Bayhan Gürhan

Bayhan Gürhan — Biography

Bayhan Gürhan was born on 14 March 1980 in Adana, the second child of Selahattin and Kezban Gürhan. His father left the family for Germany when Bayhan was two, and after his mother's death in 1984 he moved to Germany with his older sister, spending time in a children's home where he received his first music lessons. Back in Turkey he was raised by his grandmother in Adana; at thirteen he lost his sister in a traffic accident, and when relatives refused to take him in he lived on the streets of Istanbul for a period. In 1998, at eighteen, he fatally stabbed his cousin Mehmet Ali Gürhan during an altercation, receiving a five-year sentence of which he served two. After completing military service he entered Popstar Türkiye in 2003, drawing attention for his distinctive style; controversy erupted when his prior conviction came to light mid-competition, and he finished third. He released the albums Hayal Edemiyorum and Kısa Veda, alongside guest roles in series and programs. In 2021 he issued Akustik, reinterpreting Sezen Aksu songs, and in 2024 his recording of "Tiryakinim" became the first Turkish song to top Spotify's global charts. In 2026 he joined Survivor, where he was reunited with former Popstar judge Deniz Seki, leaving the competition that May.