Ercan Saatçi

Ercan Saatçi — Biography

Ercan Saatçi was born in Istanbul on 13 March 1968, with family roots in Bayburt. As a child he studied mandolin, accordion and folk dance, later took up the violin, and formed his school's music group for inter-school contests. In 1988 he co-wrote a winning song with a schoolmate while studying double bass at Istanbul Technical University's conservatory. After placing third in a 1990 composing contest, he helped found the trio İzel-Çelik-Ercan; the band Vitamin he formed that same year released a debut album that sold in the millions and brought numerous awards. He left the group in 1991 to form Uf-Er before rejoining İzel and Çelik; once that split, he continued as a duo with İzel and then as a solo artist, releasing several albums and singles through the 1990s. He later left Doğan Müzik Company to launch his own label, Rec by Saatchi, writing hundreds of songs and compositions since. In the 2000s he judged several talent shows and composed music for television series. He has long been a sports columnist at Hürriyet and hosts a music talk show filmed at home. In November 2025 he was named a suspect in the İBB corruption indictment, with prosecutors seeking up to 38 years in prison.