Tarkan Live in Europe

Posted by Steffan Matrak from Moscow, Russia

Tarkan has shared concert dates on social media under the hashtag #Tarkanlive, with events across Germany and Holland for next year. Tickets go on sale on various points across Europe on 25 October.

Reports in the celebrity press say that Tarkan has already been paid in advance the sum of 4 million TL ($1m) for the seven date tour scheduled for March 2018. Podiuminfo, a portal providing concert information for Belgium and the Netherlands has already posted about the scheduled event in Rotterdam.

UPDATES: Tickets almost sold out in first four days >>
All tickets almost sold out in first hour >>
Extra date for Düsseldorf demand >>
German news wires carry Tarkan shows >>
Tarkan Europe tour sells out >>
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Tarkan ready to rock Europe >>
Tarkan Live in Europe again (2019) >>

Some home circles are not happy at the news, however, as the European shows are being described as a snub to Turkish cities. Instead of touring Turkey, the artist is set to perform in countries with recent spats with the country's government.

The escalating disputes between Nato allies Turkey and the Netherlands and Turkey and Germany hit new lows this year, with claims that anti-Turkish sentiment was being used in Europe to win national elections.

Tarkan's previous tour abroad was in the United States of March this year. He took to the stage for a Live US event in a series of concerts in New York and Los Angeles organised by the SM Production Group, while sparks between Turkey and America increased, with various diplomatic incidents marring the political relationship.

A Week in Tarkan Gossip

The gossip mill churns out the latest Tarkan rumours, including a new video release coming in November and the singer needing therapy before marrying.

First up is a tweet by Tarkan's boss, music label exec Samsun Demir, who replied to a question over the release of an expected music video to "Beni Çok Sev". The tweet came under the news of Tarkan's upcoming concerts in Europe, with Demir saying that the video would be released in November.

Meanwhile, columnist Kahraman Durak writes of an rumour that claims Tarkan needed therapy before settling on the decision to get married. Kahraman overheard the snippet during a conversation with friends about Tarkan taking a spiritual pilgrammage to Izmir before tying the knot.

Kahraman ends his article wondering why Tarkan felt the need for therapy before getting married, while ending with the "bombshell" that Tarkan was going to be a father very soon.

Golden Awards Tainted by Controversy

Elsewhere, controversy surrounds the Pantene Altın Kelebek Awards (Golden Butterfly Awards), with online criticism over the category shortlists. Main critic is mother to the marginalised, pop diva Hande Yener, who is fuming for being overlooked this year in the female pop artist category.

Yener conveniently overlooks that the shortlist was selected by public vote this year, and that her constant pop spats on social media may have overshadowed her latest album.

But the public's decision to vote on popularity rather than between artists who had released new material this year, has led some to question whether the change was a good one.

UPDATE: Voting enters final week >>

One of these is Tarkan's lyric laureate Günay Çoban, who has waded into the fray to tweet the ommission of Yener and other artists from their categories as "stupidity" and a "fiasco".

Çoban had tweeted a day before his pride that his 2017 song for Tarkan "Beni Çok Sev" had been shortlisted by the public without a music video release.

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