Zeki Müren (; 2 January 1931 – 24 September 1996) was a Turkish classical music artist, composer, songwriter, actor and poet. Known by the nicknames "The Sun of Art" and "Pasha", he was one of the prominent figures of Turkish classical music. Due to his contributions to the art industry, he was named a "State Artist" in 1991. He was the first singer to receive a gold certification in Turkey and throughout his career recorded and released hundreds of songs on cassettes and phonograph records.
Life and career Childhood and education Müren was born in the Hisar district of Bursa, at the wooden house number 30 on Ortapazar Road as the only child of Kaya and Hayriye Müren. His father was a timber merchant."Batmayan Güneş Zeki Müren" documentary. Publisher: Kürşat Özkök. TRT. Release date: 10–12 September 1996.
Müren went to the Bursa Osmangazi School (later Tophane School and Alkıncı School). When he was at school, his musical ability was discovered by his teachers and he started to have a prominent role at school musicals. His first ever role was the character of a shepherd in one of these musicals.
He finished his secondary school in Bursa and then asked his father to let him go to Istanbul. There he attended the Istanbul Boğaziçi High School. He finished the school and ended up as the number-one student. After passing his exams, he was enrolled at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (now Mimar Sinan University) where he studied decorative arts from 1950 to 1953.
Music career
In 1950, while he was a university student, he took part at TRT Istanbul Radio's music competition and ranked number-one out of 186 contestants. On 1 January 1951, he had his first live performance on Istanbul Radio, which was praised by critics. During this performance, he was accompanied by musicians Hakkı Derman, Serif İçli, Şükrü Tunar, Refik Fersan and Necdet Gezen. Hamiyet Yüceses subsequently called the program and congratulated him on his performance. In those years, TRT Ankara Radio was the most listened radio in Anatolia, and Istanbul Radio could not be heard clearly from all parts of Anatolia. At the same week, the clarinetist Şükrü Tunar, took Müren to his own recording studio in Yeşilköy and he recorded his song "Muhabbet Kuşu" on phonograph record. Thanks to this record, Müren became known all over Anatolia.
After the success of his first live performance and his first record, Müren began to perform different songs on Turkish radios. His radio programs went on air for 15 years, most of which included live performances. Müren subsequently focused on giving concerts and recording new songs. He had his first live concert on 26 May 1955. He would usually wear his self-designed clothes on stage. He brought various innovations such as dressing uniforms and using T podium.
Together with Behiye Aksoy, he performed at Maksim Casino for 11 years. In 1976, he became the first Turkish artist to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Throughout his career, Müren recorded 600 cassettes and phonograph records. His first song recorded on a phonograph was "Bir Muhabbet Kuşu" by Şükrü Tunar. With his song "Manolyam" in 1955, Müren became the first Turkish artist to receive a gold certification. In 1991, he was chosen as a State Artist.
Other ventures In 1965, he published a poetry book called Bıldırcın Yağmuru (The Quail Rain), which contains nearly 100 poems. Among the poems featured in this book are Pembe Yağmurlar (Pink Rains), Bursa Sokağı (Bursa Street), İkinci Sadık Dost, Çim Makası, Son Kavga (Last Fight), Bu Bestecikler Sana, Alınyazım, Kazancı Yokuşu and Kendimi Arıyorum."Eserleri hakkında". Türkiye Newspaper. 26 September 1996. Zeki Müren started acting in the movie Beklenen Şarkı in 1953. After this movie, he acted in 18 more movies. In 1965, he played the leading role in the play Tea and Sempati, staged by Arena Theatre.
Public image Public reception of Müren's fashion sense, and persona is controversial. In the 1950s, with his special patterns of behavior, dressing and his performance on stage, he managed to keep people constantly interested in himself. In the early years of his career, he chose to wear ordinary clothes and hair styles, but later showed a favor for feminine-styled clothes, and performed with new hair styles and make-up. In 1958 he wore a sequin jacket for the first time in his career. From the 1960s onwards, he began to adopt an androgynous identity through his clothing. In 1970, he put on a costume featuring a miniskirt as a first for him. He is one of the first representatives of cross-dressing in the public sphere in Turkey.
Personal life Zeki Müren never married. He never commented on his sexual orientation and occasionally his name appeared alongside that of women.Zeki Müren'e Sarıyer'de "çakma aşk" Aykut Işıklar. Sariyerhaber.com. Retrieved: 15 April 2012 The general opinion was that he was gay.Shidfar, Farhad (2005). "Gay musicians in Turkey". International Forum of Psychoanalysis, vol. 14(3–4) 224–226, Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group He was known to speak Turkish very clearly. Referred to as the "Pasha of Music", in 1969, after his Aspendos concert, for the first time, he started being favored by the people of Antalya. He explained that although he was delighted because of their support, he still did not know why he was that much favored.Yasemin Bozkurt röportajı, 1985 Youtube.com. Retrieved: 17 January 2012. He served as an assistant officer in Ankara Infantry School (6 months), Istanbul Harbiye Representative Office (6 months) and Çankırı (3 months) in 1957–1958.
Illness and death During the last 6 years of his life, Müren was away from the scenes and the media due to heart disease and diabetes. He was retired at his house in Bodrum. He described this period as a time for "listening to oneself". On 24 September 1996, during the ceremony held for him at TRT İzmir Television in Kültürpark, he had a heart attack and died. His funeral ceremony was attended by a large number of people. His body was taken to his birth place, Bursa, and buried in Emirsultan Cemetery.
He left all his assets in his will to the Turkish Education Foundation and Mehmetçik Foundation.Turkish Daily Sabah, Sanat Güneşi anılıyor, 6 December 2006. (In Turkish, last accessed 8 July 2007). TEV and Mehmetçik Foundation built Zeki Müren Fine Arts Anatolian High School in Bursa in 2002. In a statement on 24 September 2016, TEV Bursa branch president Mehmet Çalışkan said that the foundation had helped 2,631 students with the Zeki Müren Scholarship Fund over the last 20 years.
After his death, the house in which the artist lived in Bodrum for the last years of his life was transformed into Zeki Müren Art Museum by the order of the Ministry of Culture and was opened to the public on 8 June 2000. It was visited by more than 200 thousand people between its opening on 8 June 2000 and December 2006. In the garden displays, there is a bronze statue of the singer, created by artist Tankut Oktem, and there is Zeki Müren's person car sedan (four doors,) a 1976 Buick Regal in maroon color enclosed in the nearby glass viewing garage.
Legacy With Onur Akay's suggestion on TRT Music, Müren's date of birth (6 December) has been celebrated as the Turkish Art Music Day since 2012. On 6 December 2018, a Google Doodle was displayed to celebrate his 87th birthday.
Discography Studio albums Albums published during his lifetime
+ Album list ve sales Album Release date Sales Record company NotesSenede Bir Gün/Yemin Ettim Bir Kere 1966Grafson PlakZeki Müren 1969Grafson Plak Pırlanta 1 1973 Grafson Plak Pırlanta 2 1973 Grafson Plak Pırlanta 3 1973 Grafson Plak Pırlanta 4 1974 Grafson Plak Anılarım 1974 Grafson PlakMapushane/Hayat Kumarı 1974İstanbul Plak Mücevher 1975Coşkun Plak Güneşin Oğlu 1976 Odeon Plak Nazar Boncuğu 1977 Elenor Plak Sükse 1978 Elenor Plak Kahır Mektubu 1980 Türküola Sarmaşık Gülleri 1980 Minareci Eskimeyen Dost 1982Türküola Unuttumu Dudakların Adımı 1983 Türküola Hayat Öpücüğü 1984 Jet Plak Aşk Kurbanı 1986Lider Plak Masal 1986Lider Plak Helal Olsun 1987Lider Plak Gözlerin Doğuyor Gecelerime 1988 Yavuz&Burç Karanlıklar Güneşi 1988Lider Plak Ayrıldık İşte 1989 Yavuz&Burç Zirvedeki Şarkılar 1989 Yavuz&Burç Sev Beni 1989 Türküola Dilek Çeşmesi 1990 Yavuz&Burç Doruktaki Nağmeler 1991 Yavuz&Burç Sorma 1992 Yavuz&Burç
Singles + Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name Single Year Format Notes Hem Okudum Hem Yazdım 1951 Asmalar Kol Uzatmış 1951 Gönlümün Baharı Bir Gün Açacak 1953 Zehretme Hayatı 1955 Ruhumda Yine Aşk Bestesi Var 1955 Hasret Acısı 1957 Yiğidin Alnına Yazılan Gelir 1957 Karanlık Geceler Beklerim Yolunu 1957 Bende Hicran Yarasından 1958 Gözlerinin İçine Başka Hayal Girmesin 1958 Züğürt: Nem Alacak Felek Benim 1959 Zennobe 1960 Senden Ayrı Günlerimde 1962 Renk Almış İpek Saçların 1962 İki Damla Gözyaşı 1970 Hayat Kumarı / Mahpushane 1973 45s Şarkıların Kaderi 1974 45s Nasıl İçmem Arkadaşım 1977 45s Kandil / Mutluluğun Sırrı 1986 45s Madem Derdimi Sordun Dinlemeye Mecbursun 1987 Aşk Kurbanı 1998 45s Published posthumously Yemen Türküsü 2016 Published posthumously Biz Ayrılamayız 2018 Published posthumously Günah Defteri / Hasret Ateşi 2018 45s Published posthumously Su Akar Şırıl Şırıl 2018 Published posthumously Sus Kalbim Sus 2018 Published posthumously Canım Benim Gülüm Benim 2018 Published posthumously The phrase "45s" indicates that the singles were published as vinyl records.
Compilation albums + Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name Album Year Format Notes 1992 Batmayan Güneş 2006 Taş Plak Klasikleri 2019
Albums released abroad + Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name Album Year Records Notes The Best of Zeki Müren Love Songs Folk Songs Popular Songs of İstanbul 1964 Balkan Records The Golden Voice of Zeki Müren 1964 Balkan Records Latest Hits of Zeki Müren 1964 Balkan Records The Golden Voice Zeki Müren 1964 Balkan Records Zeki Müren Altın Sesli The Golden Voice 1964 Balkan Records
Duo albums + Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name Album Year Format Notes 1998 He sang with Muazzez Abacı.
Albums released posthumously 2000: Muazzez Abacı ve Zeki Müren Düet 2002: Zeki Müren: 1955-1963 Kayıtları 2005: Selahattin Pınar Şarkıları 2005: Sadettin Kaynak Şarkıları 2006: Batmayan Güneş 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 1 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 2 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 3 2009: Lunapark Konseri 2009: Saklı Kayıtlar 1952-1984
In addition to these, there are 12 other albums attributed to Zeki Müren published during 1968–1974 by Grafson Plak.
Filmography International titles are given in parentheses.