Turkey wins Eurovision Song Contest
Belgium came a close second with the folk-inspired “Sanomi” by Urban Trad, while Russia’s controversial lesbian pop duo t.A.T.u. took third spot.
Sertab Erener was born in Istanbul, Turkey and is one of the country’s most popular female vocalists, with recording sales numbering four million. Her first album was released in 1992, followed by “Lal” in 1994 and “Sertab Gibi” in 1996.
Her duet with Jose Carreras demonstrated her versatility as a singer of different genres of music, while her duet with Ricky Martin called “Private Emotion” on the Turkish and Middle Eastern versions of Martin’s 99 English language album moved her stardom up another notch. Her 1994 recording of “Lal” was selected by Sony Music as one of the biggest hits of the century and was included in the “Soundtrack For A Century” collection.
In April 1999 she released her fourth album, “Sertab” and less than a year later, in February 2000, she released a European album. Sertab has given numerous concerts, including some at major festival such as Dranouter, Sfinks, the Amsterdam Roots Festival and Live for Life.
Her latest album “Turuncu” was released in 2001. “Turuncu” is the word for the colour orange, signifying happiness and all things positive. Sertab is currently recording her next album, due for release this summer.
