Gülay Sezer

Gülay Sezer — Biography

Gülay Sezer, known on stage as Gülay, is a singer, composer and songwriter whose repertoire runs from arabesk to pop, folk music and film songs. The wider public knows her above all for the song "Cesaretin Var mı Aşka". Presenting is another of her strengths: her folk music programme Damlalar brought her both an audience and awards.

She began music at the age of five, accompanying the folk songs her father, the musician and composer Eyüp Ercan Sezer, played on the bağlama. She worked as a dental technician for many years, left the trade in 2000 to study composition at the Music Department of Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus, and graduated top of her class in 2007. Her recording career opened in 1988 with the arabesk album Her Akşam, released under the name Gülay Sezer, followed on BMG by the pop-leaning Cesaretin Var mı? (1995) and Bir Sevi Masalı. After leaving BMG she prepared and presented the programme Damlalar for BRT in 1999 and released folk albums of the same name, while the pop records Adı Yok, Aşkhane and Gri Şarkılar appeared alongside. She wrote and sang songs for the films İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında and Yaşama Hakkı and sang the title music of many television series.

Her awards include the 1996 İFA Music Award, "Programme Maker of the Year" in 2000, "Best Folk Music Programme" in 2001 and the 34th Golden Butterfly for Best Turkish Female Soloist in 2007. On screen she appeared in Her Şey Aşktan (2016) and Damat Takımı (2017) and in the series Oğlum İçin (2015). She has spoken publicly about her struggle with cancer, and in December 2019 she gave her first concert after treatment.