Last year, I saw Kenan Doğulu perform for the first time in quite a long while at Galatasaray’s championship celebration. I went to that mini concert with great excitement but left feeling disappointed. Kenan Doğulu was there in appearance, but his voice sounded like someone else’s, and he struggled noticeably—even with his well-known classics. It saddened me deeply to see this man, whose songs we had grown up with since our teenage years and whose stage energy was always incredible, in such a state.
Recently, I decided to give him another chance at the Harbiye Open-Air Theater—and bingo! The Kenan Doğulu we all know and love was back, live and in full form.
Last summer, I attended a series of concerts back-to-back. At these shows, I made an interesting observation: some artists had lost their voices; there was nothing left of the classic sound and performances that had won them millions of fans. I wrote about this in my blog post titled “The Superstars Who Lost Their Voices Club” (https://serhansuzer.com/tr/sesini-kaybeden-superstarlar-kulubu/).
In that article—written after attending Teoman’s concert—I also mentioned other artists whose voices had faded and whose performances had declined, saying:
“This summer I went to a series of concerts. Among them, I noticed that both Kenan Doğulu and Nilüfer’s voices no longer came out in the familiar way. I was especially saddened for Kenan Doğulu. Like Nilüfer, his voice would fade in and out during the concert. It was a bit different from Teoman’s situation. Teoman sang the whole concert in a different tone, straining in the classic manner of a Turkish rocker, but in this tone, his songs just didn’t have the same magic.”
I then continued in my article with these words:
The Responsibility That Comes with Being a Public Figure
Kenan Doğulu and Nilüfer’s voices would sometimes go off-key during their concerts, or they would sing in an entirely different tone. Maybe their difference from Teoman was that, after a while, they could return to their original voices. But personally, I didn’t enjoy witnessing that. Nilüfer is older, so I can understand it to a degree—but for Kenan Doğulu to be in such a state at his relatively young age was not pleasant to see.
So, on the evening of June 19, I decided to buy two tickets and give Kenan Doğulu another chance at his Harbiye Open-Air concert. I went hoping that his voice at last year’s Galatasaray celebration might have been temporarily affected, perhaps due to illness at the time, and that he might have recovered by now. The outcome was extremely positive. The Kenan Doğulu we know—the one whose performances have been making us happy since our teenage years—was back in full force.
Of course, the fatigue and a touch of aging brought by the years were starting to show on his face. After all, everyone grows older. But he delivered a fantastic performance with the same positive energy as always, and that, personally, made me very happy.
Madonna’s ‘Plate of Hors d’ordoeuvres’
I first saw Kenan Doğulu perform in 1993, back when Beşiktaş Stadium was still called İnönü, before a Madonna concert. He burst onto the stage with incredible energy. At that time, nobody knew who Kenan Doğulu was, but from the very first second, he had everyone up on their feet, dancing and jumping.
He was essentially brought on stage as the ‘plate of hors d’ordoeuvres’ to keep the thousands who came to see Madonna from getting bored while they waited—but honestly, he entertained the crowd more than Madonna herself did. It was a huge and delightful surprise to see this young man come on stage with such energy and put on such a fun show.
That night, everyone got to know the young man who, in the years to come, would become one of the princes of Turkish pop. From then on, with beautiful and meaningful songs, a phenomenal stage presence, and an aura that made people happy, Doğulu kept raising the bar and his popularity, steadily advancing in his career—until he got married.
After marrying the love of his life, Beren Saat, something seemed to change in Kenan Doğulu. No one could quite figure it out, but he slowly began packing up from the stage. His live performances practically dropped off the radar scope. Most importantly, people who had watched him for years began asking, “Why is Kenan’s energy so low? Is he depressed? How can a man like this act so down? Why is he performing so little?”
Soon, Doğulu’s fans began venting their frustration at his wife, Beren Saat: “What did you do to this man, Beren?” “Take your hands off Kenan Doğulu, let the man be happy,” they complained.
Heartfelt Statements Defending His Wife
Of course, none of us can ever truly know what goes on between two people. Still, everyone began wondering who was at the root of the problem, whether they could work through it, and—above all—how much they loved each other, and if that love was strong enough to overcome their issues.
During this period, Kenan Doğulu publicly defended his wife at every opportunity—in concerts, on television, at events—wherever he could, giving responses that cut through the criticism like a knife. I personally witnessed him speak about Beren Saat several times, and he would say something along these lines:
“Some friends of ours were trying to set us up. We met at a party, but the moment I saw her, my world stopped. After I started being with her, my life gained meaning. She is the love and the meaning of my life.”
Of course, loving his wife this much, speaking of her with such affection, and protecting her the way he did cut through all the criticism like a knife. After wishing “May everyone who deserves such a loving relationship have one,” let’s now move on to my favorite Kenan Doğulu songs.
My Personal “Best Of” List
As far as we know, counting remixes and acoustic versions, Kenan Doğulu has officially released around 450–460 songs so far. About 100–110 of those are the songs we immediately think of when we hear his name.
Now, here are my 20 personal favorites—the songs that have stirred different emotions in us since our teenage years: sometimes making us laugh, sometimes making us feel melancholy, but always sparking something in our hearts no matter what mood we’re in. (I’m even including YouTube links for you to listen if you like.)
Putting this list together wasn’t always easy, but I managed to finalize it. I’ve divided my personal favorites into two groups: my top 10 Kenan Doğulu songs, and another 10 that come right after those in my ranking (so, let’s call them numbers 11–20).
My Top 10 Kenan Doğulu Songs:
1) Aşk Oyunu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYxykHCUgcU
2) Kurşun Adres Sormaz ki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8fljOXv52M
3) Aşk İle Yap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM-jCI5Lv84
4) Baş Harfi Ben: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vNHHKmhZo0
5) Harika: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcjU-X2EDyU
6) Tükendim Ben: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGSLaO0Mk2I
7) Tutamıyorum Zamanı: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGzDUYPr0GQ
8) Yüzsüz Yürek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkX6z-rlVQ
9) Aklım Karıştı: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13xNSgxJA2k
10) Hiç Bana Sordun mu? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMqSeLsU0dw
My second top 10 favorite songs by Kenan Doğulu (ranked 11 to 20):
1) Kandırdım: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S88KB4Mkjw
2) Ellerimde Çiçekler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxHt-6rEO4c
3) Ex Aşkım: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M4G198vJcs
4) Aşkım Aşkım: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=323A_1MnwX8
5) Gelinim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJXIVxW37wI
6) İlk Adımı Sen At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6StBR97wmzQ
7) Ben Senin Her Şeyinim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iYYM6s1G88
8) Çakkıdı: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gc1MqsNrcY
9) Güzeller İçinden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVM3B_0jiBk
10) Tak Etti Canıma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URIP622Ek78
The Tenth Year March holds a special place.
I’d also like to add a special category to this list: Kenan Doğulu’s re-arranged Tenth Year March, released on October 29, 1997. The single “Kenan Doğulu 3.5,” which includes this arrangement of the march, was released in April 1997: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5arkjOk4NjA
I hope that many more artists like Kenan Doğulu, one of the most iconic artists of my generation, will emerge in our Republic in the future. I hope that the Republic of Turkey, true to the spirit of the 10th Year March, will live on forever and continue to contribute to humanity, earning a significant place in the annals of history.
Bonus:You can read Kenan Doğulu’s life story at https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenan_Do%C4%9Fulu. I’m also sharing a summary of this biography below:
Born on 31 May 1974, in Istanbul, Kenan Doğulu is a Turkish singer-songwriter, arranger, and Doğulu represented Turkey in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth.
The artist’s first album, “Yaparım Bilirsin” (You Know I Can Do It), was released in September 1993, his second album, “Sımsıkı Sıkı Sıkı” (I Know You Tight), in December 1994, and “Kenan Doğulu III” (I Know You III) in July 1996. That same year, he also appeared in the TV series “Hiç Bana Sordun mu??” (Have You Ever Asked Me?)
The Onuncu Yıl Marşı was re-arranged by Kenan Doğulu on 29 October 1997. The single “Kenan Doğulu 3.5,” which included this arrangement, was released in April 1997.
On 15 March 1999, he released a single featuring a new arrangement of the Gençlik Marşı. The album “Ben Senin Herşeninim” (I’m Your Everything) was released in August 1999. Following a two-year silence, the artist released the album “Ex Aşkım” (My Love) on 2 August 2001. On 8 October 2002, an unplugged album, “Kenan Doğulu 5.5”, was released.
His final half-length album, 7.5
On 24 June 2003, he released his album “Demedi Deme.” On 14 August 2004, he added another half-length album to his collection with the release of Kenan Doğulu’s album, 6.5. Finally, on 13 June 2006, he released his album “Festival.” The album sold 285,000 copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2006. In August 2007, he released his last half-length album, 7.5. In 2008, he released his single “Hayal Kahramanım” (My Dream Hero) with the sponsorship of Turkcell.
He continued to work with artists such as Sezen Aksu, and Ozan Doğulu to represent Turkey in the 2007 Eurovision Şarkı Yarışması’nda Türkiye. On 9 February 2007, the name of the song representing Turkey in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest was announced as Shake It Up Şekerim and the song was released to the public on 9 March 2007. It qualified for the final in the semi-finals held on 10 May 2007, and competed in the final on 12 May 2007, placing twenty-second, finishing fourth in Eurovision.
Later in May, she released a single titled “Living It Up,” a duet with Kaan Gülsoy and the famous Romanian band Radio Killer. In June 2014, she released the song “Harika,” with lyrics by İsra Gülümser, music and arrangement by Ozan Doğulu, and vocals by Ajda Pekkan. “Harika” is featured on Ozan Doğulu’s album “130 Bpm Moderato.” This song was performed for the first time by Ozan Doğulu ft. Ajda Pekkan & Kenan Doğulu at the Magnum Golden Butterfly Awards on June 22, 2014. She also performed “Büyük Yürürüm,” also from Ozan Doğulu’s album “130 Bpm Moderato,” with lyrics by İsra Gülümser and music and arrangement by Ozan Doğulu. In 2016, she released the jazz album “İhtimaller.” In 2018, he returned to music after a 6-year break with his album “Vay Be“.
