Mor ve Ötesi

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Mor ve Ötesi
Current members of Mor ve Ötesi
Background information
Origin	Istanbul, Turkey
Genre(s)	Alt-rock, anatolian rock
Years active	1995 - present
Label(s)	RAKUN
Website	morveotesi.com
Members
Harun Tekin (vocals and rhythm guitar) Kerem Kabadayı (drums) Burak Güven (bass) Kerem Özyeğen (lead guitar)
Former members
Alper Tekin (bass) Derin Esmer (vocals & guitar)

Mor ve Ötesi (Turkish: "Purple and beyond" or "Violet and Ultra") is a Turkish alternative rock band hailing from the city of Istanbul, formed by frontman Harun Tekin. Its four current members are Harun Tekin, Kerem Kabadayı, Burak Güven and Kerem Özyeğen. Former members include Alper Tekin(no relation to Harun) and Derin Esmer. They received major mainstream success after the release of the album "Dünya Yalan Söylüyor" (World is Lying). The band's name is a play on "morötesi" which is the Turkish word for "ultraviolet".

1 History of the band
2 Discography
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History of the band

Mor ve Ötesi was formed in 1995 with the line-up comprising Kerem Kabadayı (drums), Harun Tekin (vocals & guitar), Derin Esmer (vocals & guitar) and Alper Tekin (bass). They released their first album Şehir (The City) in 1996 and played at their first live concert outside Istanbul at METU, Ankara. That year, Burak Güven replaced Alper Tekin on bass.

Bırak Zaman Aksın (Let Time Flow), their second album was released in 1999 to massive success. Just after its release, Derin Esmer moved to the USA 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 2001, they released their third album, Gül Kendine (Smile at Yourself). With Kerem Özyeğen, there was a noticeable change in the music, and after 17 August there was a noticeable change in lyrics. In the summer of 2003, Mor ve Ötesi's single, Yaz (Summer/Write) debuted, which was a cover of the famous song performed by the famous Turkish superstar Ajda Pekkan during the seventies.

Their fourth album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor (The World is Lying) was released in 2004. The album became their most popular album in Turkey. Reaching 250.000 sales^[1], the album proved to be a breakthrough for rock music in Turkey. Their first single, "Cambaz" (meaning: Acrobat) and their third single "Bir Derdim Var" (meaning: I have a problem) (which was also included in the Çağan Irmak film "Mustafa Hakkında Herşey" (Everything About Mustafa) soundtrack ) got considerably more attention. 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 "betrayal". The album contained considerable political criticism against the activities of the USA both in Iraq and the rest of the world. The very same year they received a Golden Orange Award for their hit song, Bir Derdim Var for the movie, Mustafa Hakkında Her Şey". Also, Dünya Yalan Söylüyor, was voted "The Best Turkish Rock Album Ever" by Blue Jean magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Their fifth album Büyük Düşler (Great Hopes) was released on May 8, 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. The first video was for the song "Şirket" (Corporation), a song criticising capitalism. The second single chosen was "Küçük Sevgilim (My Little Lover)", and its music video was directed by Ketche. This album was voted "The Best Album of 2006" by Blue Jean magazine.^{[citation needed]}

On December 10, 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', which was held in Belgrade on 22 May 2008.^[2]

Mor ve Ötesi finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

During the contest, BBC commentator Sir Terry Wogan described the lead singer as "a sinister James Bond".

Mor ve Ötesi has a new website up specific to this years 2008 Eurovison, http://delirium.fm/. This site has the lyrics in 8 languages to go with their new song "Deli".

[edit] Discography

Şehir (The City) (1996)
Bırak Zaman Aksın (Let Time Flow) (1999)
Gül Kendine (Laugh at Yourself) (2001)
Dünya Yalan Söylüyor (The World is Lying) (2004) 230.000+ copies sold in TR^{[citation needed]}
Büyük Düşler (Big Dreams) (2006) 51.000+ copies sold in TR^{[citation needed]}