Who's Sebnem anyway ?? I'm sure anyone who's accidentally come across this page is asking the same question. Well, to tell you the truth, there's more than one answer to that. I'd say she's a chick with an attitude but c'mon, she deserves more credit than that. Let me put it this way; she's a great talent... female pioneer in Rock music in Turkey... founder of the first all girl Rock band, Volvox... one of the bravest woman you could ever see... the cutest thing in the whole world... Phenomenal musician... the proud owner of that incredible voice and all those high-note screams ( those emerald green eyes too, the kind that would melt your heart )... the one who's achieved more than one could ever dream of in a short period of time despite the hardships... the most sincere and down to earth person you could ever meet, who loves sharing anything she has to say with millions of other people... Last but not least, she's the person behind all those great songs, that have helped so many people go thru' the hard times...
Born in 1972 in Yalova, Turkey to an immigrant family, Sebnem ( Pronounced Sheb-nem, and means 'dew' ) was the youngest of 3 girls. She's so fond of music that she started taking lessons right away when she started first grade. ( It's said that she learned how to read notes even before learning how to read&write words.) The first instrument she played was mandoline, because any guitar she could find back then would be too big for her little hands. ( Now, that's cute. ) She also sang in school bands starting at elementary. Her first real band was 'Pegasus', a high school band in the city of Bursa, where Sebnem attended school and spent a lot of time on her own because of staying in a dormitory. I believe having a better grasp of the real world, a person like Sebnem, who already was idealistic and had a well set character even at that age, did gain a great deal from that experience too. That's when she started having dreams of playing in an all girl band and taking it to a point where nobody had taken it before, at least in this country. So, in 1988, she founded Volvox, the first ever Turkish Hard Rock all girl band, with a couple of girls she met at school. As the saying goes, the rest is history... Please check the Volvox section for further information on this band, as I don't wanna repeat myself :)
After Volvox broke up their 'marriage', Sebnem went on to pursue her own solo carrer. She released her first album "KADIN" in 1996. ( An album that questioned the concept of 'woman', or in other words 'kadin', and the supressive environment around her.) Surprisinly, it was a huge success that nobody had expected 'till then. It sold around half a million copies in a country like Turkey, where Rock was still considered to be underground , and not popular at all. ( I believe it's still the only Rock album that's sold that many copies so far. ) She did very well indeed. Her first video was chosen to be the 'Best Video of 1996' of all the videos,not just Rock videos, that were shot that year. Despite her popularity, she managed to keep it cool. ( Even today, she still doesn't do too many T.V. shows etc. Not that she doesn't care about her audience. She believes in the choice of quality, and her hardcore fans REALLY do appreciate that.)
Unfortunately, her elder sister, who'd been ill for a while, passed away. Sebnem didn't do a thing 'till 1999, when she released her second album, which was another success. But bad luck didn't leave her alone. In August, she lost her father Ali Ferah-may he R.I.P-during the big earthquake. After having lost her loved ones, everything seemed so meaningless that she says she couldn't shake it off, and didn't start writing songs again untill 2001, when she released her third album with Universal. This time she was the producer of the album and it was a little different than the first two. It was a little more mature and it seemed like her vocals had changed somehow. She also played with APOCALYPTICA on this album.
In 2003, Sebnem released her fourth album "Kelimeler Yetse". Again, she produced it herself. This time the real Sebnem was back, but my God, she reappeared with a 'broken heart', as everybody was thinkin' "Man, hasn't she had enough already ???? " Well, apperantly not. Although she doesn't like to talk about it, what went on was pretty much obvious thanks to her brand new songs on this album. By the way, don't you worry. Just because the songs have something to do with 'love' doesn't mean that they're like any Mariah Carey song-Not that I have anything against Mariah-but you guys know what I mean :) She'd written such great lyrics that each song's like a novel that makes you think twice. Her voice's stronger than ever, especially when it's combined with those powerfull guitar riffs. It's definitely Sebnem's way of telling things with such dignity and power. The album itself was a mirror image of what she was going thru' at the time. That's probably why it turned out to be such a strong and 'tough' one. But then again, that's what everyone had been waiting for. After all, as they say..."What doesn't kill you, makes you strong eventually." Guess, it's true.
It's not unusual to see musicians 'soften' as they age and become more mature. But Sebnem once again has proved that she's nothing ordinary. If anything else, she is indeed, out of ordinary. She's gone quite the other direction and become as mature and 'hard' as she could be, which shows us she's on the right track :) Once again, she's back doing what she does best and she's where she belongs... on the stage. She has played so many gigs since May 2003 that I've lost count. She had 17 gigs in 17 different cities in a month after the release of the album. I can tell she's really enjoying it too.
I just can't tell you enough. You have gotta go see this woman to really understand !!! As a fan, I myself, hope to have this incredible talent on stage for many more years to come !!! ( Oh by the way, did I mention she's got a great show on stage ?? hehe )
For some reason, I'm not satisfied with this ending but I tried to do my best telling you guys, especially those who haven't heard of her yet, a little bit about this amazing woman. It's a shame that the whole world doesn't know about her. I'd say just be careful, and don't miss out on her !!!! I'd recommend you check her out if you ever get a chance. After all, sometimes even the albums don't do any justice. Like I said, you gotta see her in person :)
And, last but not least, Sebnem, this is for you...
Thank you so much for being who you are, and sharing your talent, most sincere thoughts and feelings with us. Thank you for being the world's most beautiful person both inside&out. You've given so much to other people and are appreciated and loved a great deal. In all my honesty, I hope you get the same thing in return not only by your fans, but also, that special someone. Just be happy and keep that chin up. I don't ever want you to lose that great smile of yours...
WE LOVE YOU and GOD BLESS YOU !!!
MadTurk