İlhan İrem

İlhan İrem — Biography

İlhan İrem, born İlhan Aldatmaz (1 April 1955, Bursa - 28 July 2022, Istanbul), was a Turkish singer, lyricist and composer. Across a career spanning more than forty years he followed a distinctive line that combined Turkish pop music with symphonic rock and progressive pop elements, writing his own lyrics and most of his own compositions.

He began working in music in the first half of the 1970s; his earliest recordings from that period were gathered years later on the compilation 1973-1976. He made his name in the record market with Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş in 1975, and reached a wide audience with the album Sevgiliye, released in 1979.

The 1980s were his most productive period. With the albums Bezgin (1981), Pencere (1983), Köprü (1985), Ve Ötesi (1987) and Uçun Kuşlar Uçun (1989) he settled into a style that married romantic lyrics to symphonic arrangements; the compilations Dünden Yarına (1988) and Pencere Köprü Ve Ötesi (1990) appeared in the same years.

In the 1990s and 2000s he brought out İlhan-ı Aşk (1992), Koridor (1994), Romans (1994), Bezginin Gizli Mektupları (2000), Bulutlara Köprü (2000), Düşler ve Ötesi (2000), Uçuk Mavi Pencere (2000) and Seni Seviyorum (2001). In 2006 he moved into new territory with Cennet İlahileri, and in 2008 with Tozpembe / Progressive Çocuk Şarkıları, a record aimed at children.

The phrase "Işık ve Sevgiyle" ("With Light and Love"), taken from the title of the compilation Işık ve Sevgiyle 30 Yıl (2004) prepared for his thirtieth year in music, became identified with him and also gave its name to his official website. One of his last works was Senfonik Rock Üçleme (2018), which brought together symphonic rock arrangements of songs from his earlier albums. İlhan İrem died in Istanbul on 28 July 2022.