Belkıs Akkale

Belkıs Akkale — Biography

Belkıs Akkale (born 17 May 1954 in Istanbul), affectionately known as "Türkü Bacı", is a Turkish folk singer, songwriter and actress. Her family roots are in Malatya.

Her voice, well suited to folk songs, drew attention from an early age; she took seven years of private lessons in Turkish folk music from Sadi Yaver Ataman and performed under Adnan Ataman at the municipal conservatory. She first took the stage in 1974 and, at the invitation of Mustafa Geceyatmaz, worked at Ankara Radio for about six years. In 1980 she passed the TRT examination and joined the broadcaster as a certified artist.

She made her name with the 1982 album "Dadey", after which she left TRT to work independently. In 1990 she became a state soloist at the Ministry of Culture. During the 1980s she also appeared in films such as Tırpan, Sultan and Ana Yüreği.