Biography
Who is Bülent Ersoy?
Early life and background
Bülent Ersoy was born Bülent Erkoç on June 9, 1952, in Istanbul, Turkey. Her parents both worked as bankers. Even though her family was not religious, she felt religious guilt as a child and recited the adhan under tables at age five. She was a quiet and sensitive child who mostly kept to herself.
Her grandparents introduced her to Turkish classical music. She learned to play the zither and the lute from them. After finishing high school, she attended the Istanbul Conservatory for a short time. She also took private music lessons from prominent classical singers like Melahat Pars and Rıdvan Aytan.
Rise in Turkish music
In 1970, she entered a singing contest organized by the Sunar Concert Bureau and won first place. This victory included a cash prize of 1,000 lira and a plaque. She then started performing at the Özlem Family Gazino in Üsküdar and became the lead singer there for three months. Her first commercial single, released in 1971 through the Sanar Plak label, contained the songs Lüzûm Kalmadı and Neye Yarar Gelişin.
By 1974, she was performing at the Maksim Gazino in Central Istanbul. There, she released a classical record, Tutî-i Mucize Gûyem Ne Desem Lâf Değil, which sold well despite the popularity of pop and Arabesque music at the time. The owner of the venue, Fahrettin Aslan, promoted her to lead act. Following a recommendation from Müjdat Gezen, she adopted the stage name Ersoy, which means brave lineage, replacing her birth surname Erkoç.
Gender transition and legal challenges
Around 1979, she began hormone therapy and presented as a woman. This drew significant attention and criticism from conservative voices. A member of the Turkish Parliament, Ahmet Buldanlı, publicly accused her of tax evasion and insulted her. In 1980, she announced gender reassignment surgery. She underwent breast enlargement surgery that year and was detained for 45 days after exposing her breasts at the İzmir International Fair.
Following the 1980 Turkish coup, she faced additional legal trouble, including an arrest for insulting a judge. In 1981, she was forced to sign a statement banning her from performing on stage in women's clothing. She underwent gender reassignment surgery at Charing Cross Hospital in London in April 1981. Although she applied for official recognition as a female in Turkey, courts rejected her request multiple times between 1982 and 1984, often labeling her a male homosexual.
Exile and return to the stage
Due to the stage ban and government hostility, she left Turkey in 1983. She continued her music career in West Germany, performing for the Turkish community there. She also toured in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. She was the first Turkish artist to perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1983.
In 1988, Prime Minister Turgut Özal lifted the stage ban, allowing her to return to Turkey. She immediately launched her Longing Concerts in stadiums and arenas. In 1988, she also obtained legal recognition of her gender. Later, in 1989, she was shot five times while performing in İzmir after refusing to sing a specific song. She survived the attack but lost a kidney. The shooter was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Birthday and age
Bülent Ersoy was born on June 9, 1952, which makes Bülent 74 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Bülent shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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