No Backing for Troubled Tarkan

By Adelind Osmanlı reporting from Munich, Germany

The Turkish media continue to highlight their conflict with Tarkan, with the singer's public relations team doing nothing to mend the bridges between the media and the troubled star.

Since January this year, the media has reported Tarkan's difficulty in finding a sponsor after his contract with GSM operator AVEA ended. Sources emailing Tarkan Deluxe allege that the mounting conflict with the Turkish press is making Tarkan unattractive to sponsors.

With no damage control by his management, Tarkan's recent English album, his comments about homosexuality and his ever-growing conflict with the media giving the singer a negative image in his domestic market, it's also speculated that prospective sponsors may be waiting to see if any of his latest songs become hits - proving that Tarkan is still popular in Turkey - before they approach him.

Even though there have been reports of some sponsors, the lack of pre-scheduled concerts for 2007 seem to back the speculations that the singer is in difficulty sponsor-wise. Without the strong financial backing the singer has enjoyed in previous years and a string of summer concerts, many in the industry believe that his album will not be a hit.

If his latest Turkish album bombs, many critics wonder how long Tarkan can continue using the collateral of past hits, before he runs out.

Will he make an appearance?

While other celebrities have criticised the fact that the initially reported "duet" with Sibel Can was actually limited to backing vocals, news that the troubled singer would be making appearances in the music videos to recent compositions he gave to ex-backing singer Murat Boz and close friend Can have been denied by the same sources from Tarkan's camp.

This would mean that Tarkan will not be making a return to the industry until the release of his own album.

Tarkan has made an appearance in music videos with Turkish singers he featured with, most notably for female song collaborator Nazan Öncel and more recently for a duet with female singer Kibariye.

And finally, the only positive news is Can's defence of Tarkan on magazine spots on TV that promote her album. Emphasising that Tarkan is "a humble person", she went on to state that in her industry "he is one of the few artists that gives great care to his work". It was also revealed that the song Tarkan gave to Can was initially to have been included in his latest album, scheduled to be released this year.

<< Tarkan Treachery | Tarkan News Index | An Anniversary to Sing About? >>