Gültekin Kaan

Gültekin Kaan — Biography

Gültekin Kaan (born Gültekin Kaan Kaynak on 16 October 1969 in Backnang, Germany) is a Turkish-German singer, composer and songwriter who grew up in Remscheid and holds both German and Turkish citizenship. He began his musical career in Germany and spent many years working as a songwriter and producer in his own recording studio.

His music blends Western pop culture with elements of Turkish art and folk music, and he performs with his band under the name "Gültekin Kaan & diVan." His Turkish-language lyrics draw on Turkish history and folk tales, and his stage shows revolve around an elaborate visual concept in which he appears as an Ottoman-style sultan surrounded by viziers, pashas and dancers in period costume. His debut album, "1001 Divan," was released in Turkey on the We Play/Sony Music label in 2011, followed in 2012 by the internationally distributed "Sofra" on Blue Flame/Rough Trade.

Kaan has also published three books of poetry and has received a number of literary and music awards over the course of his career, having written more than 2,000 compositions to date.