Fikri Karayel

Fikri Karayel is a Turkish Cypriot singer, songwriter and composer. He became known among alternative pop listeners with his debut album Zor Zamanlar, released in 2015, and its song "Hayal Edemezsin". Notable Fikri Karayel songs include "Hayal Edemezsin", "Trenler", "Morg", "Yol", "Bir Şey Var" and "Ne Güzel Oldu". Alongside his own recordings, he has written lyrics and music for songs performed by artists such as Hande Yener, Murat Boz, Zeynep Bastık, Ayşe Hatun Önal and Merve Özbey.

Musical beginnings in Cyprus

He was born in Cyprus on 7 February 1987. He began singing in primary school and wrote his first song at the age of 15. His first performance in front of a large audience was at the Güzelyurt (Morphou) Orange Festival. While studying biochemistry at Kingston University in London, he joined a band called Refik and started composing. In Cyprus he opened for Turkish bands such as Duman. He gained recognition in Turkey as the songwriter of "Bazı Günler", featured on Haluk Levent's 2011 album Karagöz ve Hacivat.

Zor Zamanlar and the debut album

In 2014 he performed the soundtrack of the Turkish–Turkish Cypriot film Seni Seviyorum Adamım and received the best singer award from Near East University for this work. His debut album Zor Zamanlar, all 12 songs of which he wrote himself, was released on the DokuzSekiz Müzik label in January 2015. "Hayal Edemezsin" from the album was used in several films and TV series, while "Trenler", "Morg" and "Keyfinin Kahyası" also became well-known tracks. He gave his first Istanbul concert in 2015 and completed his military service after the album's release.

The singles era and Uzaktan

After a break of about three years, he returned in March 2018 with "Yol", recorded with Tolga Erzurumlu. It was followed by "Yorgunum Çok" (2018), "Bir Şey Var" (2019), "Öl De Öleyim" and "İyi Geliyor" (2020). "Bitmezse Kış" (February 2021), co-written with Ceren Deniz and Serhan Bülbül, and "Ne Güzel Oldu" (June 2021) preceded his second studio album. The nine-track Uzaktan was released on DokuzSekiz Müzik on 16 July 2021 and includes "Karanlıkta", a duet with Ceylan Ertem.

Ben Fikri Karayel and live recordings

Following the singles "Klişe" (September 2022), "Vuruk" (May 2023) and "Daha Süper" (November 2023), he marked his 10th year in music with the Ben Fikri Karayel project. Recorded entirely live with a large orchestra at Babylon in Istanbul, the project was released in instalments from August 2024 and completed as an album on 15 November 2024. It features new arrangements of his own songs such as "Uzaktan" and "Ne Güzel Oldu", of "Aşk Elinde" and "Efsane", which he wrote for other artists, and of Sezen Aksu's "Söz Bitti". Fikri Karayel albums comprise Zor Zamanlar, Uzaktan and Ben Fikri Karayel. In April 2025 he released the single "Aşk Değil Hatıra Zorlar".