Yaşar

Yaşar — Biography

Born Mehmet Yaşar Günaçgün on 5 April 1970 in Adana, Yaşar considers himself rooted in the Çukurova region through both parents. He was introduced to music through the student orchestra at a now-closed private high school, then gave his first stage performance on Teachers' Day. In 1987 he enrolled in the business faculty of Marmara University and moved to Istanbul, performing at a bar in the Moda district throughout his studies while also developing an interest in poetry. He later earned a master's degree in international finance at Istanbul University.

He launched his recording career in 1996 with the album Divane, whose strong sales earned a gold certification and, the following year, a best newcomer award at a televised ceremony. Esirinim followed in 1998 and Masal in 2001, a release he described as closing a trilogy, promoted with a tour named after it. Later releases included Sevdiğim Şarkılar, Hatırla and Sevda Sinemalarda, and in 2008 an acoustic best-of chosen through listener voting. The lead track from his 2013 album Cadde topped digital sales charts in its first week.

Yaşar married Merve Oğuz in 2011, and the couple had a son the following year. Some of his earlier records were later pressed on vinyl for the first time. Beyond his own catalogue he has worked as a composer, lyricist or vocalist on more than forty other albums, continuing to release new songs with producer Deniz Özçelik after 2021, including the 2024 album Deniz Şarkıları.