Candan Erçetin

Born in Kırklareli in 1961 to a family of Albanian and Macedonian descent, Erçetin moved to Istanbul for Galatasaray High School and later studied classical archeology at Istanbul University. She recorded "Halley" and performed at Eurovision 1986 with Klips ve Onlar in her final university year, but chose archeology over fame. In 1995 she released her debut album Hazırım; two years later "Yalan" from Çapkın became a hit. Her best-selling album Elbette followed in 1999, then "Gamsız Hayat" from Neden in 2002. She's since released albums in Turkish, French, and Greek, composed film scores, taught diction at Galatasaray University, and served as Vice Chairman of Galatasaray S.K. In 2014, François Hollande awarded her the Order of Arts and Letters for strengthening France-Turkey relations.