Kenan Doğulu

Kenan Doğulu's Music Career

Kenan Doğulu is an Istanbul-born pop music artist who released his first album in 1993. In addition to singing, he writes lyrics, composes music, and handles arrangement and production. His discography includes pop and R&B-heavy studio albums, acoustic compilation albums, march arrangements, a jazz album, and film scores.

His well-known songs include "Çakkıdı", "Ara Beni Lütfen", "Tutamıyorum Zamanı", "Aşkım Aşkım", and "Ben Güzelden Anlarım". "Çakkıdı" and "Ara Beni Lütfen" are from the 2006 album "Festival". Over a thirty-year career, he has released ten studio albums and performs concerts not only in Turkey but also in cities across Europe.

Music Education: From Conservatory to Los Angeles

Doğulu grew up in a musical family and gave his first concert at age five. At the same age, he entered the piano department of the conservatory first, studying piano for six years. During these years, he took flute and guitar lessons, performed as a soloist in a children's choir, and received training in theater and percussion. He graduated high school from Kültür Koleji. He then went to the United States: he completed a communication certificate program at Hesser College in New Hampshire, then studied music at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. After returning to Turkey, he continued his studies at Istanbul Bilgi University. He plays guitar, piano, flute, drums, and saxophone.

First Albums of the 1990s

"Yaparım Bilirsin" was released in the summer of 1993 and launched Doğulu's professional career. The artist gave 93 concerts that year. At the end of the year, he founded his own production company. Known as Doğulu Productions, this company took over the production of his albums in subsequent years; the company's studio also recorded other artists.

His second album, "Sımsıkı Sıkı Sıkı", was released in 1994 and took Doğulu to a 175-concert schedule within a year. "Kenan Doğulu 3" was released in August 1996. The following year, he rearranged the "10. Yıl Marşı" (10th Anniversary March) for the Republic's anniversary; this arrangement is also featured on the 1997 release "3,5". "3,5" is the first of the decimal-numbered compilation albums Doğulu released between his studio albums. The series continued with "5,5", "6,5", and "7,5" until 2007. In 1999, the "Gençlik Marşı" (Youth March) single was released, followed a few months later by the "Ben Senin Herşeyinim" album. Most of his studio albums during this period were released under the Esen Müzik label.

Albums of the 2000s

"Ex Aşkım", released in 2001, was re-recorded with acoustic arrangements under the name "5,5" the following year. "Demedi Deme", released in 2003, is Doğulu's first album under the DMC label. The album received a diamond certificate from MÜ-YAP with over 300,000 sales in Turkey.

"Festival" was released in June 2006 and became that year's best-selling album; sales exceeded 265,000 according to MÜ-YAP data. The album's first song, "Çakkıdı", rose to the top spot on Turkish charts. "Baş Harfi Ben" reached second place, and "Yüzsüz Yürek" climbed to fifth. In 2008, "Ara Beni Lütfen" from the same album, which had a music video, reached sixth place on the charts.

Fourth Place at Eurovision 2007

Kenan Doğulu represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Helsinki in 2007. He performed his own composition "Shake It Up Şekerim" and finished fourth in the final with 163 points. The same year, "7,5" was released, and "...Dan Sonra", which he sang with Sıla for her album, reached the number one spot on the charts. In 2008, he released the EP "Hayal Kahramanım".

Studio Albums After 2009

"Patron" was released in June 2009 and sold approximately 95,000 copies. The first single from the album, "Rütbeni Bileceksin", climbed to second place on the charts, while "Beyaz Yalan" remained at thirteenth. The same year, Esen Müzik released a compilation album titled "The King of Turkish Pop" featuring Doğulu's songs. For the 2012 album "Aşka Türlü Şeyler", Doğulu wrote most of the songs in Los Angeles and released the album through his own company. "Şeytan Tüyü", "Rica", and "Bir İleri İki Geri" were released as singles from this album.

Between studio albums, he released singles. "Şans Meleğim" came out in 2011, "Aşk İle Yap" in 2013, and "İlk Adımı Sen At" in 2017. In 2013, he recorded "Kız Sana Hayran" with his brother Ozan Doğulu, which rose to third place on the charts. His tenth studio album, "Vay Be", was released in July 2018.

From İhtimaller to Film Music

In his 2016 album "İhtimaller", Doğulu reinterpreted his well-known songs with jazz arrangements. The song that gives the album its name is also featured on this recording. Following the album's release, he performed a concert with a jazz repertoire at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater. On the program, old songs like "Can Bebeğim" were played with new arrangements; Doğulu used three different guitars on stage that night.

One of the areas where the artist produces music is cinema. He composed the music for the film "Unutursam Fısılda" and won the Sinema Yazarları Derneği (SİYAD) award for this work.