Canan Turan

Canan Turan

Canan Turan is a Turkish singer and live performer who works across rock, chill-out, experimental and electronic styles. She grows up singing wherever she can, and begins performing publicly at 15 with her school group at Tarsus American College. This first appearance leads into a stage career that takes her from Turkey to London.

Early work and training

Before moving to London, she performs in Istanbul with jazz, rock and classical groups. She also takes singing lessons from Timur Selçuk. After a trip to London, she decides to settle there and continues building a career in the city’s club and live-music scene.

London performances

In London, Turan performs pop and jazz interpretations with acts including Oojami, Group Bazaar and Victor Mastoridis. She appears repeatedly at venues such as Queen Elizabeth Hall, Carling Academy, Notting Hill Arts Club, Shunt Lounge and Inn On The Green, and she also performs at Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and St Mangus. She holds a regular programme at Shunt Lounge.

Her Turkish- and English-language repertoire takes her to clubs and festivals in England, Scotland and Spain. She also appears in a London cultural documentary filmed by Mike Figgin for the closing of the 2007 London Film Festival and shown in Trafalgar Square. BBC Radio later invites her onto the world-music programme World in London.

Album work

Turan begins preparing an album with Tansay Omar and Şahan Satış while continuing to perform live. The result is Düğüm, a 10-track album by Canan Turan and Tansay Omar. It includes songs such as “Sana Şarkı”, “Sormasaydın”, “Yaylan” and “Yelkenli”. The recordings are completed in London in early 2009, the album is first made available online in the UK, and it is then issued in Turkey by Natural Rhythm Recordings and Lirik Müzik.