İlhan İrem

İlhan Aldatmaz (born April 1, 1955 in Bursa, Turkey), known as İlhan İrem, is a Turkish singer, songwriter and author. As a child he took singing lessons, performing in various school orchestras as a soloist. In 1973, he self-produced his first song “Birleşsin Bütün Eller – Bazen Neşe Bazen Kede”, with the intention of writing songs for other artists, however after rejection from several record companies, recorded his second song “Yazık Oldu Yarınlara – Haydi Sil Gözlerini” which saw him gain commercial recognition as an artist. After a string of number 1 hits including "Havalar Nasıl", "İşte Hayat" and "Bal Ağızlım", İrem released his debut album İlhan İrem 1973–1976, followed by the popular Sevgiliye in 1979. His song “Bir Yildiz” was selected for the 1979 Eurovision Turkey final, however due to military service, he was not able to compete. Dedicated to cultivating his own style, İrem experimented with various genres, recording Bezgin, in 1981, followed by a trilogy of symphonic rock albums, Pencere (1983), Köprü (1985), and Ve Ötesi (1987) as well as two accompanying books. Discouraged by societal and political unrest, İrem withdrew from public life after the release of his albums, İlhan-ı Aşk, Koridor and Seni Seviyorum, returning fourteen years later to perform at the Istanbul Open Air Theatre in September 2006. This, alongside the album Cennet İlahileri marked a resurgence in his artistic life, recording his final record, Tozpembe/Progressive Çocuk Şarkıları in 2008, as well as exhibiting his abstract paintings and working as a columnist for several news outlets. İrem continued to give annual performances, returning to his home city of Bursa to perform on June 4, 2016 after 30 years. İrem died on July 28, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey at the age of 67, from kidney disease.

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