Ahmet Kaya
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| Ahmet Kaya | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 28 October 1957[1] Malatya, Turkey |
| Died | November 16, 2000 (aged 43) Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, poet |
| Instrument(s) | Bağlama, Singing |
| Years active | 1985–2000 |
| Website | www.ahmetkaya.com |
Ahmet Kaya (28 October 1957[1] – 16 November 2000) was a Kurdish poet, singer, and a leading artist in Turkey. Some of his most popular songs include "Protect Yourself", "My Heart is Bleeding", "A Strange Man", "Ayrılık Vakti", Koçero, and Ağladıkça ("As We Cry").
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[edit] Career
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (August 2007) |
Ahmet Kaya is the youngest of five children born to a working class Kurdish family in Malatya, Turkey.[1] He first encountered music at age 9 in primary school. Ahmet Kaya worked for a while as a taxi driver in Istanbul before becoming well-known as a singer in the mid-1980s.
His first album, Ağlama Bebeğim, was released in 1985. His popularity continued to rise into the 1990s when in 1994 he released the album Şarkılarım Dağlara which was sold a record 2.8 million copies. All of his 1990 albums to chart-toppers.
During his career he recorded approximately 20 albums and was known for his protest music and positions on social justice. Recurring themes in his songs are love towards one's mother, sacrifice, and hope.
[edit] Awards controversy
At 10 February 1999 televised annual music awards ceremony, SHOW TV, at which he was to be named Musician of the Year, he spoke out about his 'Kurdish' background and said that he wanted to produce music in his native Kurdish as naturally as he does in Turkish. He announced that he had recorded a song in Kurdish (Karwan, released on the Hoşçakalın Gözüm album in 2001) and intended to produce a video to accompany it. At this event he was attacked by some Turkish singers like Serdar Ortac, Ebru Gundes and many other singers because of his stance on the use of Kurdish. He defended himself with a load of fans with him. He made constante speeches before his concerts talking about kurdish pride, and that all they wanted was less than a drop of water. Supporters backed him up as he said that he would never insult someone but he would to Serdar Ortac. He said that he was not being fair so why would anybody be so racist, as the crowd cheered him on.[citation needed]
[edit] Exile and death
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007) |
Kaya went to France in June 1999 escaping various charges arising from his political views.[citation needed] Among them were the accusations that he had performed in front of a poster for the Kurdistan Workers Party at a 1993 concert in Germany, and that he had made statements in support of Abdullah Öcalan. [2] In March 2000 he was sentenced in absentia to three years and nine months in prison on the charge of spreading separatist propaganda.[citation needed] He died of a heart attack in Paris in 2000, at the age of 43, and is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery. He is survived by his wife Gülten.
[edit] Discography
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Posthumous:
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Biography of Ahmet Kaya Ahmet Kaya Resmi Web Sitesi
- ^ http://www.video75.com/vd.php?i=k3hv51
- CNN's report about his death
- Interview with Ahmet Kaya
- Interview with Gülten Kaya, Ahmet Kaya's wife
- Documentary about Ahmet Kaya
[edit] Further reading
- Ferzende, Kaya. Başım Belada. TR: Gam. ISBN 975-6628-19-7. http://kitap.antoloji.com/kitap.asp?kitap=30889.
