Muharrem Aslan
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Muharrem Aslan is a Sydney-based singer, baglama virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, arranger, and producer. His song 'Gelmez Oldun' (2011) has reached millions of listeners and entered the charts on various platforms. Yet it became known as 'Ben Gonlumu Sana Verdim'; therefore, in 2021 the name of the song was changed on all platforms.
Muharrem grew up in Ozcanli, in the district of Elbistan province of Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. He is the youngest in a family of four children. His father, Yusuf Aslan, and mother, Hatun Aslan, were both farmers. In addition to farming, his father worked as a foreman in various parts of Anatolia. Muharrem went to Istiklal Primary School and Mukrimin Halil High School in Elbistan. He would return to the village during school holidays to help with family chores.
After completing school in Elbistan around 1994, he moved to Istanbul to study Geodetic Engineering at Yildiz Technical University. During his university years he decided to dedicate more time to playing music-it was his abiding love and interest. He therefore undertook study in theory and voice at the Fine Arts Department at the same university.
In 2001 Muharrem migrated to Sydney, Australia. He met many musicians and started collaborating with them. This led to many performances at various festivals and events. He composed his first composition, 'Gule Nisan' (2004), while in Sydney. This song became the title of his first album.
In later years, he completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree at the University of New South Wales in 2021 and subsequently a Master of Creative Music Therapy degree at the Western Sydney University in 2023. Muharrem prepared an Honours thesis in the final year of his study at the University of New South Wales. To accompany the university thesis, he composed a suite for solo baglama, which he titled 'New Compositions for the Anatolian Baglama: Five Songs Without Words'. In this thesis, he developed a new playing technique for the baglama, what he calls 'fourtemolo'. Alongside all of his original works, he composed poems of renowned Anatolian poets: Hasan Huseyin Korkmazgil, Nazim Hikmet Ran, Sabahattin Ali, Adnan Yucel, Yilmaz Odabasi, Ozdemir Asaf, Sefil Kul Himmet and Cemal Sureya. Additionally, he produced collaborative albums with UNSW Jazz Orchestra, UNSW Classical Guitar Ensemble, and many other groups/musicians.
Muharrem grew up in Ozcanli, in the district of Elbistan province of Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. He is the youngest in a family of four children. His father, Yusuf Aslan, and mother, Hatun Aslan, were both farmers. In addition to farming, his father worked as a foreman in various parts of Anatolia. Muharrem went to Istiklal Primary School and Mukrimin Halil High School in Elbistan. He would return to the village during school holidays to help with family chores.
After completing school in Elbistan around 1994, he moved to Istanbul to study Geodetic Engineering at Yildiz Technical University. During his university years he decided to dedicate more time to playing music-it was his abiding love and interest. He therefore undertook study in theory and voice at the Fine Arts Department at the same university.
In 2001 Muharrem migrated to Sydney, Australia. He met many musicians and started collaborating with them. This led to many performances at various festivals and events. He composed his first composition, 'Gule Nisan' (2004), while in Sydney. This song became the title of his first album.
In later years, he completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree at the University of New South Wales in 2021 and subsequently a Master of Creative Music Therapy degree at the Western Sydney University in 2023. Muharrem prepared an Honours thesis in the final year of his study at the University of New South Wales. To accompany the university thesis, he composed a suite for solo baglama, which he titled 'New Compositions for the Anatolian Baglama: Five Songs Without Words'. In this thesis, he developed a new playing technique for the baglama, what he calls 'fourtemolo'. Alongside all of his original works, he composed poems of renowned Anatolian poets: Hasan Huseyin Korkmazgil, Nazim Hikmet Ran, Sabahattin Ali, Adnan Yucel, Yilmaz Odabasi, Ozdemir Asaf, Sefil Kul Himmet and Cemal Sureya. Additionally, he produced collaborative albums with UNSW Jazz Orchestra, UNSW Classical Guitar Ensemble, and many other groups/musicians.
