Sezen Aksu

A feminist icon dubbed The Queen of Turkish Pop, Sezen Aksu has been one of her country’s most celebrated artists for the past 45 years. ∙ Under the name Sezen Seley, she released her first single in 1975 and scored her first hit the following year with “Olmaz Olsun,” which topped the Turkish charts. ∙ “Kaybolan Yıllar,” from her 1978 album, Serçe, is one of the best-selling Turkish singles of all time. ∙ Aksu made her acting debut in the 1978 film The Little Sparrow, and she starred alongside famed Turkish actor and playwright Ferhan Şensoy in 1989’s Büyük Yalnizlik. ∙ Teaming up with producer Onno Tunç, she released such career-defining albums as 1984’s Sen Ağlama and 1991’s Gülümse, the latter of which sold more than two million copies. ∙ In 2006, she released Eksik Şiir, a best-selling book compiling her poems and lyrics from the previous three decades. ∙ Naming her The Voice of Istanbul, NPR included Aksu in its 2010 series 50 Great Voices, which showcased singers from around the globe.