Azer Bülbül

Azer Bülbül — Biography

Azer Bülbül, born Subutay Kesgin on February 1, 1967, in the Arpaçay district of Kars to a family of Azerbaijani descent, took early music lessons from folk poet Güney Yıldız before his family emigrated to Germany. Performing at wedding halls there, he was discovered by singer Yıldız Tezcan, who gave him the stage name Azer Bülbül, and he launched his recording career with the 1984 album Garip Yolcu.

He had his breakthrough with the 1995 album Ben Babayım, which sold over a million copies, and his trembling vocal delivery earned him the nickname "the Trembling King." In 1999 he faced allegations of draft evasion but reported for duty and completed his service in 2000; in 2001 he was convicted over cocaine use, received a fine, and spent three years in treatment while continuing to record. In his personal life, a marriage arranged by his family in his youth ended quickly, later engagements broke off, and a marriage proposal to singer Yıldız Tilbe was turned down; he never had children. He died of a heart attack in a hotel in Antalya on January 6, 2012, at age 44; an autopsy found his heart far more worn than his age would suggest. Over his career he released 24 studio albums.