Demet Akalın

Demet Akalın — Biography

Demet Akalın was born on 23 April 1972 in Gölcük, in Turkey's Kocaeli province. The child of a soldier, she finished Barbaros Hayrettin High School and, at her mother's urging, enrolled in modelling courses. Chosen Swimwear Beauty in 1990, she went on to work as a professional model at Neşe Erberk's agency and appeared in a few feature films during those years.

Alongside modelling she began singing on nightclub stages, releasing her first album Sebebim in 1996, though it drew little attention. She returned to music with Unuttum (2003), which began her long collaboration with Ersay Üner. Her real breakthrough came with Banane (2004), whose lead track 'Aşkın Açamadığı Kapı' earned a Song of the Year award. Kusursuz 19 (2006) and Dans Et (2008) received gold certifications, while Pırlanta (2015) and Ateş (2019) ranked among their years' best-selling albums. Hits such as 'Afedersin', 'Mucize', 'Toz Pembe' and 'Hayalet' topped the Turkish charts.

Akalın also appeared in the films Hadi İnşallah (2014) and Osman Pazarlama (2016). She married Okan Kurt in 2012; their daughter Hira was born in 2014 and the couple divorced in 2018. A winner of Golden Butterfly and Kral Turkey Music Awards, she has also remained a fixture of the tabloid press, not least through her long-running feud with Hande Yener.