Demir Demirkan (born August 12, 1972 in
AdanaAdana is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and is the administrative seat of the Adana Province. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean Sea, in south-central Anatolia, and has a population of over 1.5 million; making it the fifth most...
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
) is an Turkish
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
,
arrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
, singer, co-producer, and
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
. Demir Demirkan started his music life when he was 13 and played guitar with various groups in college. Demir Demirkan also wrote television jingles and composed soundtracks for television and films.
The songs Demir wrote for
Sertab ErenerSertab Erener is a Turkish pop star and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
were widely accepted in Europe and Turkey. One of these songs, “Every Way That I Can,” won the first prize in the 2003 Eurovision Song Competition and sold 400,000 units worldwide.
Early life and influences
Demir Demirkan started his music life when he was 13 and played guitar with various groups in college. In 1990, Demir joined a heavy/rock group,
PentagramA pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
, based in Istanbul and wrote and played guitar in the group’s second album, Trail Blazer.
In 1992, he moved to Los Angeles where he studied with and
Scott HendersonScott Henderson is a highly acclaimed fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech.- Early days :Scott Henderson began playing guitar at an early age...
,
Frank GambaleFrank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.-Recording career:...
and
Paul HansonPaul Hanson is an American jazz bassoonist, saxophonist, and duduk player.He received a bachelor of music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a student of San Francisco Symphony Orchestra principal bassoonist Stephen Paulson....
who founded the MI-Musician’s Institute.
In 1996, he moved back to Istanbul and worked as a producer, guitarist and composer for various artists such as
Sebnem FerahŞebnem Ferah is a Turkish singer and song-writer. She was the head vocalist of the all-female hard rock band Volvox until 1994, after which she went on to pursue an illustrious solo career...
and
Sertab ErenerSertab Erener is a Turkish pop star and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
. Demir rejoined
PentagramA pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
again in 1997 and recorded the Anatolia album.
Career
Demirkan played his first guitar at age 13, and attained national stardom in 1990 when he joined the Istanbul heavy rock group
PentagramA pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
as songwriter and guitarist. In 1992, he studied at Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles with Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale, and MI founder Paul Hanson, also playing studio and live gigs.
In 2000 Demir released his eponymous initial solo album with Sony Music. His albums Dunya Benim (The World is Mine) and Istanbul 2004 followed in 2002 and 2004. The latter sold in 11 European countries after his successful tour with Mike Tramp (Whitelion).
The songs Demir wrote for
Sertab ErenerSertab Erener is a Turkish pop star and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
were widely accepted in Europe and Turkey. One of these songs, “Every Way That I Can,” won the first prize in the 2003 Eurovision Song Competition and sold 400,000 units worldwide.
Demir Demirkan also wrote television jingles and composed soundtracks for television and films. One of the more remarkable works of Demir Demirkan was the music he composed for the documentary about Gallipoli/Gelibolu in 2005. That soundtrack involved ethnical strings recorded in Turkey and classical melodies recorded by a symphonic orchestra and choir in the Czech Republic. It was released in Turkey and Australia.
Demir Demirkan and
Sertab ErenerSertab Erener is a Turkish pop star and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
embarked on the international project Painted on Water together. This innovative work entitled Ebru was co-produced by Demir and Jay Newland, a multi- Grammy-winning-producer (Norah Jones’ “Come Away with Me”).
His Los Angeles experience informed the current project in several ways, not least the fact that “the L.A. vibe is great for art,” Demirkan says. “Every day when I was studying in Hollywood, I passed A&M Studios, and I wanted to record an album there. When we were ready to record Painted on Water, we had to search for them because they’d changed to their name to Hanson. Every time I passed by, I promised myself I’d get there and record, so it was a great moment, a dream came true.”
Demir Demirkan continues his solo career in Turkey.