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Şebnem Ferah was born in Yalova on 12 April 1972 as the youngest daughter of a family that had migrated from Skopje to Yalova. Her interest in music began at a very young age, around five or six years old, and was nurtured by her musically inclined family. The variety of instruments present in her household provided a foundation for her to enter the professional music scene with established musical knowledge. After completing her primary education in Yalova, she attended middle school at Bursa Koleji. She completed her high school education as a boarding student at Bursa Özel Namık Sözeri Lisesi.
Ferah continued her musical journey during high school through school orchestras and small ensembles. In her high school years, she worked with a group called Pegasus, but in 1988 she realized her dream of forming a girl group with Volvox. Her meeting with Sedat Yıldırım Sarıca at a studio in Bursa played a key role in the formation of this group. To focus more intensely on her music career, she left the Economics Department of Middle East Technical University (METU) in her second year and later enrolled in the English Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University. Volvox performed as the opening act at Dr. Skull’s farewell concert. After Volvox disbanded in 1994, Ferah began her solo career and opened a new chapter by meeting artists such as Onno Tunç and Sezen Aksu. Additionally, Ferah possesses a wide vocal range spanning three octaves.【1】
Şebnem Ferah - Yalnız (Paga Play)
Şebnem Ferah launched her professional music career on 15 November 1996 with her first solo album, "Kadın". With the support of Sezen Aksu and Onno Tunç, she collaborated with artists such as İskender Paydaş, Tarkan Gözübüyük, and Demir Demirkan on this album. The first music video from the album was shot for the song "Vazgeçtim Dünyadan"; both the album and the video remained number one on the charts for an extended period. Additional music videos were produced for the songs "Yağmurlar", "Bu Aşk Fazla Sana", and "Fırtına". She gave her first solo concert on 4 April 1997 at İzmir Ege University before an audience of approximately 6,000 people.
The deaths of her sister in 1998 and her father during the 17 August 1999 earthquake created difficult periods in the artist’s life. Following these losses, Ferah turned even more closely to music and released her second album, "Artık Kısa Cümleler Kuruyorum", on 30 June 1999. The first music video from the album was made for the song "Bugün", and the second video was directed by Hakan Yonat for the title track. After a gap of two and a half years, she released her third studio album, "Perdeler", on 18 October 2001. Unlike her previous works, this album featured collaborations with the musicians she performed with live on stage. The lead single was "Perdeler", followed shortly by a video for the song "Sigara". She also offered a new interpretation of the song "Perdeler" in collaboration with Finland’s Apocalyptica. Her fourth studio album, "Kelimeler Yetse", was released on 24 April 2003, with the first video produced for "Ben Şarkımı Söylerken". Additional videos from the album were made for "Mayın Tarlası" and "Gözlerimin Etrafındaki Çizgiler".【2】
On 7 September 2007, a performance album consisting of a DVD and two CDs was released, featuring Ferah’s concert on 10 March 2007 at the Bostancı Show Center, accompanied by the Istanbul Symphonic Project orchestra under the direction of Orhan Şallıel. This DVD earned the title of "Turkey’s best-selling concert DVD".【3】 She won the awards for Best Female Artist and Best Concert at the PowerTürk 2008 Music Awards.【4】 She took a break from new album work after performing at the Masstival concert on 6 July 2008. Her sixth studio album, "Benim Adım Orman", was released on 16 December 2009 and entered the charts at number one in its first week. Music videos were produced for the songs "Yalnız" and "Eski" from the album.【5】
Her ninth studio album, "Od" (meaning "fire" in Ottoman Turkish), was released on 9 May 2013 and entered the best-selling charts at number one in its first week. All nine songs on the album, including the lead single "Birileri Var", were written and composed by Ferah. The lyrics of the song "Çok Yorgunum" are by Nazım Hikmet, and the music is by Cem Karaca. Her most recent studio album is "Parmak İzi", released on 12 April 2018. The first music video from the album was made for "Küllerinden", and the second for "Koridor". Most recently, Ferah lent her voice to the song "Aşktan Nasıl Gidilir" on Murathan Mungan’s project album.
Throughout her music career, Şebnem Ferah has received numerous national awards and nominations:
[1]
Kral Müzik, “Şebnem Ferah Kimdir?” Kral Müzik, erişim 22 Kasım 2025, https://www.kralmuzik.com.tr/biyografisi/sebnem-ferah
[2]
Kral Müzik, “Şebnem Ferah Kimdir?” Kral Müzik, erişim 22 Kasım 2025, https://www.kralmuzik.com.tr/biyografisi/sebnem-ferah
[3]
Kral Müzik, “Şebnem Ferah Kimdir?” Kral Müzik, erişim 22 Kasım 2025, https://www.kralmuzik.com.tr/biyografisi/sebnem-ferah
[4]
Kral Müzik, “Şebnem Ferah Kimdir?” Kral Müzik, erişim 22 Kasım 2025, https://www.kralmuzik.com.tr/biyografisi/sebnem-ferah
[5]
Kral Müzik, “Şebnem Ferah Kimdir?” Kral Müzik, erişim 22 Kasım 2025, https://www.kralmuzik.com.tr/biyografisi/sebnem-ferah
Beginning of the Music Career and the Volvox Era
Solo Albums and Professional Life
Concerts and Recent Albums
Songs
Awards and Nominations
PowerTürk Music Awards
Türkiye Gençlik Ödülleri
Altın Palmiye Awards
ELLE Style Awards
