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Fazıl Say recounts how he discovered Cem Adrian

Pianist Fazıl Say said he discovered singer Cem Adrian during the years when Adrian was making a living by reading tarot cards in Beyoğlu.

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Fazıl Say and Cem Adrian are preparing to share the same stage at the Volkswagen Arena on Friday evening, December 24, nearly 20 years later.

Say recounted how his path crossed with Adrian in a post on his Instagram account.

HE RECOUNTED HOW HE DISCOVERED HIM

Say listened to Adrian's demo in 2004 through musician Demet Sağıroğlu and was very impressed. At the time, Adrian was 23 years old and making a living by reading tarot cards in Beyoğlu. Stating that he had Adrian enrolled as a boarding student at Bilkent University, where he was teaching, to improve his theoretical knowledge, Say noted that Adrian gave his first concert with him at Bilkent.

Noting that he produced Adrian's first album and that Adrian gave his first Istanbul and first international concerts with him, Say said he left Adrian on his own, saying, "The bird had to fly alone."

"CEM IS AN INTERESTING AND ETHEREAL CHARACTER"

Say, who is excited to share the stage again with his 'student' Adrian after many years, shared the following:

"I first discovered Cem Adrian at the beginning of 2004. Demet Sağıroğlu had asked me to listen to one of his demo songs. When I listened to this demo, I was faced with a vocal range (7 octaves) that shocked me, a vocal talent that could change shape and do whatever it wanted, a very impressive poeticism, originality, and a superior power of expression. Cem is an interesting and ethereal character. I had him found immediately; he came to the house. He was 23 at the time and was earning money by reading tarot cards in Beyoğlu.

We listened to all his other demos for days; he had a superhuman, supernatural condition with a vocal cord 5 cm longer than normal, capable of reaching from the lowest notes to the highest coloraturas like a Farinelli, and capable of mimicking the sounds of all musical instruments. He already had more than 100 songs back then. His theoretical knowledge was limited. I was teaching a very special class at Bilkent University for two years at the time, and I took Cem into Bilkent as a boarding student."

"THE BIRD HAD TO FLY ALONE"

"He needed to know a little bit about his theoretical knowledge, harmony, piano, and orchestration. Indeed, he gave the first serious concerts of his life with me at Bilkent in 2004-5. On the one hand, I introduced him to powerful producers in Istanbul, and I became the producer of his first album. 'Ben Bu Şarkıyı Sana Yazdım' became his first hit song. Cem was also in the only recording of my song 'İnsan İnsan' that you all know (in the first 1 minute) in 2006. We gave our first Istanbul concert at Babylon, and our first international ones in Hamburg and Bremen…

Then I left Cem alone. The bird had to fly on its own. Indeed, he reached a very good place in 20 years and made his own original music accepted. He gives almost 250 concerts every year. (He even gives a bit too many!) He has had many hit songs."