Bedia Akartürk

Bedia Akartürk — Biography

Born on 4 February 1941 in the Ödemiş district of İzmir, Bedia Akartürk is a Turkish folk music singer who, as her family's only child, kept her father's surname Akartürk unchanged throughout her career. After starting out in her native Ödemiş, she spent nine years at İzmir Radyosu before moving to Ankara Radyosu, where she remained until retirement, and during this period she performed at the Paris Olympia, representing Turkey on that stage. She appeared in six films and released dozens of albums, among them Folklör Kraliçesi (1975), Zühtü (1978) — which earned her a gold record — Özür Diliyorum Senden (2004), Anadolu Türküleri, Konya Bülbülü and Ödemiş Türküleri. Her honours include more than 250 plaques, the Altın Bağlama, an Altın Taç awarded for a decade of uninterrupted performances at the İzmir Fuarı, an Altın Kaşık, and honorary citizenship in seven provinces, reflecting a fan base that stretches from Edirne to Kars. A museum bearing her name in Ödemiş, the Bedia Akartürk Müzesi, displays her awards, stage costumes and dolls dressed in local outfits she made herself. In 2025 she was interviewed for the Çınar Gölgesi programme on Polis Radyosu, and she continues to give concerts in Turkey and abroad.