It seems so! At least the father of German rock & roll sang part of the song Belalım by Sezen Aksu in Turkish. On the other hand, he interpreted the song Messer in mein Herz in German (engl. “Knife in my Heart”; the Turkish version is “Seni kimler aldı”, which means “Who are the people that took you” – ed.). 

Even in his younger years, Udo Lindenberg was into intercultural encounters. Many years ago, he met the Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu. Since then, they have shared a close friendship. Furthermore, the two have something in common: They are both living legends.

In 1989, the two worked together. Sezen Aksu composed the song Messer in mein Herz (Seni kimler aldı), and then translated it into German for Udo. Parts of the song match the Turkish original. The song was released on Udo’s album Benjamin in 1990.

Sezen Aksu, who is also described as the mother of Turkish pop, has been adored by Turkish fans since the eighties and is one of the best-known and most successful artists in the Turkish pop scene.

She is not only a singer, but also an established songwriter who has written “Number 1” hits for famous young artists like Tarkan. Amongst her own successful songs is Sen Ağlama, which was released in 1984 on the album of the same name.

Germany’s cult rocker Udo Lindernberg has recorded seventeen duets with very different singers. In an interview, he revealed that his collaboration with Sezen is one of his favourite experiences and that it has enriched German culture. We also believe that the two powerful voices complement each other wonderfully.

You can listen to the duet by Sezen and Udo here! Pure heartache 🙂

Credits
Text: Neslihan Aydin
Photo Header: Sezenaksu.com.tr + Shutterstock.com