Seyyal Taner

Biography

Seyyal Taner (born September 28, 1952) is a Turkish singer and actress.

Early life

Taner was born in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, and later moved to Istanbul with her family. She graduated from the Amerikan Kız Lisesi. She received vocal training from Şerif Yüzbaşıoğlu in 1965 and started to sing as an amateur with the Kanat Gür Orkestrası.

Career

In 1968, Los Bravos played in Istanbul, and having caught her act, offered Taner a role in a Spanish musical. Whilst promoting in Spain, she attracted the attention of Paramount Pictures and was offered a small part in Villa Rides. On returning to Turkey, Taner continued her acting career until she left for Germany and marriage to Peter Harold, Los Bravos's guitarist. The couple had a daughter; after divorcing, Taner returned to Turkey and began directing her career toward music.
Taner signed a record deal, with the 1 Numara Plakçılık, a label belonging to Ali Kocatepe. Her debut 45 rpm record "Tanrı Şahidimdir – Şimdi Sen Varsın" was released in 1974. The following year, her second single "Nene Hatun – Yalnızlığı Bir de Bana Sor" was released. Her first two records were not successful. She began an acting career. Later, she took to the stage as a group with Seyhan Karabay and Sedat Avcı. In 1976, she transferred to Yavuz Asöcal's record company and released her third single "Son Verdim Kalbimin İşine – Elveda" which was a success, as was her film Çizmeli Kedi that same year. Other 1970s singles include "Kalbimi Affettim", "Seni Çok Özledim" and "Gülme Komşuna". In 1980, she released her first album, Lider×Lider1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1LiderA2O KadınA3Hatıralar MüzesiA4Saklasanda SöylesendeA5Sırayla, SıraylaA6ÇocuğumB1Ya Ben Ya O KadınB2Ne ZamanB3Kalbim Müebbet HapisB4Yarattığım DünyamB5Elalem Ne DerB6Nedir Bu ?, and in 1986, her second, Leyla×Leyla1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1LeylaA2Dört DuvarA3DağlarA4Küçük IşıkA5Eninde SonundaA6NaciyeB1DünyaB2Bu Ateş Beni YakıyorB3Ayrılık ŞarkısıB4Ömür Geçip GidiyorB5Sen de Dans Et. In 1979, she appeared on TRT with Halil Ergün with a presentation of the first Turkish TV musical Çırpınış, a version of Asiye Nasıl Kurtulur. She opened a dance school with Sait Sökmen and taught dancers for show business, including Hakan Peker.
With the song "Dünya", Taner came in second in the Turkish National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. The following year, the group Lokomotif and she came in first with the song "Şarkım Sevgi Üstüneתarkım Sevgi Üstüne1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAŞarkım Sevgi ÜstüneBUne Melodie (French Version)". They failed to score any points and finished last in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987. After the result, she took a break. She returned to music and recorded "Nanay×Nanay1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1NanayA2Sensiz YaşayabilmiremA3YanmışızA4BöyleceA5Two FacesB1AnlaB2Neler OluyorB3Hayal OlduB4Aşk Bu MuB5Yalnızım". Her other 1980s singles include "Elalem Ne Der", "Naciye", "Leyla", "Nanay", and "Neler Oluyor".
In 1990, Taner moved to Bodrum. In 1991, she released the album Alladı Pulladı×Alladı Pulladı9 December 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1E Ne Olmuş Yani3:33A2Alladı Pulladı3:47A3Hadi Canım Sen de4:17A4Hata3:57A5Şiirimin Dili3:39A6Gelme Üstüme3:55B1Bir Kış Daha Olur5:26B2Sen Çok Yaşa4:23B3Eli Kulağında3:34B4Dövmesin Yüreğimde5:36B5Akşamcı Arif3:50 for which she contributed some lyrics and music. Her early 1990s singles include "Alladı Pulladı", "Şiirimin Dili", "Kırk Yılık Kani", and "La Havle Ya Settar". In 1993, she released "Geliyorum×Geliyorum2 November 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Kırk Yıllık Kani4:292La Havle Ya Settar3:493Geliyorum4:324Ne Dersen De6:135Delidir Atlarım4:146Yerden Yere Vurdun Beni4:417Yalancı Baharlar4:188Affetsen Olmaz Mı4:029Bodrum5:0810Rastgele4:25", after which she took a long break from music.
In 2002, Taner released her best-of album Seyyalname, En İyileriyle Seyyal Taner in 2005 and En İyileriyle Seyyal Taner 2 in 2007. In 2007, she duetted "Erkek Adamsın" with Zakkum in his first studio album. In March 2012, she released her maxi-single album, Ethnic Rock×Ethnic Rock8 March 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Sevda Zindanları (Şiir)2Sorunlar3Seni Çok Özledim4Sevda Zindanları5Sus6Doyulur Mu?. and toured. In 2014, she sang "Canımsın Deme Bana" on the Wonderland album of İlhan Erşahin.
Taner has many gay fans and is considered a Turkish gay icon. According to the LGBT magazine, KAOS GL, she is their "greatest gay icon."

Studio albums

Lider (1981)
Leyla (1986)
Nanay (1989)
Alladı Pulladı (1991)
Kalbimi Affettim (1993)
Geliyorum (1993)
Seyyalname (2002)

LP recordings

Tanrı Şahidimdir – Şimdi Sen Varsın (Bir Numara, 1974) (writer(s), Ali Kocatepe)
Nene Hatun – Yalnızlığı Bir de Bana Sor (Bir Numara, 1975) (writer (s), Ali Kocatepe, Doğan Canku, et al.)
Son Verdim Kalbimin İşine – Elveda (Yavuz, 1976) (writer (s), Ülkü Aker.)
Kalbimi Affettim – Sarmaş Dolaş (Yavuz, 1976) (writer (s), Ülkü Aker, et al.)
Gülme Komşuna Gelir Başına – Seni Çok Özledim (Yavuz, 1977) (writer (s) Çiğdem Talu and Melih Kibar)
Sorma Neydi O – Neden Gelmedin (Yavuz, 1977) (writer (s) Çiğdem Talu and Melih Kibar)
Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne-Une Melodie (TRT, 1987) (Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne)

Compilations featuring Seyyal Taner

En İyileriyle Seyyal Taner 2 (Ossi Music, 1986)
En İyileriyle Seyyal Taner (Ossi Music, 2005)
The Best of Seyyal Taner (Elenor, 2009)