Gülden Karaböcek

Gülden Karaböcek — Biography

Gülden Karaböcek is one of the first names in arabesque and fantezi music, a singer who has worked in styles from folk to pop arrangements and also writes her own compositions. Her stage fame earned her the title "queen of arabesque", and she continues to perform in concert today.

She took her first music lessons in Ankara from Ankara Radio artist Yaşar Aydaş. After the family moved to Istanbul she recorded her first single at about 14 or 15, with Orhan Gencebay accompanying her on bağlama. In the early 1970s she sang folk songs by poets such as Âşık Veysel, Mahzuni Şerif and Neşet Ertaş, and in 1972 she formally took the stage surname of her sister Neşe Karaböcek by court order. She turned to arabesque in 1975-76, inspired by Ferdi Tayfur's compositions. Her real breakthrough came in 1978 with the film Dilek Taşı and the single of the same name; the 1979 album Müzik ve Ben, with songs such as Sürünüyorum and Kırılsın Ellerim, consolidated it. In the 1980s she gave concerts in London, Australia and Germany, and in 1987 released Bir Mucize Allah'ım, among the first Turkish albums also issued on CD. In the 1990s she tried pop with Kısmetse Olur.

In the 2025-2026 season she performed in Istanbul, Erzurum, Edirne, Iğdır, Kars, Marmaris and Kayseri, and shared a stage with Ömür Gedik in March 2026.