Sezen Aksu

• Genre: Turkey

About

Aksu's voice has shaped and defined Turkish pop for decades, ever since she released her first singles in the mid-1970s. While the multitalented Aksu's first single wasn't a massive success (she also acts, paints and dances), her next release, "The Years Unlived/Pardon Me," broke the doors open and a string of hits followed, extending through the 1990s. As she's matured as an artist, she's branched out from her traditionally-inspired pop, recording an album of Anatolian tunes and collaborating with Goran Bregovic on the Balkan-influenced album Weddings and Funerals. The outspoken singer is also a champion of human rights and the environment, and even produced a musical in 1982 in which she played seven different characters.

- Sarah Bardeen