Fikri Karayel

Fikri Karayel — Biography

Turkish Cypriot singer and songwriter Fikri Karayel rose from Cyprus's alternative rock scene to reach listeners in Turkey as well. His best-known song is "Hayal Edemezsin" ("You Can't Imagine"), which drew a large following among alternative music listeners in Turkey and was used in episode 22 of the series Ufak Tefek Cinayetler. In summer 2026 he performed in Famagusta with the city orchestra, and he was announced as a guest at Sting's guitarist Dominic Miller's Istanbul concert.

He grew up in the village of Yukarı Bostancı (Pano Zodeia) in the Güzelyurt district and was named after his grandfather, a well-known sportsman for whom the village primary school and a stadium are named. He began singing in the fifth year of primary school, was inspired by the local band SOS, and gave his first performance to a broad audience at the Orange Festival of Morphou. While studying biochemistry at Kingston University he joined the band Refik and began composing; he opened for Turkish bands such as Duman. Haluk Levent's performance of one of his songs introduced him in Turkey. His first popular song was "Şehit", with "Trenler" and "Morgue" among the other well-known ones.

In 2014 he sang the soundtrack of the film Seni Seviyorum Adamım and received a best singer award from Near East University. His first album, the twelve-track alternative rock record Zor Zamanlar, came out on Dokuz Sekiz Müzik, and the second, Uzaktan, followed in 2021, the year he also released the song "Ne Güzel Oldu".