İlhan Şeşen

İlhan Şeşen — Biography

Leaving the law for songwriting and the stage, İlhan Şeşen became a Turkish musician, singer and actor whose compositions entered the repertoires of many other singers. He was known for "Neler Oluyor Bize" and "Ellerimde Çiçekler" in his own voice, and for "Rüzgar" among the songs he wrote. He died in Istanbul on 26 May 2025, aged 76, of lung cancer; his memory is kept alive by commemorations in Kadıköy and Manisa.

A graduate of Istanbul University's Faculty of Law, Şeşen had started in music in 1968 as a singer with dance orchestras and released his first single, "Kavga", in 1971. He worked ten years as an independent lawyer and then as a bank lawyer, and in 1983 he left the bank and founded Grup Gündoğarken with his nephews Gökhan and Burhan Şeşen. His first solo album, Aşk Haklı, came out in 1994, followed by Neler Oluyor Bize (2001), Ben Bu Şarkıları Kime Söyleyeyim (2003) and Aşk Yalan (2005). Songs he wrote for others include Leman Sam's "Rüzgâr" and Nükhet Duru's "Aşık Oluyorum Eyvah". For a time he also made programmes for TRT and a private channel.

He studied acting with Levent Kırca and Ferhan Şensoy. On screen he appeared in series such as Mühürlü Güller, Aliye on atv as Feyyaz, Annem, Gönülçelen and Hayatımın Rolü, and in the films Yeditepe İstanbul and Tatlı Şeyler. The tribute album Hediyem, with his songs sung by others, appeared in 2018, and his book Hayatım Hikaye in 2019.