Turkish female singers of the 70s: a look at the best albums

Turkish female artists of the 1960s and 1970s had many different styles: here is a selection of some of the best. Words by Kornelia Binicewicz.

Nükhet Duru’s “Cambaz/ Haydi Hayat”, 1977. Duru was a new voice of late 70s and is a classic of this time.

Kamuran Akkor’s single “Bir Teselli Ver / Tövbeler Olsun”, 1971. This showcases her delicate singing voice and Akkor also recorded music for the “Yesilcam” Turkish film industry.

Zerrin Zeren’s “Yazık Sana / Askta Gurur Olmaz”, 1972. Yazık Sana is one of the best examples of her style and you can’t stop dancing from the first seconds.

Gülden Karaböcek “Çesme / Ne Bilirdim Ki?”, 1977. Gülden’s beautiful, unique voice fits to every Turkish music genre that she performed. “Çesme” has strong rhythm pearly vocals.

The self-titled album from Turkish singer-songwriter Selda Bagcan, 1976. This is her most famous album, with outstanding songs such as “Yaz Gazeteci” and “Ince Ince”.

Gönül Yazar “O Agacın Altı - Elveda Meyhaneci, 1972. Classy and distinguished, these are versions of popular meyhane and traditinal songs.