Leman Sam

Leman Sam — Biography

Born Emine Leman Senkan on 22 February 1951 in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Leman Sam grew up in a family of Rumelian background. Because her father was a military officer, her childhood was spent in several Anatolian cities, and she finished high school in Ankara, where she studied theatre, mime, dance and voice. She turned to music professionally after 1973, joined the chorus of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet in 1979, and then spent eleven years singing at a well-known Istanbul nightclub. Building a repertoire in numerous languages, she performed at many diplomatic concerts, including ones for the presidents of Portugal and the royal family of Malaysia.

She released her first record, Livaneli Şarkıları, in 1988, followed by Çağrı, Ayak Sesleri, Eski Fotoğraflar, İlla and, in 2012, Nereye Kadar; a character in the film Vizontele Tuuba was inspired by her life. She is also known as an activist on environmental and animal-rights issues and took part in the 2009 Art for Peace Initiative. Part of an artistic family that includes her actress daughter Şevval Sam and actor grandson Taro Emir Tekin, Leman Sam kept touring through the summer of 2026, including a surprise duet with her daughter in Istanbul's Harbiye district in July.