Ogün Sanlısoy

Ogün Sanlısoy — Biography

Both the metal and the Turkish-language sides of rock bear the mark of Ogün Sanlısoy, a Turkish vocalist and songwriter. He first stood out as the voice of Pentagram (known abroad as Mezarkabul), then went solo and reached a wide audience with the song "Saydım". In September 2026 he announced, in a joint statement with Murat İlkan and Metin Türkcan, that he was leaving Pentagram.

His father named him after the 12 March memorandum that took place on the day he was born, as a nod to his belief in democracy. After Fenerbahçe High School he studied industrial design at Mimar Sinan University, and he had picked up the electric guitar at 17. In 1992, when vocalist Bartu Toptaş moved abroad, he joined Pentagram, sang on Trail Blazer that same year, and in 1993 and 1994 was voted best male rock vocalist by the readers of Hıbır and Rock magazines. He left in 1995 because the band did not want to turn to Turkish-language songs.

His first solo album, Korkma (1999), could not be promoted after the earthquake that year. O Gün (2004), released by Sony Music and containing "Saydım", whose foundations he laid during his military service, brought him recognition. Üç (2006) earned him best rock vocalist honours from several magazines, and Ben followed in 2011. In 2017 he sang again on Pentagram's 30th-anniversary Akustik album. He released the EPs Gel in 2023 and Git in 2024, which were combined as Gelgit.