Having never lost his faith in music since releasing his debut album in 2006, we talked with Bertuğ Cemil about his creative excitement, musical journey, and “Akustik Öyküler”…
How has the story unfolded for you since releasing your first album in 2006?
It’s been unfolding in an interesting way. After a very successful first album process, I had to part ways with my first label due to certain developments. I had to make my second album entirely on my own. Of course, this meant immense effort and a lot of time. The time that passed in between and being alone during the promotional process slowed down the flow of my career a bit. It also took me a while to gather energy for my third album. Meanwhile, media changed, the music environment changed, and everyone had to adapt to this new environment. I did my best in this regard; my only regret was not being able to play enough concerts throughout this whole process. The year I spent with Kurtalan Ekspres quenched this hunger to some extent, and then I moved to the UK with my family. Here, it felt a bit like starting over. Then came the singles I started releasing during the pandemic, working with TMC Müzik again, and then my Akustik Öyküler project released by Pasaj Müzik… I walk this road with pleasure through its ups and downs; after all, it’s winding, but it’s my road.
Looking back from when you started playing at Jazz Stop, what were the critical turning points in your journey?
First of all, meeting Cengiz Köroğlu in university and starting my Jazz Stop adventure. Later, after leaving there, countless performances with my own bands Kaos and Sustain, the album I recorded under the production of Nazan Öncel in the late ’90s that was never released, then my albums, singles, concerts, and finally my Akustik Öyküler project recorded with colleagues who are all precious to me… These milestones, none of which I can separate from one another, brought me to where I am today.
What fuels your creative excitement the most right now? What do you listen to, watch, read, or experience that inspires your creative practice?
To tell you the truth, I am in the most infertile period of my music life in terms of new production. Because I have accumulated a large number of songs that I want my listeners to hear. While recording in Berlin with my dear Reha Omayer for the acoustic project, we also tackled these accumulated songs. I think it will stay like this until those songs meet the listener and until Turkey and the world get out of the authoritarian populist spiral they have entered, because my mind and heart are elsewhere.
“Akustik Öyküler” is in a sense a work where you revisit the turning points of your career. How did this idea first come about?
It was a project we planned together with Mahmut Çınar, the supervisor of the project, and my manager Onur Gökdal, who came up with the idea. Akustik Öyküler is a project we salvaged with love, respect, and solidarity. The main idea was this: Despite the singles I’ve released in recent years, to better explain to the new generations how I got to where I am today and to build a stronger bridge with them. I think we achieved that. The project gave me the opportunity to present my new songs to wider audiences. It became a beautiful knot connecting my past with my future.
Does reinterpreting your beloved songs with different voices feel like rewriting them, or like meeting an old friend?
A very good question. It feels both like meeting an old friend and embarking on a new journey with them. It’s like looking at my youth feelings from a new window, walking the path with that friend with a new vision.
In the EP, you work with artists from different generations and colors. What guided you when choosing the names to duet with?
First of all, I wanted to work with colleagues who love, will love, and will sing our songs with love. Because the first quality a person you duet with should have, in my opinion, is taking ownership of the work you do with love and respect. I am very lucky that all five of my duet partners possessed this in abundance. Of course, besides that, they are all very successful in their own styles, not just singers but also musicians, and people with beautiful characters alongside their beautiful voices. I repeat, I am quite lucky in this regard. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to all of them once again.
“Hope is as necessary to us humans as bread, as water.”
What kind of balance does it require to give songs a new perspective while staying true to their spirit?
You need to approach your own songs as if you were covering them. You need to add a new breath while preserving their soul and emotion. It’s like stepping out of one’s body and looking at oneself. Putting a new coat on the song while preserving its emotion, avoiding repetition, but remaining faithful to its message… It was a process that wasn’t easy, but very enjoyable.
“Yağmur” has held a special place in many listeners’ lives since it was first released. After nearly 20 years, what does this song represent to you?
Whatever “Every Breath You Take” means to Sting: By far my most successful song, and I’m glad I wrote it. I have always called Yağmur a “timeless song.” One of the things I’m most proud of is that after 20 years, the song maintains its meaning and importance. The rain I’ve been waiting for may not have fallen yet, but it drizzles every now and then, and that proves the song right again: Hope is as necessary to us humans as bread, as water.
When you decided to reinterpret “Yağmur”, why was Birsen Tezer the first name that came to your mind?
I had been following my dear Birsen Tezer with love. Both of us have been putting effort into music for many years and, interestingly, we have been in very similar environments without ever meeting. I had no doubt that her voice and musicality would suit the new version of the song very well. On top of that, she brought her maturity and constructive character, thankfully. We saw from the audience’s reaction that this new version reached its target. In short, I say “I’m glad.”
Looking back among your songs that have been listened to for years, which song reflects and describes you the best?
It is difficult to answer this question with a single song. Perhaps it is necessary to mention a few. I can say that Yağmur summarizes my never-giving-up and hopeful side, Düşünceler my romantic side, Su Gibi my spiritual side, and Son Kez and similar rock songs summarize my musician side well.
What are the differences in musical perspective between today’s Bertuğ Cemil and the Bertuğ Cemil who released “Duygusal Tuzaklar” in 2006?
I can’t say there is much difference. I still listen to similar styles and enjoy performing them. Lately, I’m more curious about fusion styles. The non-negotiables of the music I loved and respected when I set out 35 years ago still retain their value for me today. Groove, emotion, passion, tonality, and sincerity are non-negotiables for me.
At the same time, the way music is consumed in the digital age has changed. While production becomes easier, there is an audience that consumes faster; what do you think about this?
It inevitably became like this. It’s not my place to criticize the consumption habits of broad audiences, and good music always finds its listener. As long as you have the stamina to produce and deliver what you produce to people in a healthy way. I say welcome to the blessings of technology and try to benefit from them while preserving the main emotion and my musicianship. As long as the human factor maintains a high percentage, there is no need to fear technology. But when that percentage is very low, the work strays away from making music, in my opinion. For my part, that is the point I pay attention to.
Finally, what developments will happen in the remainder of 2026, and what awaits your listeners?
First of all, I will very soon share a new electric song with my listeners. This will also be the first single I release myself. Another novelty is that we are making a music video using AI. This song and video will also be the harbinger and precursor to the new album. If everything goes well, I plan to meet my listeners with the songs that will form my new album throughout next year. Apart from that, I will come to Turkey in July for a mini tour. My stage performances will also continue in the UK and Turkey.
