The 'Boy with the Poet's Jacket' Kazım Koyuncu is commemorated on the 19th anniversary of his death

Although his official date of birth is May 10, 1972, due to a late registration, Koyuncu was born on November 7, 1971, in Yeşilköy, in the Hopa district of Artvin, as the fifth of Cavit Bey and Hüsniye Hanım's 6 children.

Growing up listening to fairy tales from his grandmother and folk songs from Yaşar Turna, known by the nickname "Kemençeci Yaşar" (Yaşar the Fiddle Player), Koyuncu's father provided for the family by working as a grocer and barber in Hopa.

In a statement regarding his childhood days, Koyuncu expressed how his father's traits were reflected in him, saying, "Because my father read books, I was different from other children."

He began music with a mandolin his father bought him

The artist, who started music in middle school with a mandolin his father bought him, left his village in 1989 to continue his education in the Public Administration Department at Istanbul University.

While focusing on his musical work during his university years, Kazım Koyuncu made his first professional efforts in 1992 by forming the band "Dinmeyen" with Ali Enver.

Deciding to leave school and focus solely on music, Koyuncu composed music for theater plays for a period and created his own style by blending Black Sea music with rock. The artist, who formed the group "Zuğaşi Berepe" with his friends, worked with both his new group and the band "Dinmeyen".

Releasing his first album with his group, "Va Mişkunan" (We Don't Know), in 1995 and gaining the appreciation of music lovers with his new style, the artist brought the album "Sisler Duvarı" (Wall of Mists) to music lovers with the band Dinmeyen in 1996, and his second album, "İgzas", with Zuğaşi Berepe in 1999.

"Dido" met with music lovers in 2001

The first solo album of Koyuncu, who carried the harsh and emotional structure of Black Sea music into his works, titled "Viya!", which also included the song "Dido", hit music stores in 2001.

The artist, who became more widely known in 2002 when he began composing music for the TV series "Gülbeyaz" and saw his concert schedule increase, released his second solo album, "Hayde", in 2004.

Koyuncu, who included works in Hemshin, Laz, and Georgian in addition to Turkish on his albums, was diagnosed with cancer in 2004.

Despite doctors' advice not to overexert himself, Koyuncu continued his concerts, giving his final performance on February 4, 2005, at the Yeni Melek Performance Center in Taksim, and his words, "Either cancer or concert," remained in people's memories.

Known as the "Boy with the Poet's Jacket"

The artist, who had a large fan base in every region of Turkey and abroad and was also known as the "Boy with the Poet's Jacket," had stated in an interview, "When I was a child, I played well with poetry. I dealt a lot with poets. I wanted to have a jacket made back then, when I was coming to Istanbul, a poet's jacket..."

The artist Koyuncu, in an interview, stated that he believed everything could be done when one is young, and explained the following:

"After a certain age, after entering into a direct connection with life, I think we cannot add anything to that life. This might be a heavy statement, but a person who has finished their military service, gotten married, had children, and is working does not take risks. They do not come up with very independent, very strange ideas and chase after them. Yet, the thing that moves life forward is our dreams. And the thing that realizes our dreams is our courage. When one is young, one can be brave. I care a lot about their lives. Because life can take a new shape from there. Life can reach somewhere through their ideas, their mistakes, and their truths. There is not a very big difference between the truths of adults and the mistakes of young people; that is, at worst, the mistakes of young people are as important as the truths made by adults."

Koyuncu passed away on June 25, 2005, at the age of 33 in the hospital where he was receiving treatment. His funeral was buried in the village cemetery in Yeşilköy, where he was born.

Paluri Arzu Kal Demirçi wrote the book "Şair Ceketli Çocuk: Kazım" (The Boy with the Poet's Jacket: Kazım), in which she recounts her friendship with Koyuncu that lasted from their first meeting until his final moments following his death.

News Source: 12punto