Gökhan Özen

Gökhan Özen — Biography

Born in Ankara, Ahmet Gökhan Özen has built a career in Turkey as a singer, lyricist, composer, arranger and actor. As a child he trained in choral singing at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet's children's choir and later spent years studying voice and music theory in a Turkish classical choir, performing abroad at festivals with the ensemble. He entered the music industry in the second half of the 1990s as a radio host, becoming known for performing listener requests live on guitar, a popularity that eventually led to record deals. Following his 2000 debut album, he won the award for best breakthrough soloist at the Golden Butterfly Awards for the song Aramazsan Arama from the album Duman Gözlüm. Continuing to write and compose much of his own material on guitar and piano, he saw strong sales with his album Civciv.

Alongside music, Özen also moved into acting, taking the role of Selim in the series Sevda Çiçeği, which brought him to a wide audience; he went on to appear in further productions such as Yıldız Masalı. He married Selen Sevigen, had two daughters with her, and a few years later announced their divorce.