Mazhar Alanson

Mazhar Alanson — Biography

Mahmut Mazhar Alanson was born on 13 February 1950 in Ankara, into a musical family—his father was the principal trumpeter of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. After attending TED Ankara College and Kadıköy Maarif College, he graduated from the theater department of the Ankara State Conservatory. He took up guitar in high school, formed the band Kaygısızlar with Fuat Güner in 1966, acted at the Ankara State Theatre in the early 1970s, and recorded the album Türküz Türkü Çağırırız with Güner in 1974. Once Özkan Uğur joined, the trio became MFÖ, whose 1984 album Ele Güne Karşı made them one of the defining acts of Turkish pop; they represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985 and 1988.

Alanson wrote nearly all of MFÖ's songs, often with Sufi undertones, and released solo albums such as Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak and Türk Lokumuyla Tatlı Rüyalar. He also pursued acting, debuting in Atıf Yılmaz's Arkadaşım Şeytan (1988) and later starring alongside Cem Yılmaz in the box-office hits Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak (1998) and Hokkabaz (2006), for which he also composed the scores. He is married to fashion designer Biricik Suden.