Aynur Doğan

Aynur Doğan
Aynur Dogan on stage
Aynur Dogan on stage
Background information
Born (1975-03-01) 1 March 1975 (age 49)
OriginÇemişgezek, Turkey
GenresKurdish folk, Turkish folk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2002–present
LabelsKalan Müzik, Sony Music, Harmonia Mundi
Websitewww.aynurdogan.net

Aynur Doğan (born 1 March 1975) is a contemporary Kurdish singer[1] and musician from Turkey.

Career

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Aynur Doğan was born in Çemişgezek, a small mountain town in Tunceli Province in Turkey and fled to Istanbul in 1992.[2] She studied saz and türkü singing in an influential music school in Istanbul, the Arif Sağ Müsik.[3] In 2004 she released the album Keçe Kurdan on Kalan Müzik label. Keçe Kurdan was banned in 2005 due to the fact that two words in the song, Keçe (Girl) and Ceng (battle),[3] according to a court in Diyarbakır, would encourage women to leave their partners, go to the mountains and hence the words promote division. The following year the ban was lifted.[4] In 2005 she had a small role as herself in the movie Gönul Yarası.[5][6]

In July 2011 she was invited to perform for IKSV Jazz Festival however her performance was cut short after the first song when Turkish audience started protesting and shouted at her to sing in Turkish.[7]

In 2012, following repeated threats by right-wing and anti-Kurdish militants, she relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands.[8]

Aynur Doğan (left in red shirt) during Birlikte (2014). Joachim Gauck, president of Germany (centre) and Hardy Krüger (right, dark glasses).

Aynur is a vocal artist who specializes in infusing traditional Kurdish folk music with a contemporary sensibility influenced by Western music. Her stunning vocal style and success in the music world has allowed her to become a prominent representative of Kurdish people in Turkey and throughout the world. She has taken the wealth of Kurdish oral tradition to the international stage that many of them at least 300 years old. Aynur has collaborated with numerous musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Kayhan Kalhor, Javier Limón, Kinan Azmeh, Nederland Blazers Ensemble and NDR Bigband and many more. Meanwhile, she appeared in Fatih Akın's documentary film Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul as a singer and was also part of the documentary film about Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble named "The music of Strangers" directed by Morgan Neville in 2015.

Awards And Recognition

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In 2017, Aynur received the Master of Mediterranean Music Award in the category of “Mediterranean Women in Action” from the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute.[5] This award recognized Aynur's efforts to preserve and reinterpret Kurdish folk music, which has transformed her into an influential role model for other women artists on the Mediterranean music scene who are seeking to share their voices. In August 2021 she was granted the Womex award for her resilience to perform in an environment in which she both as a Kurd and an Alevi has often been discriminated.[8]

Whenever she takes a melody, she makes it her own, transforming it into something beautiful, and every note, every microtone, every word reaches depth and unparalleled beauty. She is a reason to love live music for centuries.”  –Javier Limon

Albums

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  • Hawniyaz, (2016)
  • Güldünya Şarkıları, (2008)
  • Zülfü Livaneli Bir Kuşaktan Bir Kuşağa, Dağlara Küstüm Ali (2016)[16]
  • Kardeş Türküler, Bahar (2005)
  • Mercan Dede, Nefes (Breath), (2006)
  • Orient Expressions, Divan, (2004)
  • Nederland Blazer Ensemble, Turqoıse (2006)
  • Mor ve Ötesi, Mermiler (2012)
  • A. Rıza - Hüseyin Albayrak, Böyle Buyurdu Aşık (2013), Şah Hatayi Deyişleri (2005)
  • Metin Kemal Kahraman, Ferfecir, (1999), Sürella, (2000)
  • Lütfü Gültekin, Gül Türküleri (2003), Derman Bizdedir, (1999)
  • Grup Yorum, Yürüyüş, (2003)

References

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  1. ^ Jaimey Fisher, Barbara Mennel, Spatial Turns: Space, Place, and Mobility in German Literary and Visual Culture, Rodopi, 2010, ISBN 978-90-420-3001-5, p. 357.
  2. ^ "Aynur Sings Defiance With Every Word". sfcv.org. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. ^ a b Bates, Eliot (2011). Music in Turkey: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Oxford University Press. pp. 91. ISBN 978-0-19-539415-3.
  4. ^ "Bringing it home from Kurdistan". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  5. ^ a b Tokyay, Menekse (2021-08-30). "Female Kurdish musician Aynur Dogan wins prestigious international award". Arab News. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  6. ^ Lovelorn (2005) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-08-30
  7. ^ "A Harbiye Concert and The Kurdish Issue". 19 July 2011.
  8. ^ a b "WOMEX 21 Artist Award granted to Aynur Doğan". Bianet. 30 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Songlines: Aynur - Solace in Exile". Songlines.
  10. ^ "AlMonitor: Aynur Dogan gets Americans to sing her tune".
  11. ^ "Trost aus den Klängen der Heimat".
  12. ^ "FolkRadio: AYNUR – HEVRA Featured Albums of the Month".
  13. ^ "KURDISCHE SÄNGERIN AYNUR - Hier ist die Türkei, sing gefälligst türkisch".
  14. ^ "QwestTV: Aynur Doğan The Girl on the Bridge".
  15. ^ "World Music Central - Artist Profiles: Aynur".
  16. ^ "Zülfü Livaneli, 50. sanat yılını kutluyor". T24 (in Turkish). t24.com.tr. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
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