İrem Derici

İrem Derici — Biography

Born in Istanbul on 21 March 1987, İrem Derici is the daughter of Hulusi Derici and Jale Ediz. She took up the organ at age four, completed piano training at the Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory alongside secondary school, then earned a sociology degree from İstanbul Bilgi University while pursuing a master's in marketing communication. She spent three years working as a copywriter for an advertising agency, performed with a band called Monopop, and won broader recognition after reaching the semi-final round of the talent show O Ses Türkiye in 2011.

Her recording career opened with the 2012 single Bensiz Yapamazsın, and hits such as Kalbimin Tek Sahibine, Aşk Eşittir Biz, Zorun Ne Sevgilim and Değmezsin Ağlamaya carried her up the Turkish charts, alongside collaborations with producer Emrah Karaduman. Her debut studio album Dantel, issued through GNL Entertainment in 2016, yielded a title track that held the top chart spot for four consecutive weeks. That year her short marriage to arranger Rıza Esendemir ended in divorce, and she joined the judging panel of Rising Star Türkiye. She later released Sabıka Kaydı in 2018 and, in 2019, the cover album Mest Of, reworking popular songs from the 1990s; she also hosted her own television programme, appeared on Jet Sosyete, and has kept recording new music since.