Banu (Turkish singer Banu Kırbağ)

Banu Kırbağ (2 March 1951 – 18 August 2025) was a Turkish pop singer, composer, and arranger. Active from the 1970s, she was a pioneering female figure in Turkish pop music and is recognized as the country's first female music arranger.[citation needed] Banu Kırbağ was born in Istanbul in 1951. She began her musical path in 1969 as an amateur vocalist in her high school orchestra. She later studied singing and solfeggio at the Istanbul University State Conservatory before embarking on a professional stage career. In 1972, she joined her sister Hülya Kırbağ and musician Zafer Dilek to form the trio Zafer-Banu-Hülya. The group released four 45 rpm singles and one studio album before disbanding in 1976, after which Kırbağ launched her solo career. On 5 March 1977, she briefly adopted the stage name Banu Arman before reverting to performing simply as Banu. She achieved widespread prominence in 1978 with the hit singles Ölsem de Bir, Kalsam da Bir, and Unutulur. That same year, she began a five-year period of study under composer Timur Selçuk at the Çağdaş Dershane (Modern Preparatory School), training in voice, solfeggio, harmony, counterpoint, and arrangement. At the invitation of Culture Minister Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Kırbağ performed in Moscow, Baku, and Ashgabat as part of Soviet-Turkish cultural exchange initiatives. She also ventured into theater, starring alongside Alpay İzer in a musical written specifically for her by Umur Bugay. For her 1984 album Anlatayım (I Am Telling), Kırbağ composed the material herself over a two-year period, setting music to poems by Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Ahmet Kutsi Tecer, and Ümit Yaşar Oğuzcan. By arranging one of the tracks herself, she earned the distinction of being one of Turkey's first female arrangers. The album featured collaborations with musician Murat Kalaycıoğlu. At the 1987 Kuşadası Golden Pigeon Music Competition, singer Ayşegül Aldinç performed Bir Bahar Aşkısın (You Are a Spring Love), a song composed and arranged by Kırbağ with lyrics by Aysel Gürel. Kırbağ conducted the 30-piece orchestra during the live performance before an audience of 20,000, making her the first female orchestra conductor in the history of Turkish pop music. The performance earned her the Güneş Newspaper Special Award. In 1991, her composition Bırak Ellerimi, performed by Zerrin Özer, won first place from the TRT for best composition of the year. Throughout her career, Kırbağ released 15 albums and expanded her repertoire with songs like Az Bana, Kırık Hava, Sevgi Kuşun Kanadında, and pieces by Zülfü Livaneli. She collaborated with notable artists including Şanar Yurdatapan, Hakkı Yücel, Yusuf Ziya Ulusoy, Hasan Hüseyin Demirel, and Alp Murat Alper. In 1988, she provided vocals alongside Edip Akbayram on his album Özgürlük. In 2000, she joined the Ankara Metropolitan City Orchestra as a permanent soloist, and later served on the audit board of the musical copyright society MESAM. Kırbağ died from cancer on 18 August 2025 at the age of 74. Her funeral was held the following day, and she was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul. Source: Şimdi Yalnızım (Banu Solo) / Seni Öyle Seviyorum Ki (Yonca-1974) Çukulata Sevgilim / Kara Kara Badem Gözler (Yonca-1974) Ağlama Gönlüm Ağlama / Seni Gidi Çapkın (Yonca-1975) Kalbim İstanbul'da / Kaleden Top Atarlar (Yonca-1976) Vefasız / Eski Bir Mektup (Disko-1970) Sormadan Gir / Zalim (Polydor-1974) Nasıl Mutlu Olurum Sensiz / Öyle Bir Dünyada Yaşıyorum Ki (Yonca-1976) Ölsem De Bir Kalsam Da Bir / Buna Sevmek Denirse (Hop-1979) Eski Sevgili / Yok Ki (Hop-1980) Bir Ömür Geçti (2k23-2024) Zafer, Banu ve Hülya (Yonca-1976) Bir Demet Müzik (Balet-1981) Anlatamıyorum (Balet-1984) Canım Can Çekişmede (Bayar-1986) Gün Kavuşurken (Fono-1988) Kırık Hava (Bayar-1990) Gider Olduk (Sarp-1992) Sevdalardayım (Göksoy/Ada-1994) Türküler Yolladım Sana (Major-1998) En İyileriyle Banu (2 CD, Ossi-5 February 2009) "- Sanatçı - Banu (Kırbağ) - Turkpopmuzik.net". turkpopmuzik.net. 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. "BANU KIRBAĞ KİMDİR? Banu Kırbağ Kaç Yaşındaydı, Neden Öldü? İlk Türk Kadın Aranjördü!" [WHO WAS BANU KIRBAĞ? How Old Was Banu Kırbağ? Why Did She Die? She Was the First Turkish Female Arranger?]. CNN TÜRK (in Turkish). 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025. "Banu Kırbağ". www.ankara.bel.tr (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2025. "'Başarının sırrı yeteneği doğru kullanmakta saklı'". Yeniasir (in Turkish). 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025. "Turkish folk music artist Banu Kırbağ has passed away". Haberler. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025. ANKA (19 August 2025). "Banu Kırbağ son yolculuğuna uğurlandı – Sözcü Gazetesi". www.sozcu.com.tr (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025. Demirel, Ercan. "Zafer Banu Hülya Diskografisi – the discography machine". www.diskotek.info. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2025. Banu Kırbağ discography at Discogs Banu Kırbağ at Bir Zamanlar Banu Kırbağ on X Banu Kırbağ at IMDb Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 February 2011) Portals: Music Turkey Women