Hasret Gültekin

Hasret Gültekin — Biography

Hasret Şükrü Gültekin (1 May 1971, İmranlı, Sivas – 2 July 1993, Sivas) was a Kurdish Alevi folk musician, poet and bağlama virtuoso from Turkey. Raised in the village of Han near Sivas, he began playing the bağlama at six and left school early to devote himself to music.

He released his debut album, Gün Olaydı, at just sixteen, and went on to record the Newroz album series at a time when Kurdish-language music faced official restrictions. His 1989 album Gece ile Gündüz Arasında showcased his mastery of the şelpe playing technique and earned him the nickname "the bağlama revolutionary," while his 1991 record Rüzgarın Kanatları blended Western musical elements with traditional Anatolian folk forms. He married Yeter Gültekin the same year.

On 2 July 1993, while attending the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Festival in Sivas, Gültekin was among 33 people killed when arsonists set fire to the Madımak Hotel, an event remembered as the Sivas massacre. His son, Roni Hasret Gültekin, was born three months later. In 2020, a memorial statue honoring Gültekin and the other victims was erected at a cemevi in Tunceli.