Mercan ลenel is a Turkish pop singer who uses only the name Mercan on stage. He became known for his first album, "Not for You, for Your Brother", released in 2010, and for its electronic style, close to Western pop.
He grew up in Ankara as the youngest of three children of a civil servant family. During his school years, he sang as a soloist in various groups, and then studied at Hacettepe University State Conservatory. During his student years, he performed in hotels and nightclubs and worked at TRT for a while. He moved to Istanbul to further his music career; He contacted producer Erol Kรถse by preparing a demo consisting of his own songs.
During this period, he went to Germany and London and closely followed the pop and electronic music scene there.
Music career
His first album, "Not to Sana, to Your Brother", was released in 2010, produced by Erol Kรถse, and the phrase "the first star of 2010" was used in its promotion. The song that gave the album its name was a reinterpretation of Dannii Minogue's song "Put the Needle on It" with Turkish lyrics written by Alper Narman. The fourteen-track album included different versions and remixes of the same song, as well as songs such as "Hepsi Gay"; For this reason, the album is also known as "Not To You, To Your Brother โ They Are All Gay".
Music critics wrote that the album stands in an alternative line that departs from the usual Turkish pop patterns.
After a long break, he released the singles "Koma" and "Dile Kolay" in 2018. "Alฤฑลฤฑm", released in 2021, was a new interpretation of an arabesque song from the 1980s, with lyrics by Gรถnรผl ลen and music by Atilla Alpsakarya, and was published in two different versions by the Istanbul Plak label.
Mercan is among the singers who produce few but unique works, staying in the line of electropop and alternative pop rather than mainstream pop.
