Mor ve ötesi is a Turkish alternative rock band from Istanbul. Its four current members are Harun Tekin, Kerem Kabadayı, Burak Güven and Kerem Özyeğen. Former members include Alper Tekin and Derin Esmer. The band achieved mainstream success with the release of the albumDünya Yalan Söylüyor. In 2008, the band represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade with the song "Deli". A main attraction in the Turkish music scene, mor ve ötesi followed a very rough path and had their breakthrough with their fourth album “Dünya Yalan Söylüyor” in 2004. The album sold over 300.000 copies and changed the way rock was perceived by the Turkish music industry. The hundreds of live performances they’ve had include several tours in Europe and the US. The band celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2016 with two special CD box-sets containing all of their published work. An inspiration to many bands and the voice of a generation, mor ve ötesi is a top-notch band defining the direction that Turkish rock is headed in.
History
Mor ve Ötesi was formed in 1995 with the line-up of Kerem Kabadayı, Harun Tekin, Derin Esmer and Alper Tekin, who were then students at the Deutsche Schule Istanbul. They released their first album Şehir in September 1996 and played their first live concert in Ankara. That year, Burak Güven replaced Alper Tekin on bass. Bırak Zaman Aksın, their second album was released in January 1999 to massive success. Just after its release, Derin Esmer moved to the United States and was replaced by prominent guitarist Kerem Özyeğen. After the devastating 1999 Kocaeli earthquake, Mor ve Ötesi started playing more on social and political themes. They were also very active in the opposition against the use of nuclear energy in Turkey. In August 2001, they released their third album, Gül Kendine. With Kerem Özyeğen, there was a noticeable change in the music, and after 17 August there was a noticeable change in lyrics. In May 2003, Mor ve Ötesi's released the YazEP, which included a cover of the Ajda Pekkan song Yaz Yaz Yaz. Their fourth album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor was released in March 2004. The album became their most popular album in Turkey, reaching 250.000 sales. Since their previous work was not as well known, many new fans were not aware that they weren't a new band. Although this album has been their best selling album, it is not admired by their old fans as much as their previous work, and some have even seen it as "sell-out". The album contained considerable political criticism against the activities of the USA both in Iraq and the rest of the world. In the same year they received a Golden Orange Award for their single "Bir Derdim Var", included on the soundtrack of the Çağan Irmak film Mustafa Hakkında Her Şey. Their fifth album Büyük Düşler was released on 9 May 2006. This is an album mainly dealing with the political problems of Turkey and the personal problems of the group members, including loss of family members and their relationships. It has a darker sound compared to their previous albums. This album is regarded as a homage to their old fan base and a return to a style closer to their earlier albums. Three singles were released from the album: "Şirket", "Küçük Sevgilim", and "Ayıp Olmaz Mı?". Büyük Düşler was named Best Album of the Year by Rolling Stone Turkey and Best Rock Album of the Year by Blue Jean magazine. On 10 December 2007 TRT's general manager İbrahim Şahin announced that Mor ve Ötesi were to represent Turkey in Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song 'Deli'. Mor ve Ötesi qualified to finals through the second half of the half finals on 22 May. They had the 12th performance on the finals and finished the contest in 7th place with 138 points, which was held in Belgrade on 24 May 2008. During the contest, BBC commentator Terry Wogan described the lead singer as "a sinister James Bond". The band's sixth album, Başıbozuk, was released in late 2008, and included three studio and four live tracks, including their Eurovision entry, as well as remixes. Their seventh album "Masumiyetin Ziyan Olmaz" came out on 12 May 2010. The first video clip was "Yorma Kendini" Their eighth album "Gunesi Beklerken" was released on 17 December 2012. The first video clip was taken for "Oyunbozan". After three years, the band met music lovers with the single "Anlatamıyorum" which came out with DMC label. The clip was shot together with director Serdar Ferit. Two sets were set up for shooting in Istanbul and Helsinki. Also, in twentieth anniversary of the bands foundation, In the 20th year of its foundation, their cult album "Dünya Yalan Söylüyor" were, for the first time introduced to the fans in the record format.
