Selâmi Şahin

Selâmi Şahin — Biography

Born the fourth of six children in the Yayladağı district of Hatay to an Egyptian-descended mother and a Turkish military officer, Selâmi Şahin grew up speaking Egyptian Arabic as well as Turkish because of his mother. His musical talent was noticed by his teachers in primary school, and he left Hatay at fifteen; he met composer İrfan Özbakır, who produced his first single in 1966, and he reached real fame in 1968 with "Sabır Taşı". Having taught himself musical notation, he began writing and composing his own songs from 1969, and his first composition, "Sen Mevsimler Gibisin", won the Golden Butterfly Song of the Year award.

He has composed more than three hundred songs, of which around one hundred fifty became hits recorded by many other performers; he collaborated on joint projects with figures such as Ghada Ragab and Enrico Macias, and founded the production company Lider Müzik in 1981. He contributed music to films including Rüzgar, Kaderi Zorlama and Alın Yazım, and acted in Köyün Beş Güzeli, Bağrımdaki Ateş and Mumya Firarda, which was shown in 22 countries, as well as the series Ulan İstanbul.

Married since 1985 and the father of three, he marked his 45th year in music with the 2011 album Mahzen; following the 2026 release of the third in his tribute-album series, he continues to perform, sharing the stage with his son, Lider Şahin.