Rafet El Roman

Rafet El Roman — Biography

Rafet El Roman, a Turkish pop singer and songwriter, has been known since the mid-1990s for romantic ballads and has also taken leading film roles. Born Rafet Yaşdut, he still performs live; in 2026 he announced plans to rebuild his birthplace in Edirne and turn it into a museum.

The first phase of his career unfolded in Germany. After spending his earliest childhood with his grandmother near Uzunköprü, he joined his parents there, began writing lyrics at sixteen and first appeared on stage in 1988. In 1992 a German radio broadcaster named him talent of the year, and in 1994 he received the Media Artist Award at the Frankfurt Cultural Festival. After a four-year legal fight he changed his surname to El Roman. He moved back to Turkey in 1995, and his debut Gençliğin Gözyaşları sold more than a million copies. En Güzel Günler Senin Olsun and Hayat Hüzünlü followed; Sürgün in 2004 became his best seller. With Kalbimin Sultanı in 2005 he took Müyap's Golden Butterfly and Popsav's pop artist of the year award. Later albums include Gönül Yarası, Bir Roman Gibi and Sevgiye Zaman Ver.

He entered cinema alongside Kemal Sunal in Propaganda and Müjde Ar in Dar Alanda Kısa Paslaşmalar. In 2000 he founded the label RER Müzik, aiming to bring new names to the music market.