Artist

One of the most renowned performers of the Arabesk style of Turkish pop music, İbrahim Tatlıses started out selling homemade cassettes of his songs. ∙ After being discovered by a prominent film producer, Tatlıses released his breakthrough album, 1977’s Ayağında Kundura, which was followed a year later by his film of the same name. ∙ From 1993 to 2011, Tatlıses hosted the İbo Show, one of Turkey’s most popular TV programs. ∙ Tatlıses’ hit 1994 album, Haydi Söyle, featured guest appearances by popular Turkish musicians Burhan Bayar, Arif Sağ, and Özkan Turgay. ∙ His music, which is popular among Germany’s large Turkish population, has been sampled by German hip-hop groups Massiv, Islamic Force, and Mic Force. ∙ Tatlıses has appeared in 38 films, 11 of which he also directed. ∙ He won nine of Turkey’s annual Golden Butterfly Awards, including five for Best Male Fantasy Music Artist.