Orhan Murad

Orhan Murad — Biography

Orhan Murad Hoca is a Bulgarian singer, musician and producer of Turkish origin. He became known as the founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Lotos, which rose to fame with the song Iskam da sam negar v shtata Alabama, and went on to become one of the recognized names of Bulgarian pop-folk. Blind from birth, he founded a charitable foundation to help visually impaired children.

Born in the village of Bezvodno (Susuzlar) near Kardzhali, Murad took up music early: he has played piano since the age of eight and guitar since thirteen, and formed Lotos at fifteen. He entered the Sofia music conservatory in second place and graduated in 1992 with top marks. He then returned to Asenovgrad and made a living singing at weddings. His discography opens with Ah, zheni in 1995, and the first album he released in 1996 brought him wide attention in Bulgaria.

His real breakthrough came with the 1998 album Hilyadi slantsa (A Thousand Suns), which topped the charts and earned him every music award available that year. Later records include Bez glas, Ashk, Slantse moe, Edinstvena and Edin za drug; two of his albums, among them Dünya güzeli, are entirely in Turkish. He is married and has a daughter, who is also known in Bulgaria.