend of Turkish music, but returned to her original type of Western pop and gave concerts in 1983 with enormous success. That same year, she released Süperstar III which she followed with Süperstar IV (1987). Superstar III was a huge success; coincidentally, it is her only album that is not available on CD. However, Superstar IV wasn't succeeded as Superstar III. It was last album on LP. She married with Mehmet Ali Bars, who is a businessman, in 1984 and divorced in 1990.
In late 1989, she began working on her an album with famous Turkish musicians including Fuat Güner
from MFÖ
(the band which represented Turkey
in the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1985 and 1988), Şehrazat, and Metin Özülkü. The album, simply titled Ajda 1990 signalled a new breakthrough for Pekkan, with sales of over a million. With the success of this official debut album (and also the first on CD), she immediately began working on her next album.
In 1991, she released Seni Seçtim (I Choose You), to even greater success. Hits like "Sevgide Seni Seçtim" ("I Choose You For Love"), "Eline Gözüne Dizine Dursun" ("Shame on You"), "Vazgeçme" ("Don’t Give Up"), she topped all the charts in Turkey.
In 1993, she released Ajda ‘93 which she recorded this album in Switzerland
, Turkey and United States. She worked with Atilla Şereftuğ
on this album, a famous Turkish musician who had written the Eurovision ’88-winning song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi
" ("Don’t Leave Without Me") for Celine Dion
. The hits of the album were Sarıl Bana (Give Me a Hug), Oyalama Beni (Don't Occupy Me), Eyvah (Alas!) and Ağlama Anne (Don't Cry Mommy).
After many successful albums she decided to release a best of album, and in September 1998, she released The Best of Ajda. Two years later, in 2000, Pekkan released another studio album, simply called Diva and enjoyed sales of over two million copies.
In 2001, she started performing in an Istanbul club Catwalk and her performances were all sold out, with the help of an eager audience looking forward to see "the superstar" after a three year hiatus. The performances were so successful that Pekkan postponed closing the show by about six months.
In 2002, she also began making a movie called Şöhret Sandalı (Boat of Fame). After several years of financial setbacks, it was released in 2006.
In the summer 2003, she released her single Sen İste (Just Want It), written by her friend Şehrazat, the popular songwriter. Six years later,in August 2006, Pekkan released her latest album Cool Kadın (Cool Woman). This album produced the number one dance hit single Vitrin and a funky disco beat called "Amazon". During the first six months over 800.000 copies of Cool Kadın was sold just in Turkey.
In the summer 2007 she began a completely sold out concert series called Ajda goes Disco performing her songs in disco rhythms with Turkey's most famous DJs live on stage. After that, Pekkan quickly began to work on a new studio album, recording it in Turkey. The album "Aynen Oyle" was released in Turkey, German and USA on July 23, 2008. To promote it, Pekkan began touring in Turkey where she performed two new songs "Flu Gibi" and "Gerisi Hikaye" from the album.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
pop
Turkish pop music
Turkish pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Turkish cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, including rock and roll, tango, and jazz...
singer and actress. Through a career spanning five decades thus far, Pekkan has released more than 20 albums and, with Sezen Aksu
Sezen Aksu
Sezen Aksu is a Turkish pop music singer, song-writer and producer who sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and Minik Serçe ....
, is the most commercially successful female Turkish music artist with the sales of over 30 million copies worldwide. She is nicknamed the "Superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
" of Turkish pop music. Although famed for her music, Pekkan started her career as an actress with appearances in almost 50 films. During her music career, Pekkan has recorded songs in nine languages. Apart from Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, she is also fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Early life
Pekkan was born to Rıdvan Pekkan, an officer in the Turkish NavyTurkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
, and Nevin Dobruca, a housewife. She spent her childhood at the Naval Base Gölcük in Kocaeli Province
Kocaeli Province
Kocaeli Province is a province of Turkey. Its capital is İzmit, which is sometimes referred to as Kocaeli itself. The largest town in the province is now Gebze. The traffic code is 41. The province is located at the easternmost end of the Marmara Sea, especially on the Gulf of İzmit. Because of...
. Ajda graduated from the Çamlıca Kız Lisesi, an elite and high-profile girls' secondary school in Istanbul that had been incorporated under the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Graduates include foreign nobility and female members of the Imperial House of Osman
House of Osman
House of Osman was the name of the administrative structure of the Ottoman Dynasty, part of the state organization of the Ottoman Empire but nonetheless directly linked to the dynasty...
. Language of instruction is in Turkish and French.
Career
With the help of her sister, Semiramis, she began singing at the popular Istanbul nightclub Çatı (Roof) in 1962. The following year, Pekkan won a Cover Star contest sponsored by the Turkish music magazine Ses ("Voice") and was launched on a professional career.Between 1963 and 1967, the statuesque actress appeared in 47 films opposite popular Turkish actors, mostly in singer roles. Pekkan’s first recording, "Her Yerde Kar Var", an arrangement of Salvatore Adamo
Salvatore Adamo
Salvatore, Knight Adamo, simply known as Adamo is a Belgian – Italian composer and singer of ballads, mainly in French, but also in other languages such as German, Italian and Spanish. He had commercial success during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, but...
's "Tombe la Neige" by Fecri Ebcioğlu, brought her great success in 1965. In contrast to many of her contemporaries, she transited from film to music and in 1968 her record, İki Yabancı (Two Strangers), became a top seller. Pekkan’s continuing success resulted in invitations to international festivals including the Apollonia Music Festival in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
(1968 and 1969) and the Mediterranean Song Festival in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(1969).
The success of her songs resulted in a series of Turkish-language concerts with Enrico Macias
Enrico Macias
Gaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
at the Paris Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
in 1976. In acknowledgement of her nickname, Pekkan released an album called Superstar in 1977. The same year, she participated in the Yamaha Music Festival
Yamaha Music Festival
The World Popular Song Festival, also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held in 1970-1989. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan from 1970 until 1989...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to great success. She released German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
records in the early 1970s, and her Pour Lui, became very successful in France. At this pinnacle, she released her second album Süperstar II in 1979.
On April 19, 1980, Pekkan represented Turkey with the entry "Petr'Oil" at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in Den Haag, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. She then decided to take a break and temporarily moved to the USA. After returning to Turkey, she recorded two failed albums, Sen Mutlu Ol (You be happy) and Sevdim Seni (I Loved You) in the then current trend of Turkish music, but returned to her original type of Western pop and gave concerts in 1983 with enormous success. That same year, she released Süperstar III which she followed with Süperstar IV (1987). Superstar III was a huge success; coincidentally, it is her only album that is not available on CD. However, Superstar IV wasn't succeeded as Superstar III. It was last album on LP. She married with Mehmet Ali Bars, who is a businessman, in 1984 and divorced in 1990.
In late 1989, she began working on her an album with famous Turkish musicians including Fuat Güner
Fuat Güner
Aziz Fuat Güner , better known as Fuat Güner, is a Turkish pop musician, member of the renowned band MFÖ and an actor.-Early life:...
from MFÖ
MFO
-Organisation:* Maison Française d'Oxford, a French research institute based in Oxford, England* Multinational Force and Observers, an international peacekeeping force; or the related medal...
(the band which represented Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 1985 and 1988), Şehrazat, and Metin Özülkü. The album, simply titled Ajda 1990 signalled a new breakthrough for Pekkan, with sales of over a million. With the success of this official debut album (and also the first on CD), she immediately began working on her next album.
In 1991, she released Seni Seçtim (I Choose You), to even greater success. Hits like "Sevgide Seni Seçtim" ("I Choose You For Love"), "Eline Gözüne Dizine Dursun" ("Shame on You"), "Vazgeçme" ("Don’t Give Up"), she topped all the charts in Turkey.
In 1993, she released Ajda ‘93 which she recorded this album in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Turkey and United States. She worked with Atilla Şereftuğ
Atilla Sereftug
Atilla Şereftuğ is a Swiss-Turkish songwriter.-Career:In 1986, Şereftuğ participated in the Swiss heats of the Eurovision Song Contest as composer of the song Pas pour moi. The song's co-composer was Nella Martinetti. Pas pour moi won the Swiss final and, performed by Daniela Simmons, represented...
on this album, a famous Turkish musician who had written the Eurovision ’88-winning song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi
Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi
"Ne partez pas sans moi" is the Swiss winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by Céline Dion. It was released as a single in Europe on May 6, 1988...
" ("Don’t Leave Without Me") for Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
. The hits of the album were Sarıl Bana (Give Me a Hug), Oyalama Beni (Don't Occupy Me), Eyvah (Alas!) and Ağlama Anne (Don't Cry Mommy).
After many successful albums she decided to release a best of album, and in September 1998, she released The Best of Ajda. Two years later, in 2000, Pekkan released another studio album, simply called Diva and enjoyed sales of over two million copies.
In 2001, she started performing in an Istanbul club Catwalk and her performances were all sold out, with the help of an eager audience looking forward to see "the superstar" after a three year hiatus. The performances were so successful that Pekkan postponed closing the show by about six months.
In 2002, she also began making a movie called Şöhret Sandalı (Boat of Fame). After several years of financial setbacks, it was released in 2006.
In the summer 2003, she released her single Sen İste (Just Want It), written by her friend Şehrazat, the popular songwriter. Six years later,in August 2006, Pekkan released her latest album Cool Kadın (Cool Woman). This album produced the number one dance hit single Vitrin and a funky disco beat called "Amazon". During the first six months over 800.000 copies of Cool Kadın was sold just in Turkey.
In the summer 2007 she began a completely sold out concert series called Ajda goes Disco performing her songs in disco rhythms with Turkey's most famous DJs live on stage. After that, Pekkan quickly began to work on a new studio album, recording it in Turkey. The album "Aynen Oyle" was released in Turkey, German and USA on July 23, 2008. To promote it, Pekkan began touring in Turkey where she performed two new songs "Flu Gibi" and "Gerisi Hikaye" from the album.
Albums
- 2011: Farkın Bu
- 2008: Aynen Öyle
- 2006: Cool Kadın
- 2000: Diva
- 1998: The Best of Ajda
- 1996: Ajda Pekkan
- 1993: Ajda 93
- 1992: Hoşgör Sen
- 1991: Seni Seçtim
- 1990: Ajda 90
- 1989: Unutulmayanlar
- 1987: Süperstar IV
- 1985: Ajda Pekkan ve Beş Yıl Önce On Yıl Sonra
- 1983: Süperstar III
- 1982: Sevdim Seni
- 1981: Sen Mutlu Ol
- 1979: Süperstar II
- 1978: Pour Lui
- 1977: Süperstar
- 1975: Ajda
- 1972: Ajda Pekkan Vol. III
- 1969: Fecri Ebcioğlu SunarFecri Ebcioglu SunarFecri Ebcioğlu Sunar is Ajda Pekkan's second studio album. She mostly worked with Fecri Ebcioğlu, only two tracks are from Selçuk Başar and Zeki Uluruh.- Tracklist :*01 Boş Sokak *02 Yaşamak Ne Güzel Şey *03 Kimdir Bu Sevgili *04 Özleyiş...
- 1968: Ajda Pekkan
As an actress
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Şıpsevdi | Filiz | |
| Kendini Arayan Adam | Gönül | ||
| Adanalı Tayfur | Filiz | ||
| Şaşkın Baba | |||
| Öpüşmek Yasak | Sema Selamet | ||
| 1964 | Abudik Gubidik | ||
| Çanakkale Aslanları | |||
| Plajda Sevişelim | Ressam Lale | ||
| Kaynana Zırıltısı | Fatma | ||
| Avare | |||
| Hızır Dede | |||
| Koçum Benim | |||
| Sokakların Kanunu | Emine | ||
| 1965 | Artık Düşman Değiliz | Alev | |
| Cici Kızlar | Nermin Gürsoy Çiftbaş | ||
| Kart Horoz | Hizmetçi Fatoş | ||
| Kolla Kendini Bebek | |||
| Pantolon Bankası | |||
| Şakayla Karışık | Ayla | ||
| Şepkemin Altındayım | |||
| Yabancı Olduk Şimdi | |||
| Bir Caniye Gönül Verdim | |||
| Şehvetin Esiriyiz | Sevim | ||
| Babamız Evleniyor | Leyla | ||
| Sevdalı Kabadayı | |||
| Taçsız Kral | Hülya | ||
| Dalgacı Mahmut | |||
| Berduş Milyoner | |||
| Helal Adanalı Celal | |||
| Bir Gönül Oyunu | |||
| Lafını Balla Kestim | |||
| Sevinç Gözyaşları | Filiz Erkmen | ||
| 1966 | Avare Kız | Ayla Doğanoğlu | |
| Kara Tren | Türkan | ||
| Şoför Deyip Geçmeyin | |||
| Seher Vakti | Ajda | ||
| Ümit Sokağı | |||
| Düğün Gecesi | Güler | ||
| Siyah Otomobil | Selma | ||
| Dişi Düşman | İren | ||
| Dağda Silah Konuşur | |||
| Günah Çocuğu | |||
| Affet Sevgilim | Leyla | ||
| Ayrılık Şarkısı | |||
| Erkek Severse | Serap | ||
| 1967 | Harun Reşid'in Gözdesi | Dilaram | |
| 1968 | Kalbimdeki Yabancı | . | |
| 1969 | Tatlı Günler | ||
| Hancı | |||
| 2002 | Şöhret Sandalı | Yelda |