Ahmet Şafak

Ahmet Şafak — Biography

Turkish singer, composer, lyricist and writer Ahmet Şafak Demirci was born in Istanbul, with family roots in the İyidere district of Rize. He completed his musical training in the composition department of the Baku State Conservatory and worked for a time as a journalist. Sources disagree on his birth year: some records give 1961, while others give 1962.

He began his music career in 1998 and has released twelve albums since, reaching wide audiences with "Yalnız Kurt," the title track of his 1999 second album. Known for nationalist-themed songs, he was named best male soloist in the original-music category at the 2005 Kral TV Music Awards for "Sarıkamış," and received Azerbaijan's Taraggi Medal for his closeness to that country. Owner of the publishing house Küsena Yayınları and the production company Küsena Yapımcılık, he has published ten books: three socio-political essays from his journalism years, and the rest split between novels and writings on art and culture.

Also active as an actor, Şafak appeared in the series Avcı and Rabia, and in the 2019 film Kuşatma Yedi Uyuyanlar, which he also wrote, he played the character Turan.