Tarkan Tevetoglu (born October 17, 1972) is a Turkish singer, songwriter, composer, dancer, and producer. Born in Alzey, West Germany, he moved with his family to Turkey in 1986. He studied music during his school years and later began performing in Istanbul, where he met Istanbul Plak founder Mehmet Sogutoglu. Their partnership launched one of the most influential careers in Turkish popular music.
Tarkan made his recording debut with Yine Sensiz in 1992. The album introduced his energetic vocal style and modern pop sound, while the song "Kil Oldum" quickly established him as a distinctive new performer. His second album, Aacayipsin, followed in 1994 and expanded his audience beyond Turkey. Tracks such as "Sikidim" and "Don Bebegim" combined dance-pop production with melodic features associated with Turkish popular music, helping Tarkan become a major figure in the country's rapidly changing 1990s pop scene.
His international breakthrough came with Olurum Sana, released in 1997. The album included "Simarik," a playful, rhythmically prominent song that became his signature recording. A 1998 international compilation, also titled Tarkan, introduced the song to wider European audiences. Known in many territories through versions and adaptations titled "Kiss Kiss," "Simarik" became one of the most widely recognized Turkish pop songs outside the Turkish-speaking world. Its success also demonstrated that a song performed in Turkish could reach a substantial international audience without relying on English-language lyrics.
Tarkan received a World Music Award in 1999 and continued to build his reputation through extensive touring and highly stylized music videos. His image, choreography, and charismatic stage presence became as important to his public identity as his recordings. In Turkey, he became widely known by the nickname "Megastar," while his work helped position Turkish pop as a more visible part of the European music market.
The album Karma appeared in 2001 and produced several important songs, including "Kuzu Kuzu," "Hup," and "Verme." "Kuzu Kuzu" became a major hit, while "Tas," reworked as "Bir Oluruz Yolunda," was associated with the Turkish national soccer team. In 2003, Tarkan released the EP Dudu, whose title track reinforced his popularity in Turkey and Russia.
Seeking a broader international audience, Tarkan recorded his first English-language album, Come Closer, in 2006. Although it did not match the impact of his Turkish-language work, the project marked an ambitious attempt to place him within the international pop mainstream. He returned to Turkish with Metamorfoz in 2007, followed by Adimi Kalbine Yaz in 2010. The latter became one of the strongest-selling albums of his career in Turkey.
Tarkan explored traditional repertoire on Ahde Vefa in 2016, an album devoted to Turkish classical music. He then returned to contemporary pop with 10 in 2017, an album featuring songs written or co-written by Tarkan and several prominent Turkish songwriters. Later singles, including "Gecc ek," "Yap Bi Guzellik," and "Son Durak," showed his continued presence in Turkish popular culture. Alongside music, he has supported environmental and animal-rights causes. His career is defined by the ability to connect Turkish musical traditions with contemporary pop production, making him one of Turkey's best-known musical exports.