Uğur Işılak

Uğur Işılak – born in Velbert, Germany on November 15, 1971 – is a Turkish singer, songwriter, and poet who had a long career in music before entering politics and becoming a member of the Turkish Parliament in 2015. His journey as a writer began when he was eight years old and began writing poetry. Four years later, he learned to play baglama, the most popular stringed instrument in Turkey. After finishing his schooling in Germany, he relocated to Istanbul to attend Konya/Selçuk University. He began creating music in 1987 and performed live in parts of Europe before establishing his own recording studio and releasing his debut album, Vatanin Kurbaniyim, in 1988. He worked on several more solo releases before branching out and working on many projects including culture and art programs for television and compilations that focused on iconic Turkish composers and poets. Uğur Işılak has continued to many albums over the course of his career including Duy Sesimi (1996), Söyleyeceklerim Var (2000), Kalabalık Yalnızlara (2005), Sil Baştan (2006), Aşkın Cenazesi Var (2007), Miras 1 (2011), Akifçe (2014), and Kac geceler aklinda? (2021), which was a collaboration with İlker Başbuğ, former Chief of the General Staff of Turkey. Uğur Işılak was elected as the Third District Deputy in Istanbul in the 2015 general election in Turkey and held that position until November of that year. Even during his political career, he continued to release music including the Aklıma Düşünce EP (2017) and his 2023 album Bizim Yunus.