Biography
Who is Sıla?
Early life and education
Sıla Gençoğlu was born on June 17, 1980, in Denizli, Turkey. Her parents are Ömür Gençoğlu and Şükrü Gençoğlu. During her youth, she lived in Izmir and attended Tevfik Fikret Schools from 1990 until 1997. Her music teacher at school, Aziz Pelen, helped her get involved in stage performances and school choruses. She also received private voice training from Sabahat Tekebaş, a member of the Izmir State Opera and Ballet.
In 1998, she moved to Istanbul to pursue higher education. She studied French and literature at Istanbul University for a year before transferring to Istanbul Bilgi University. At this institution, she focused on jazz music. During her college years, she performed as a soloist in the jazz orchestra led by Neşet Ruacan, Nedim Ruacan, and Nezih Yeşilnil at the Afyon Jazz Festival.
Career beginnings
Before releasing her own material, she worked as a backing vocalist for the singer Kenan Doğulu for seven years. She also contributed lyrics and compositions to albums for artists like Emel Müftüoğlu and Ferhat Göçer. Her voice became familiar to many listeners through her collaboration with Sezen Aksu on the song Sıla-Töre, which was featured in the television series Sıla.
She released her debut self-titled album in 2007. This project featured contributions from established artists including Sezen Aksu, Yalın, and Efe Bahadır. The lead single, titled Dan Sonra, achieved significant success in Turkey and remained a number-one hit for 12 weeks. She also collaborated on the song Yaz Geliyor Heyoo with the group Ciclon in 2008.
Albums and chart success
Following her debut, she released several albums including İmza in 2009, Konuşmadığımız Şeyler Var in 2010, and Vaveyla in 2012. The album Konuşmadığımız Şeyler Var was a commercial success, topping the D&R Best Sellers List for approximately one year and selling 100,000 copies. It featured popular singles such as Acısa da Öldürmez, Kafa, and Boş Yere, which all reached number-one status on the Turkish music charts.
In 2014, she released the two-disc album Yeni Ay. It sold 158,000 copies that year, making her the best-selling artist in Turkey for 2014. The album broke sales records on the iTunes Store in Turkey and included hit songs like Vaziyetler, Yabancı, and Hediye. At the 2014 Turkey Music Awards, Yeni Ay received the Best Album award, and she was named Best Female Artist.
Recent work and songwriting
Her sixth studio album, Mürekkep, was released in May 2016. This album also topped the best-selling charts in Turkey, selling over 100,000 copies in its first year. Critics such as Yavuz Hakan Tok noted her specific use of Arabic and Ottoman vocabulary within her lyrics. Outside of her own discography, she has worked as a music director and producer for other artists, including Güliz Ayla and Ziynet Sali.
She has received four Golden Butterfly Awards and seven Turkey Music Awards throughout her professional life. In 2015, she was named Woman of the Year by GQ Turkey. Beyond her primary studio recordings, she has appeared in commercial advertisements and contributed to compilation albums, including Erol Evgin's Altın Düetler.
Birthday and age
Sıla was born on June 17, 1980, which makes Sıla 46 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Sıla shares the date with 65 other famous people.
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