Işıl Yücesoy's statement on Zeki Müren: 'I couldn't reconcile it with him because...'

Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan’s program 'Empati', broadcast on NTV, featured artist Işıl Yücesoy as this week's guest. Yücesoy answered Taylan's questions on the show.

''MY FATHER WAS THE ONLY MAN I WAS EVER JEALOUS OF''

When asked by Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, "What does 'father' mean to you?", Işıl Yücesoy replied, "He is very important to me; my father was the only man I was ever jealous of in my life. He was a man I drew great inspiration from. He was a musician. A father is a pillar, a place from which you learn so much. I am very lucky regarding my family. My father passed away at 57; we lost him at a very early age. My father would be like fire in front of the piano; I was so jealous of him."

''I AM A PERSON WHO FOUND LIFE BY SINGING''

Speaking about the effect songs have on the soul and whether they have the power to heal certain pains, Yücesoy said, "I am a person who found life by singing. I cannot imagine a life without music. The lyrics of a song are very important to me; even if they bring me the most beautiful composition in the world, if the lyrics don't strike me, if they don't resonate with me, I cannot perform it."

''I COULDN'T RECONCILE IT WITH HIM''

To Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan’s question, “I know that the late Zeki Müren sang 'Bir Evet Yeter' on his own album without getting your permission. What did you do in the face of this behavior?”, Işıl Yücesoy gave the following response:

“Zeki Bey was a very unique gentleman. There won't be another Zeki Bey. We had a friendship; we were together for a long time and worked together twice at the Lunapark Gazinosu. I just couldn't reconcile it with him because he was a person who showed very serious care for artists. When we started our programs, he would come around 6:30 or 7:00, pat everyone on the back, and send them off to the stage; he was a different kind of man. He was a person who showed great respect to his audience. No one would believe this, but I always tell this in my programs: flowers would arrive, thousands of them, and a tuxedo would be tailored for the florist, and gloves would be worn on his hands, just in case there was a black spot or something on them, God forbid, and the audience might see it from the front. Is that enough? No, rubber soles would be put on the bottom of his shoes so they wouldn't make noise in the hall.

I didn't expect such a thing from such a man, but good for him, he sang it very beautifully too. It doesn't belong to me, it's not my composition or anything, but I had done it, I had just done it, and he did this without me knowing at all. I was very surprised; I never talked to him about this subject because I am a woman who believes in hierarchy. If he liked it, what a great honor, but I wish he had let me know. Now they have made this a habit; where is my labor? The money I spent, my efforts, the effort I put in to find that song and to make it heard by everyone. Today, I say with all sincerity, I am doing a project called 'Timeless Songs'; for everything I sing, I have my friends' permissions, they are aware.”