Yusuf Güney

Yusuf Güney — Biography

Yusuf Güney was born on 5 June 1984 in Trabzon; his family originates from the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane. He lived in Trabzon until age fourteen, then moved with his family to London, where he rose to a marketing-manager position at a young age and still lives today. Meeting Rafet El Roman at a London concert in June 2006 launched his music career; his own first composition, "Aşk-ı Virane," featured him as a duet partner on Rafet El Roman's 2008 album and topped the Billboard Türkçe Top 20 for seventeen weeks, later winning Song of the Year at the 2009 Kral TV Video Music Awards.

Following that success he released his debut album Bir Sevda Masalı (2009), produced by Rafet El Roman, and a second album, Aşka İnat (2010); he went on to release Sevgi Arsızı (2013) and Kaptan (2016), along with a run of singles. He moved into film with Sarı Siyah in 2013, and competed on Survivor in 2023 before withdrawing, saying the competition's demands were too much.

In April 2026, Güney was detained and later arrested over allegations of promoting ayahuasca tea; after roughly 33 days in custody, he was released under house arrest in May, and in a July statement he publicly acknowledged having made mistakes.