Yaşar Kurt
Yaşar Kurt 
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| Name in Armenian | Արշակ Եաշար Քուրթ |
| Birthplace | Istanbul |
| Birth date | 16 August 1968 |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic |
| Languages | Turkish, English |
| Ethnicities | Armenian, Turkish |
| Ancestral villages | Anzar |
Arşak Yaşar Kurt (Արշակ Եաշար Քուրթ, born 16 August 1968) is a Turkish-Armenian rock artist.
Biography
He studied in 1990 at the Faculty of Open Education Anadolu University but did not graduate.
He founded the alternative musical group Beyaz Yunus (literally White Dolphin). In 1993, he had his first studio recording in Germany and in 1994, released the album Sokak Şarkıları (literally Street Songs) recorded in Cologne, Germany. The album on the Ada Müzik music label became very popular in Turkey. A series of concerts followed throughout Turkey. Moving to Berlin, a daughter was born named Rosa. He returned in 1996 to Turkey to continue with his musical career.
Göndermeler (literally Referrals) was released in 1997 album on Aks Müzik and Boğaziçi Müzik labels. After one-and-a-half years, he released Reflex produced by Ağdaş Müzik containing 9 songs stretching in the period 1990–2000 as well as 3 cover versions.
In 2003, he released a collection album entitled Anne under his own music label. In 2003 he was one of the founders of Barışarock, a major rock event in Turkey. In 2004, he wrote the music for Atv television's popular series "Sevda Tepesi".
Upon discovering his Armenian roots, he had himself baptized as an Armenian Apostolic Christian and accepted a new Armenian name as Arşak.[1][2] and in 2007 he and Armenian-Turkish artist Arto Tunçboyacıyan formed Yash-ar (made up of part of his and Arto's first names).[3]
In 2011, Kurt released the album Güneş Kokusu (literally Smell of Sun)[4] including a hit song called Ver Bana Düşlerimi (literally Give Me My Dreams) on YouTube.[5][6]
Discography
Albums
- 1994: Sokak Şarkıları
- 1997: Göndermeler
- 2002: Reflex
- 2003: Anne
- 2007: Nefrete Kine Karşı (credited to Yaş-Ar, a duo with Arto Tunçboyacıyan)
- 2011: Güneş Kokusu
Soundtrack
- 2004: Sevda Tepesi
References
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ YouTube interview with Shant TV 8:36–8:45 (In Armenian)
- ↑ "About Yasar Kurt". http://www.yasarkurt.com/en/about.html. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ↑ "NEW ALBUM "GÜNEŞ KOKUSU" | Yaşar Kurt". http://yasarkurt.com/en/new-album-gunes-kokusu.html. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ↑ "- YouTube". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZmGw9kTrw.htlm.
- ↑ YouTube: Yaşar Kurt – Ver Bana Düşlerimi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaşar_Kurt
External links
- Yaşar Kurt official website Template:Webarchive
- Yaşar Kurt fan website Template:Webarchive
- YouTube interview with Shant TV (In Armenian)
A Turkish musician at the age of 40 found out that he is an Armenian
The famous rock singer of Turkey, Yasar Kurt, has always been a revolutionary deep in heart. He participated in anti-government actions, he was detained and even sentenced to imprisonment. His songs were perceived as a symbol of dissent, sounded as the anthem of the struggle against violence and religious intolerance. In Turkey, no one was surprised when in October 2008, Yashar signed a well-known statement without hesitation, the authors of which asked for the forgiveness from the Armenians for the policy of the authorities on the issue of genocide.
If only he knew he was apologizing to himself.․․․ Yashar was 40 years old when he found out that he was also Armenian. He has long noticed that he is different from the people around him, and does not look like a Turk. But the parents continued to hide the family history. “There was a very native atmosphere in Armenia,” recalls Yashar. I noticed that the Komitas depicted on the disc are very similar to me. I wondered why I looked so much like an Armenian if I was a Turk.
Why do I cry when I listen to Armenian music?”. Returning to Istanbul, he went to his father and demanded that he tell the whole truth about his family. The story turned out to be more tragic than Yashar could have expected. It turned out that his ancestors lived in Van, in the Armenian village of Anzar. In 1895, during the first pogroms of Armenians, the whole family was killed.
Only a 9-year-old boy named Ismail survived, who reached the Black Sea, where he was sheltered by kind people. This boy is Yashar’s great-grandfather. It is noteworthy that the descendants of Islamized Armenians lived in the village of Hamshen, where he ended up, from where he chose his bride. In other words, Yashar’s great-grandmother, apparently, was also of Armenian origin.
Shedding light on the dark pages of his family history, he realized what really motivated his inner discontent. It’s not easy to start a new life at 40. Yashar had yet to find himself among the Armenians. He began to study the Armenian language and read books on the history of Armenia.
Baptized in the Armenian Church in Cologne, Yashar became Arshak Kurt. “By loudly declaring that I am another Armenian, I have made many enemies,” he says. “Even those whom I considered friends turned away from me.” There were people who said: well, if you are Armenian, go to Armenia.
Yashar Kurt is a vivid example of how the few Armenians of Turkey (occupied Western Armenia), having survived a terrible tragedy, still make a significant contribution to the development of Turkish culture, primarily in music. It is impossible to imagine modern Turkish music without Armenians. “I owe a lot to Komitas. If it wasn’t for him, I might not have known that I am Armenian. Thanks to Komitas, I found myself, found harmony, found faith,” says Yashar Kurt.