Nilüfer

Nilüfer — Biography

Nilüfer Yumlu (born 31 May 1955, in Istanbul), known professionally as Nilüfer, is a Turkish singer, songwriter and producer who has remained one of the most enduring names in Turkish pop since the early 1970s. Following her debut single in 1972, she had her real breakthrough in 1973 with "Dünya Dönüyor", and songs she released over the rest of that decade, including "Göreceksin Kendini", "Başıma Gelenler" and "Kim Arar Seni", went on to become staples of Turkish pop. In 1978 she represented Turkey, performing with the group Nazar, at the Eurovision Song Contest.

A long-running collaboration with composer Kayahan, beginning in the 1980s and continuing through the late 1990s, marked a defining period of her career; the album Nilüfer'le from this era, featuring hits such as "Mavilim", "Çok Uzaklarda" and "Namussuz Akşamlar", sold more than 750,000 copies and ranked among the best-selling albums of its year. In the 2000s she released further albums, and in 2011 the duet album 12 Düet, recorded with a new generation of rock artists, drew a strong response and was followed by a sequel, 13 Düet; in 2015 she released the album Kendi Cennetim on the DMC label. Since 1997 she has served as Turkey's first UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and in 1998 she was awarded the State Artist title.

Nilüfer has continued to perform live in the years since, and in the summer of 2026 she appeared before audiences in Istanbul's Harbiye district as part of the Senfonik Geceler ("Symphonic Nights") concert series, performing both older and newer material.