Singer, actress Seyyal Taner full of energy and emotion
CENK ERDEM - ISTANBUL
You can easily sense the singer and actress Seyyal Taner is inspired by strong emotions in her highly energetic performances. Like in her song lyrics, she speaks like a poet and is full of life.
Taner means love and energy in Turkish pop history. Her music is unique like her brave attitude with a combination of ethnic rock elements and dance vibes. In Turkey, she is known by her leopard pants and unstoppable energy.
Now here’s an honest close-up look at the Turkish pop rock superstar, Seyyal Taner.
Among your many hits like “Son Verdim Kalbimin İşine,” “Naciye,” “Leyla” and many more, which song of yours makes you feel most ecstatic during your live performances as a pop rock star?
“Naciye” of course, but “Şiirimin Dili” also gives me those feelings no less than “Naciye.” Those are two songs that make me feel high and stir many emotions in people.
Your album “Alladı Pulladı,” as one of the best Turkish pop albums of the 90s, was so powerful because the instruments and ethnic rock feeling were perfectly embedded in the album. It feels like ethnic rock suits you best, do you agree?
Yes, I do. We were almost living at the recording studio with my dear musician friends for more than a year to have that powerful ethnic rock feeling. It reflects my character. We created this work while aware that ethnic elements would affect music on a universal level. So it was pretty good work and in the end, we came up with something that completely reflected my character.
The song “Şiirimin Dili” is especially impressive in the album due to its powerful lyrics. Which line in that song attracted you most to Ömer Çakmakçı’s beautiful poem at first glance?
“Şiirimin Dili” was composed by dear Kemal Boran and the lyrics were written by Ömer Civano Çakmakçı. It was a song that really moved me. I loved it and it gave me thrills ever since the first time I listened to it. The line, “Am I an illiterate hand-tied mountaineer?” especially moved me.
You also always had an extraordinary attitude with high energy since the first days of your stage performances with your iconic leopard pants. What exactly nourishes the leopard in you?
Dancing people are always energetic people. So, I wear leopard pants because of the energy I feel in me. People have identified a lot with my leopard pants. I guess I was the first one to start wearing leopard pants in Turkey, on stage of course. I feel like all kinds of cats are somehow related to me. I mean, there’s a kind of cat in me.
Meanwhile, gay fans also love your non-ordinary and brave attitude. As one of the first gay icons in Turkey, whom do you regard as the bravest ones in our pop history?
Honestly, although you call me “one” of the first gay icons in Turkey, I am “the” first gay icon of Turkey. I don’t know if there was someone else before me, but of course Zeki Müren and Bülent Ersoy are icons, although their genre is not pop. When we talk about it, I can say Selda Bağcan is one of the bravest ones.
I know when you first started, you spent your time in Bodrum after you fell in love. Perhaps now you’ve left that love behind but you are still in love with Bodrum anyway. So, what about the love you feel for Bodrum?
Falling in love with Bodrum, falling in love in Bodrum... In the end, Bodrum means love, everyone knows that. Bodrum is love itself. Anyone who visits Bodrum falls in love.
You have recently released an EP including three songs. Those songs are the kind of dance songs that suit you best, aren’t they?
We have worked with dear Hakan Eren’s company Ossi Müzik on that EP. The lyrics and music belong to Selahattin Erhan. It’s a cool production, it’s very different. It’s somehow danceable. There is also a romantic song in there. The music production industry is quiet, in terms of latest trends, but the music business is not the music business as we used to know it. So, only the listeners can decide whether it’s good work or not.
What kind of surprises are on the way?
I will always have surprises for as long as I live. It’s not like a specific kind of music or something certain people like. Generally, I put forward what I really want, but this time I am going to do whatever my heart or soul says to do. When I am going to make new music, I can’t be unplugged. I don’t know. There are certainly some elements from our folk music that inspire me. I just don’t know what it will be yet but I
feel like it’s going to be cool.
