Tarkan: Belly Dancing Poster-Boy

Think of the emotional response to the “Love Me Tender”-era Elvis and you’d be halfway there. This green-eyed, softly spoken, belly-dancing poster-boy is to Turkey what the King was to America.

He’s achieved a god-like status with the nation’s teens: “People grab me and kiss me. I like it. But it can be a bit overwhelming.” Inevitably, his fans’ grandparents are not as crazy about him. They believe the leather-clad Tarkan, with his heady brand of East-meets-West pop, is a threat to the Muslim nation’s morals. How does he feel about this? “I don’t know. I don’t feel guilt. I like to be a part of changing things.”

And for many, Tarkan, dubbed the “Turkish Prince,” encapsulates a changing, modern-day Turkey. His organ-quaking mixture of Middle Eastern percussion and Euro pop has one foot in the modern world and one in the ancient. It struck so deeply into the nation’s consciousness that a couple of years ago the Turkish government considered designating him the country’s “cultural ambassador.”

Tarkan—not just a bestubbled pretty face—has taken advantage of this phenomenal success by speaking out against religious prejudice and, in his recent multi-platinum selling album Karma, entreating the Turkish nation to pull together spiritually to overcome economic crisis.

But, for now, his fans are going ga-ga for the physical rather than the cerebral. And, as Tarkan pulls off a spinning, hip-circling dance move that would make Elvis proud, it’s easy to see why. Tarkan will promote his new album on tour in Europe early spring.

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Tarkan: Idol of Turkish Pop Music

Interview With Tarkan

CNN Interview

Washington Post Interview