Bilâl Göregen

Bilâl Göregen — Biography

Bilal Göregen (born 4 September 1988 in Dörtyol, Hatay) is a Turkish street musician, darbuka player and internet personality. Blind since his early life, he first drew attention through his appearance on the talent show "Yetenek Sizsiniz" and performed at local events such as a 2016 concert organised by the Esenler municipality in Istanbul.

International fame arrived in late 2020, when his street rendition of the Finnish folk song "Ievan Polkka" on the darbuka went viral after a Twitter user superimposed a head-bobbing cat onto the footage. YouTube shared the clip on its official Instagram account in December 2020, putting Göregen on front pages worldwide; Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet and Habertürk interviewed him, while DW reported on the remixes that placed Trump and Biden figures over the same tune. At the time he said he would like to play the darbuka for US President Biden.

He has continued to perform since, giving a concert at a Disability Week event in Vezirköprü in May 2026.