Zeliş Şenol

Zeliş Şenol — Biography

Zeliş Şenol, also known simply as Zeliş or Zel, is a Turkish Cypriot singer, composer and vocal coach born on 25 March 1985 in Nicosia. She began performing jazz alongside Ersen Sururi in 2000, became a soloist with the Nicosia Municipality Orchestra in 2003, and spent time with the group KyproGenia. After a 2004 concert in Athens, she shared stages with international acts at the Kyrenia Jazz Festival, providing backing vocals for Grammy winner Billy Paul in 2005 and touring with Billy Cobham in 2006, and in 2007 she performed at the Europalia Festival in Berlin.

In 2009 she entered Cyprus's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with "I'm Gonna Break Up with You," reaching the top ten finalists but finishing fourth in the public vote and narrowly missing the chance to represent the country; her cabaret-style stage act on the final night drew press attention. She later became a regular performer at the Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel from 2012, and in 2014 released the more electronic-leaning single "Bonita" through a Romanian production company.