Makbule Hande Özyener (born January 12, 1973 in Istanbul, Turkey), known as Hande Yener is a Turkish singer. Starting out as a backing vocalist for Turkish pop singer Sezen Aksu, and performing in bars, Yener released her first studio album Senden Ibaret on May 31, 2000, with hit single “Yalanın Batsın”, propelling her into the spotlight, topping the charts and winning the Best Newcomer and Best Music video awards at the 2000 Golden Butterfly awards. Her second album Sen Yoluna... Ben Yoluma... was released in July 2001 and certified platinum, with Yener receiving Best Female Pop Artist award at the 2003 Kral TV Video Music Awards, its title song winning Song of the Year. During this time Yener began to appear in television sitcoms, commercials, and presenting the Hande Yener Show on Star TV between March and June 2003. Changing direction with her fourth album Apayrı, released in January 2006, Yener attracted considerable criticism that she was emulating Western dance music. Despite the negative attention, she was presented with the Best Album award at the 2007 PowerTürk Music Awards. In 2007, Yener transitioned almost exclusively from pop to electronic music with her fifth studio album Nasıl Delirdim? topping Turkish music charts. After recovering from a serious illness in 2009, Yener returned to her pop roots, resulting in considerable controversy, releasing Hande'ye Neler Oluyor? on April 1, 2010, with hit single “Bodrum” rising to number 1 on the charts, winning her Female Pop Music Soloist of the year at the 38th Golden Butterfly Awards. Collaborating with Ukranian group Kazaky, Yener released Ya Ya Ya Ya in May, 2013 which rose through the charts, receiving the Best Single Award at the 2014 Turkey Music Awards, before releasing Hepsi Hit Vol. 1 and Hepsi Hit Vol. 2 in in May 2016 and January 2017 respectively, the latter achieving greater commercial success with the single "Bakıcaz Artık" charting at number 2. A strong advocate for LGBTQI+ rights, her first English-language song “Love Always Wins” was released amongst considerable controversy however the song fared well commercially. Her fourteenth studio album Carpe Diem was released in 2020, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her musical career.
