Hakan Altun

Hakan Altun — Biography

Performances in the Turkish art music and arabesque vein define the work of Hakan Altun, a Turkish singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. He reached a wide audience with the song Hani Bekleyecektin and went on to become a popular concert performer through a string of albums. Since 2021 he has co-hosted the Kanal D programme Şarkılar Bizi Söyler with Sibel Can and Hüsnü Şenlendirici.

He chose music early: after primary school he entered a music school and, with the support of his grandfather Hafız Zeki Altun, completed his secondary and university education in music. He graduated from the Turkish Music State Conservatory of Istanbul Technical University in 1993 and did postgraduate work there; between 1992 and 1996 he served as a lute player with the Edirne State Turkish Music Ensemble. Before military service he played in well-known Istanbul clubs and formed the group Aykut Hakan Ayşe with friends. As he has told on television, he wrote his first song, Hani Bekleyecektin, in the army.

His solo career began in 1998, and his first album, Hakan, came out in 1999. It was followed by Ağlamak Yok Yüreğim (2000), Nefesimsin (2002), Yaralı Bir Aşkın Öyküsü (2003), Hediye (2005), Küstüm Aşklara (2006), Aşk, Ayrılık ve Adam (2007), Aklın Bende Kalmasın (2008), Tercihimdir (2010) and Senden Sonrası (2012). In recent years he has kept releasing singles; in 2025 he put out Ahım Olsun with Hülya Avşar and, for a Selami Şahin tribute album, Tanımam Senden Başka. In August 2026 he headlined the closing night of the İpsala Rice Festival.