Selami Şahin

Early life

Selami Şahin was born on August 15, 1948 in Hatay, a city in the southeastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, to a Turkish father and an Egyptian mother from Alexandria, the fourth of six children.

When Şahin was 15 years old, he decided to leave his hometown of Hatay to pursue his musical ambitions. He worked at odd jobs in neighboring cities before moving to Istanbul. There he met Irfan Özbakır, one of the best known musical composers of his time. Özbakır produced Sahin's first single, titled Zeynebim, written by Göksel Orhon and composed by Irfan Özbakır.

Musical career

In 1968 Şahin released his next single titled Sabır Taşı. He taught himself to read music, and in 1969, he started writing and composing all his own songs. He also learned how to play several musical instruments.

The first song he wrote and composed, called Sen Mevsimler Gibisin, won the “Song of the Year” at the 4th Golden Butterfly Awards (Altın Kelebek). From that day forward, many of Selami Şahin’s songs were included in the repertoires of numerous Turkish singers. To date, he has released 24 singles, 7 LPs and 13 cassettes and CDs. Şahin has written and composed more than 300 songs and 150 of them became popular hits. Some of his most important hit tunes include: Alışmak Sevmekten Zor, Ben Bir Tek Kadın Sevdim, Ben Sevdalı Sen Belalı, Boş Vere Boş Vere, Bulamazsın, Dostlarım (İçkim & Sigaram), Eskimeyen Dost, Gitme Sana Muhtacım, Gözler Kalbin Aynasıdır, Hesabım Var, Islak Mendil, Kadere Şikayetim Var, Namert Olayım, Ne Duamsın Ne Bedduam, Özledim, Sen Mevsimler Gibisin, Seni Sevmediğim Yalan, Senin Olmaya Geldim, Seninle Başım Dertte, Sensiz Olmuyor, Tanımam Senden Başka, Tanrım, Tapılacak Kadınsın, and Ya Seninle Ya Sensiz.

These songs were also translated into different languages and vocalized by singers in Europe and the Middle East. Furthermore, Şahin worked on joint projects with Ghada Ragab, a noted Egyptian singer, and Enrico Macias, a well-known Algerian-French singer and musician. Continuing his career as a singer, songwriter and composer, in the latter part of his career he worked also as a music producer and a vocal coach.

In 2010, Şahin released an album of his songs titled Dayman (Daima) ("Always") in Arabic, a synthesis of Turkish and Arabic music. In 2011, Şahin released an album titled Mahzen which included a mix of his songs previously vocalized by many artists and which he re-interpreted and remixed with acoustic and contemporary arrangements.

Many of Sahin's songs have been used in many Turkish TV series and feature films. In 2012, one of his most popular hits titled Sensiz Olmuyor was vocalized by Şahin in a TV commercial for Akbank, one of Turkey’s leading banks.

Film actor

Şahin was a leading actor in various feature films. His best-known role was in a joint Egyptian-Turkish film titled Mumya Fırarda which was released in 22 countries around the world. Additionally, this was the first Turkish film to be invited to participate at the 6th Hollywood Film Festival and Şahin’s acting received high accolades. Some of his other films include Köyün Beş Güzeli (1970), Bağrımdaki Ateş (1981), Kaderi Zorlama (1985) and The Dealer (2010).

Personal life

Married since 1985, the artist has three children. Şahin continues to write and compose new songs.