Çiğdem Talu

Çiğdem Talu — Biography

Çiğdem Talu (31 October 1939 – 28 May 1983) was a Turkish poet, lyricist and teacher. A granddaughter of the writer Ercüment Ekrem Talu, she was educated at Robert College in her native Istanbul.

Her first song, "Ağlıyorum Yine", sung by Nilüfer, was a major success and led her to write for singers such as Yeliz and Füsun Önal. When Turkey entered the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1975, three of her songs featured in the national qualifying round in Ankara. That same year she met composer Melih Kibar; their partnership produced hits for Erol Evgin, beginning with "İşte Öyle Bir Şey", and around 200 songs in total.

She also wrote the lyrics for the play "Nereye Payidar", set to music by Timur Selçuk, and her songs were performed by artists including Nükhet Duru and Zerrin Özer. Talu died of breast cancer in Istanbul in 1983; her catalogue has been revived in projects such as "Talu Şarkıları". Her daughter Zeynep Talu also became a lyricist and wrote "Sev", Turkey's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1995.