Ümit Besen

Ümit Besen — Biography

Ümit Besen is a Turkish singer, keyboardist and actor from Osmaniye, best known for the slow romantic ballads he performed through the 1980s. He first played the melodica, then switched to keyboards in high school and formed the group Tayfunlar Orkestrası, eventually leaving school when he found he could not balance music with his studies. His career turned during military service: in 1976 a general who heard him perform in Kütahya had him posted to entertain at the Zonguldak officers' club. After his discharge he worked the nightclubs of Adana, where footballer Metin Oktay noticed his voice and steered him toward Istanbul, where he became a regular performer at Köşem Bistro. His first record, made in 1980 with Selami Şahin and Ahmet Selçuk İlkan, was a commercial hit. His signature song Nikah Masası was revived in 2015 as a duet with Ajda Pekkan backed by the Enbe Orchestra, and his 2016 album Başka reworked his classic repertoire in rock arrangements alongside guests such as Feridun Düzağaç, Pamela and Cem Adrian. He also acted in films, including Nikah Masası (1982), Seni Seviyorum (1986) and Olur Olur! (2014).